12/18/2023 0 Comments Oscar wilde gay trysts![]() 3 However, in these societies, it was homosexual actions and not an identifiable category of people who were either tolerated or lauded. Even the Roman Catholic Church, until the twelfth century, celebrated love between men. Certain tribal groups embraced transvestite men and women who adopted the gender roles of the opposite sex, known as berdache. ![]() The most famous example is ancient Greece, where sexual relationships between older men and teenage boys were heralded as one of the highest forms of love. Historical evidence suggests that homosexual behavior was successfully integrated in many pre-capitalist cultures. Heterosexuals and homosexuals are involved in social "roles" and attitudes which pertain to a particular society, modern capitalism. What we call "homosexuality" (in the sense of the distinguishing traits of "homosexuals"), for example, was not considered a unified set of acts, much less a set of qualities defining particular persons, in pre-capitalist societies . The oppression of gays and lesbians, therefore, is a fairly recent phenomenon.Ĭontemporary industrial societies created the possibility for men and women to identify themselves and live as gays and lesbians, argues gay historian John D∮milio. But only when capitalist society in the late nineteenth century created the potential for individuals to live outside the nuclear family was the modern conception of a gay identity born. Reams of historical evidence confirm that homosexual behavior has existed for at least thousands of years, and it is logical to assume that homosexual acts have been occurring for as long as human beings have walked the earth. As far as biologists can tell, there is only one human race with a multiplicity of sexual possibilities that can be either frustrated or liberated, depending on the way human society is organized. There are not two kinds of people in the world, gay and straight. ![]() The modern expression of this can be found among the millions of men and women who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, or two-spiritedoften identifying themselves differently at different times in their lives. Sexuality, like other behaviors, is a fluidnot fixedphenomenon. Socialists fight for a world in which sexuality is a purely personal matter, without legal or material restrictions of any sort. Gay oppression under capitalism, like racism and sexism, serves to divide working-class people from one another in their battles for economic and social justice. Capitalism creates the material conditions for men and women to lead autonomous sexual lives, yet it simultaneously seeks to impose heterosexual norms on society to secure the maintenance of an economic, ideological, and sexual order.įamous gays such as Melissa Etheridge pack concert venues, and the Fab Five "queer" guys are used to sell fashionwhile homophobic laws defend discrimination on the job and in marriage. 1 The oppression of gays and lesbiansand all sexual minoritiesis one of modern capitalisms infinite contradictions. GAY OPPRESSION hasnt always existed, and neither have gays as a distinct sector of the population. ![]() SHERRY WOLF is on the ISR editorial board. International Socialist Review Issue 37, SeptemberOctober 2004 For ISR updates, send us your Email Address ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |