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Note:
The discourse in this section is under debate or even
Controversial (I admit it). This fact does not change my desire to
present it
Ancient Egypt: The first evidence of homosexuality dates back to the Ancient Egypt,
around 2450 BC. Archaeologists found a burial tomb in which two pharaohs:
Niankhknnum and Knumhotep were buried as a married couple of that time.
Egyptologsts still argue whether the pharaohs were brother twins, relatives, close friends, lovers, or even all of these together. Apart
from this tomb, the Egyptian mythology itself gives an evidence of homosexual relationships. Horus (The Sun God) and Set (The God of Evil)
had a relationship.
Ancient Greece: The ancient Greeks were very tolerant toward homosexuality. They
Believed that same sex love had more substance then the heterosexual one. The word ''lesbian'' comes from the Eastern Greek island Lesbos, where the
poetess Sappho lived. She has promoted
the lesbian culture and love in real life and in her poems. Her art piences were later on burned by the Church.
In Sparta, homosexuality has been a part of the martial art. Every young warrior sought an experienced old soldier who could train him. The Spartans
created an army of brave homosexuals who would fight arm in arm, not
only for their polis, but also for their beloved who were fighting together
with them. This army was unconquerable and its spirit laid in the selfless
attachment of the soldiers to each other. Alexander the Great was a homosexual and did not hide his feelings toward his friend Hephaiston.
Many great poets and philosophers in Ancient Greece were homosexuals,
As well. Sophocles, Euripides, Socrates, Shlaton, and many others were
such. The Greek mythology also proves the tolerant attitude of the Ancient
Greeks toward homosexuality. Ganimed was a Trojan priest who became
cup-bearer in Olympus and had a homosexual relations with Zeus. Zeus's
wife Hera got jealous and killed the handsome cup-bearer. Zeus grieved
for his beloved and decided to elevate him to heaven and turn Ganimed into
a constellation. Apollo and Zephyrus competed for the love of the young Hyacinth . By
choosing Apollo, Hyacinth angered Zephyrus. This God killed the young
man, but Apollo did not give the soul of his beloved to Hades, the God of
the Underworld. Instead, he turned his soul into the flower hyacinth.
Heroes in the Tojan war as Achilles and Patroclus were also a couple.
They had grown together and became close, intimate friends. When Hector
Killed Patroclus, Achilles revenged by annihilating many Trojans (including Hector), though Achilles knew that he would die in several days. Both friends were burned together on the funeral pile, their bodies placed
In eternal embrace. Even Hercules was in love with Hillas. When Hillas got
abducted by the nymph Driopa, he began destroying everything on his way. One must also mention the story of Narcissus (who was in love with
himself) and the nymph who loved him and decided to turn the man into a
flower.
Ancient Rome: The Romans tolerated homosexuality before the onset of Christianity.
Julius Caesar (100- 44 BC) and Marcus Antonius were lovers. And Caesar
Was called ''The Man of all women, and the woman of all man.
Cicero (106-43 BC) was a prominent political leader- homosexual.
The poets Heracles, Virgil, Ovidius, and Seneka were homosexuals, too.
Famous are also the emperors Kaligula, Neron, and Tiberius.
The Bible: Even
the Bible
contains evidence of a homosexual relationship between David and Jonathan. There is the following statement in Samuel 20:41:
"....and when the boy went away David left his seat, which looked
Toward the South, fell face downward, bowed three times, KISSED EACH
OTHER AND STARTED CRYING."
Another citation from Samuel 1:25-26:
"I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me. Your
love was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women. I love you the
way a mother loves her only son."
Great Britain: There is a historical evidence of homosexuality among the early kings.
King Richard I- The Lion Heart (1157-1199) and Philip II (1165- 1123)
Had an intimate relationship during the third Crusade.
King Edward II (1284- 1327) had an intimate relationship with a man Called Caveston.
The English philosopher and lawyer Francis Bacon and the playwright William Shakespeare were homosexuals as well.
Italy and France Many of the Italian artists during the Renaissance were homosexuals.
The name list includes Donatello (1386- 1466), Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519), Raphael (1483- 1520), Michenalgelo (1475- 1564) . Some argue that the Madonna is a self- portrait of Michelangelo, and that his homosexuality
has been the reason why the artist portrayed only men, and never painted a picture of a single woman.
There are many debates whether Jeanne D`Arc (1412- 1431) has been a lesbian. She made a vow to remain virgin as a young girl. When she grew
up, she always slept with a woman in her bed and claimed that this was
a proof of keeping up with her vow. Interesting though, only young women
slept in her bed. It is also known that in the final days of her life
in prison, Jeanne seriously pondered onto which gender she belonged. She
was burned on the stake in 1431 and later proclaimed a saint.
Other countries: The Queen of Sweden Christina (1637- 1654) grew up as a boy. She has
been in love with the singer Angelica Georgini .
The German composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was also a homosexual.
The Dutch writer of kid`s tales Hans Christian Andersen (1805- 1875)
and the Russian composer Piotr Ilich Tchaikovski were homosexuals, too
The United States: The US president George Washington (1732- 1799) had an intimate
relationship with his secretary Alexander Hamilton.
Some talk that even president Abraham Lincoln (1809- 1865) had a homosexual relationship with Joshua Speed.
Amelia Earhart (1898- 1937)- the first woman to fly over the Atlantic
ocean in 1932 and over the Pacific ocean in 1935 was a lesbian. She perished in a plane crash on July 2nd, 1937 while attempting to fly
around the globe.
