Is That Skeleton Gay? The Problem Wh Projectg Morn Ias Onto The Past

Contents:

• IS THAT SKELETON GAY? THE PROBLEM WH PROJECTG MORN IAS ONTO THE PAST
• NO BON ABOUT , SUPERTED’S SKELETON WAS GAY
• ANDREW BLASER WS TEAM USA OLYMPIC SKELETON SPOT, FIRST OUT GAY MAN TO DO SO
• SKELETON GAY PRI STICKER

IS THAT SKELETON GAY? THE PROBLEM WH PROJECTG MORN IAS ONTO THE PAST

This week reprents two bookends to my foray to scholarly public outreach: new reports of "gay lovers" om Pompeii sts and the six year anniversary of the hubbub over the "gay veman" skeleton. Cue the media verage of "gay lovers" (Telegraph) and "the two mains were men" (Daily Mail), whout cril asssment of any of the load terms. As classicist David Meadows tells me, "They weren't 'gay' when they were thought to be women.

While the archaeologists volved the new study make clear the Telegraph piece that the nature of the relatnship is impossible to terme, the media's jumpg to a ncln about sexual attractn and applyg the morn label "gay" -- which is que anachronistic terms of ancient Roman culture -- reveals much more about our morn culture's obssn wh this topic than tells about the Romans.

NO BON ABOUT , SUPERTED’S SKELETON WAS GAY

A siar issue exactly six years ago was a talyst for my start media cricism of barchaeologil fds: the "gay veman" or "transgenr veman.

And people generally choose to engage sexual terurse wh: someone of the oppose sex (heterosexualy or "straight"), the same sex (homosexualy or "gay"), both sex (bisexualy), or no one (asexualy). If this burial reprents a transgenred dividual (as well uld), that don't necsarily mean the person had a "different sexual orientatn" and certaly don't mean that he would have nsired himself (or that his culture would have nsired him) "homosexual.

From the "gay veman" to the "Hasanlu Lovers" to the "gay lovers" om Pompeii, is clear that both the media and the public are terted the ia that people of the past were jt as diverse genr inti, genr exprsns, and sexual attractn as we are today.

ANDREW BLASER WS TEAM USA OLYMPIC SKELETON SPOT, FIRST OUT GAY MAN TO DO SO

When this evince was first revealed the 1980s, reporters flocked to report that the Hasanlu Lovers were gay. Furthermore, “gay” and “straight” as discreet inti and orientatns are a product of morn society, not labels that n be applied to people the distant past.

Now a survey of LGBTQ characters rtoons has intified as the first to clu a gay cult seri, which has been shown more than 120 untri, cludg the Uned Stat, France, UAE and Atralia, and been translated to 32 languag, featur a disrd teddy bear that is rcued by a Spotty Man and taken to a magic cloud to receive special powers. Andrew Blaser will be the only man reprentg the Uned Stat the sport of skeleton at the Wter Olympics Beijg, the first publicly out gay man to earn an Olympic spot the sport.

Skeleton is a gay character om SuperTed.

SKELETON GAY PRI STICKER