An ancient Greek army of...boyiends?! You may have heard tell of somewhere your gay ltle z and Tik Toks, but do you know the full story? Jo Bash for a bon episo as he div *ep* to the Sacred Band of Theb – if only, sigh – an ancient Greek ary experiment that led one c…
Contents:
- THE VICTOR GAY GREEK ARMY THAT GOT CANCELED BY HISTORY
- SACRED BAND OF THEB: AN ALL-GAY ARMY BATTALN ANCIENT GREECE
- I'M A GAY ARMY OFFICER—QUEER TROOPS MT FIGHT BACK
THE VICTOR GAY GREEK ARMY THAT GOT CANCELED BY HISTORY
Public DomaWhy do we see so many football and gby teams named for the Spartans, and only one for the Thebans, though Theb fact feated Sparta battle and end s reign as superpower of Greece? The explanatn li ep the prejudic of ancient Greek historians and thkers, as do the spiratn for that one exceptn: The Caledonian Thebans, Sttish ggers who fe themselv as gay, bisexual, or ;s start by notg that Greek Theb (not to be nfed * greek army gay *
The explanatn li ep the prejudic of ancient Greek historians and thkers, as do the spiratn for that one exceptn: The Caledonian Thebans, Sttish ggers who fe themselv as gay, bisexual, or ’s start by notg that Greek Theb (not to be nfed wh the Egyptian cy of the same name) had unually gay-iendly laws and social ctoms.
The whole discsn, wh s equatn of male sexual love and wardice, adds a layer of homophobia to the standard Greek slurs agast Theban wlsns and poor rears n sometim spot and rrect for the bias, but outright omissns are harr to overe, bee we pend on Xenophon for so much of our rerd of Greek history. The Theban “gay 300, ” as some have cheekily lled them, are ltle known today, spe of the fact that they too, like the Spartans at Thermopylae, were stroyed to a man as they fought a hopels stggle. They were 150 pairs of gay lovers.
Each uple f the mol of Greece homosexual relatns at the time: an olr, domant gentleman and his younger, passive playmate.
SACRED BAND OF THEB: AN ALL-GAY ARMY BATTALN ANCIENT GREECE
Now back to the 300 gay warrrs facg off agast the most ele soldiers of the most fearsome ary force Ancient Greece, the Spartiat. The Sacred Band of Theb: and Army of 300 Gay Lovers.
I'M A GAY ARMY OFFICER—QUEER TROOPS MT FIGHT BACK
But as a gay man, I have been fightg my whole life to enjoy the very privileg I am entled to as both a beholr and protector of them. I was one of few soldiers who joed the service before graduatg high school, but the admistratn at the time, which I believe was homophobic, chose to act as if I never existed bee of my queer hate that I experienced growg up on Long Island was my first enunter wh how others would treat me as a queer soldier.