Eleanor Roosevelt was a lesbian.
The poetess Emily Dickinson, the singers Bessie Smith, Janis Joplin,
Tracy Chapman, Indigo Girls were lesbians.
Cher`s daughter and the actress Jodie Foster are lesbians, too.
Elton John and Kelvin Klein are homosexuals=
You can read about many of the famous lesbians of our times HERE Lesbian relationships were common in Assyria, Babylon, ancient India,
and even Egypt. From these countries, unconventional relations spread to
ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, and later to the rest of the European
and American continents. The attitude of different societies toward lesbian relationships has differed a lot. For example in Austria, the
female homosexuality was regarded a capital offence. In the same period
(1881), France has officially permitted women to attend private clubs
specialised in tribadism and mastrubation.
In the East- India, China, and Japan, women largely used artificial penises for sexual pleasure. This
practice spread around the world. Curious facts about lesbian life from past to the present: Around 580 BC- Sappho created artistic school for young girls which
proliferated on the Lesbos island. You can read about the relation between the school and the female homosexuality
HERE 1073 - The Church authorities in Constantinople and Rome ordered the
burning of all poetical pieces created by Sappho 1260 - The Orleans law schools issued an order for clitoris removal for
women caught in lesbian intimate relations. On the second offence, these women were further mutilated. And the third offence guaranteed them
burning at the stake.
1654 - The Swiss queen Christina abdicated instead of marrying. She has
had only female lovers.
1849 - Goodwife Norman became the first woman convicted of Homosexuality in the United States.
1882- A novel describing lesbian nuns flared a scandal in France.
1886- Annie Hindle and Annie Ryen married in a hotel room in Grand Rapids, Michigan. A Baptist priest conducted the ceremony.
1901- Murray Hall died. He was a New York politician with more than 30
years long carrier and two marriages. It became clear after his death
that ''he'' was actually a woman called Merry Anderson.
1911- the Netherlands banned the homosexual relationships of
individuals below the age of 21.
1926- The Captive, a Lesbian themed play is performed on Broadway. The
play is deemed controversial, and the government enacted the Padock law
to ban plays representing ''sex perversions.''
1920- 1930 -The German Magazine ''Die Freundin'' (the Friend) openly
discussesed lesbian themes before this practice became forbidden.
1936- The first lesbian bar ''Mona'' opened doors in San Francisco.
1944- Sweden decriminalized homosexuality.
1947- Lisa Ben started publishing the first American lesbian magazin.
1953- Kinsey released a report revealing that 2% of the women in the
United States were homosexual, and 13% have had some experience.
1953- Through one of his first acts as a president, Eisenhower Prohibited employment of gays and lesbians within the state apparatus.
1955 - The first lesbian organization, ''The Daughters of Bilitis'' was
created in San Francisco.
1960- ''The Daughters of Bilitis'' held their first nationwide Conference in San Francisco
1961- Homosexuality was decriminalized in Czechoslovakia
1967- The authorities in Louisiana sentenced Mary Young and Dawn DeBlanc to 13 months in jail for ''unnatural carnal copulation.''
1969- ''The Stonewall Rebellion'' - the police attacked a homosexual
Bar in Grinwich Village. A strife between gay, lesbians, and the police
followed and turned into riots throughout the whole New York. This event marked the beginning of the movement for gay and lesbian equality.
1970- The first American Lesbian Feminist book store ''Amazon book store'' opened its doors in Minneapolis.
1972- Kamey Michel is the first lesbian who received the right to take
care for her children after divorce. Still, the court ordered that she
was not entitled to the right to live with another woman.
1973- Lesbians created the music company ''Olivia Records''
1977- Ellen Barrett becomes the first lesbian priest.
1982- The American lesbian activist Rita Mae Brown opened the first Gay
Olympic games in San Francisco''. In her opening speech, she stated:
''This is a celebration of the individual freedom and not of homosexuality! No government has the right to say to its citizens who
and when they would love.''
1989- Denmark became the first country which recognizes legal same sex
mariages
1991- The lesbian Debra Chasnoff won an ''Oscar'' for the best documentary.
1993- The first lesbian (not homosexual, for lesbians only) parade took
place in Washington.
1996- The new government of South Africa accepted a constitution with
provisions for gay and lesbian protection. South Africa is the first
country to adopt such legislation.
1997- Three independent research projects in Great Britain, Belgium,
and USA proved that lesbians could raise entirely normal children
1997- ''Ellen'' is the first TV show in prime- time that staged a Lesbian as the main character.
1998- Washington became the 27th state in which homosexual marriages
were illegal by law.
1999- Brazil adopted a law which equalized the status of the homosexual
and heterosexual marriages.
2001- Scientists developed a method which allows a lesbian to get
Pregnant from her partner. The child carries the genes of the two women.
2000-2002 – The homosexual marriage was consecutively legalized in the
Netherlands, Germany, Belgium,
Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Iceland
2003 ã. - - The Canadian Court of Appeal proclaimed that the
definition of marriage as a ''union between a man and a woman,''
contradicts the Constitution, and this decision opened the
possibility for recognition of same sex marriages in Canada. Short
afterwords, the same sex marriages became legally recognized. If
you'd like to know more about the procedure- read
HERE
2005- Spain legalized same sex
marriages, equalizing them with the heterosexual ones.
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