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by kentosi
2178 days ago
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Fascinating article. I can assume that most of these men were not gay, but rather used gay sex as an outlet for pleasure given the hopeless circumstances they were in. What struck to me most though, is the eventual development of romantic relations where partners would pamper each other with gifts. To me this shows a deeper need for a human connection beyond just sex. |
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MSM behavior is on a spectrum, that moreover encompasses both deprivation-based homosexuality (the kind you get in "hopeless" circumstances with no access to heterosexual relationships) and dominance-based homosexuality (MSM sex as a raw exertion of dominance by one participant towards the other). These sorts of practices need not have much to do with "sexual orientation", as understood today.
In ancient Mediterranean cultures, being a dominant participant in MSM encounters was something "anyone" could do, and was not understood as anything unusual. It was only the submissive partner that was considered highly feminized. This same model shows up in other ancient cultures, e.g. in East Asia. The modern Western understanding where MSM practices boil down to a gay "sexual orientation" that's equally shared by both partners is historically novel.