Cultural understanding of homosexuality
It is not easy to define “gay” in different cultures or time periods. Before the 19th century, homosexuality wasn’t considered an identifiable identity or a separate category of persons in many societies. This was before same-sex behavior could be understood as a departure from social norms, or as the behavior of a few people. But it didn’t always indicate a person’s complete identity. Some cultures accepted and even celebrated same-sex relationships. In ancient Greece for example, men with women were thought to be a way of forming political alliances and fostering loyalty. Some indigenous cultures, like the Two-Spirit tradition of Native American societies, considered people with both masculine traits and femininities to be special spiritual leaders (Williams 2019). Homosexuality, however, has long been criminalized in many countries. For example, the United States considered homosexuality a mental disorder until the 1970s. (Savin Williams, 2021). Homosexuality can still be punished by death or imprisonment in some countries. Cont…
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