Gay Marriage: Theologil and Moral Arguments - Markkula Center for Applied Ethics

Contents:

• HADRIAN — THE GAY ROMAN EMPERORHADRIAN WAS EPLY LOVE WH BETIFUL ANTOPETER PRKAR·FOLLOWPUBLISHED LSONS OM HISTORY·4 M READ·FEB 13, 2021--1SHAREHADRIAN IS NSIRED ONE OF THE FIVE GOOD ROMAN EMPERORS BY HISTORIANS. IN ROMAN HISTORY, HE BELONGS TO THE GROUP OF ELE EMPERORS SUCH AS TRAJAN AND AUGT.HE WAS A GOOD LER WHO DITED HIS LIFE TO THE STRENGTHENG OF THE ENORMO ROMAN EMPIRE. HE BUILT WALLS AND HE FORTIFIED BORRS WH STRONGHOLDS. YOU’VE PROBABLY HEARD ABOUT THE FAMO HADRIAN’S WALL ENGLAND.HADRIAN WAS KNOWN FOR HIS LOVE OF GREEK CULTURE AND TIRELS TRAVELS ALL AROUND THE EMPIRE. HE HAPPENED TO BE HOMOSEXUAL AS WELL.ALTHOUGH MON FOR THE ROMAN EMPERORS TO HAVE MALE LOVERS, HADRIAN WAS UNIQUE MAKG CLEAR HE WAS GAY.HADRIAN (LED 117–138 AD) MARRIED VIBIA SABA 100 AD FOR POLIL REASONS. AFTER ALL, SABA WAS A NIECE OF ROMAN EMPEROR TRAJAN.AS WAS MON AMONG THE IMPERIAL FAY, THE RELATNSHIP WAS CTUO. HADRIAN AND SABA WERE SEND S ONCE REMOVED. BUT THERE WAS NO BREEDG. HADRIAN NEVER NSUMMATED THE MARRIAGE AND THE UPLE DIDN’T HAVE ANY CHILDREN.CONTEMPORARI CLAIMED HADRIAN TREATED HIS WIFE SABA A LTLE BETTER THAN A SLAVE. HE MARRIED SABA OUT OF OFFICIAL DUTY AND NOT BEE OF ROMANTIC TERTS.HADRIAN WAS MUCH MORE TERTED HIS MALE LOVERS. NO WONR THAT POOR SABA LOOKED FOR SOLACE THE ARMS OF OTHER MEN!ONE OF SABA’S LOVERS WAS ROMAN HISTORIAN SUETONI. HADRIAN EXPELLED HIM OM THE URT FOR ‘SOLACG’ HIS WIFE. TODAY, SUETONI’S WRGS ARE A SOURCE OF RMATN ABOUT THE ROMAN EMPERORS.AS ALREADY MENTNED, HADRIAN PREFERRED SEX WH MEN. HE EVEN WROTE EROTIC POETRY ABOUT HIS YOUNG LOVERS. NO EVINCE POTS TOWARDS HADRIAN BEG ATTRACTED TO WOMEN. A WELL-KNOWN LOVE STORY BETWEEN HADRIAN AND ANTO IS A STRONG PROOF OF HADRIAN’S LOVE FOR YOUNG MEN.HADRIAN’S GAY LOVER ANTO BEME A GOD
• WHY THE ROMANS ARE IMPORTANT THE DEBATE ABOUT GAY MARRIAGE
• GAY MARRIAGE AND HOMOSEXUALY WERE PART OF MORAL LANDSPE ANCIENT ROME
• GAY MARRIAGE: THEOLOGIL AND MORAL ARGUMENTS

HADRIAN — THE GAY ROMAN EMPERORHADRIAN WAS EPLY LOVE WH BETIFUL ANTOPETER PRKAR·FOLLOWPUBLISHED LSONS OM HISTORY·4 M READ·FEB 13, 2021--1SHAREHADRIAN IS NSIRED ONE OF THE FIVE GOOD ROMAN EMPERORS BY HISTORIANS. IN ROMAN HISTORY, HE BELONGS TO THE GROUP OF ELE EMPERORS SUCH AS TRAJAN AND AUGT.HE WAS A GOOD LER WHO DITED HIS LIFE TO THE STRENGTHENG OF THE ENORMO ROMAN EMPIRE. HE BUILT WALLS AND HE FORTIFIED BORRS WH STRONGHOLDS. YOU’VE PROBABLY HEARD ABOUT THE FAMO HADRIAN’S WALL ENGLAND.HADRIAN WAS KNOWN FOR HIS LOVE OF GREEK CULTURE AND TIRELS TRAVELS ALL AROUND THE EMPIRE. HE HAPPENED TO BE HOMOSEXUAL AS WELL.ALTHOUGH MON FOR THE ROMAN EMPERORS TO HAVE MALE LOVERS, HADRIAN WAS UNIQUE MAKG CLEAR HE WAS GAY.HADRIAN (LED 117–138 AD) MARRIED VIBIA SABA 100 AD FOR POLIL REASONS. AFTER ALL, SABA WAS A NIECE OF ROMAN EMPEROR TRAJAN.AS WAS MON AMONG THE IMPERIAL FAY, THE RELATNSHIP WAS CTUO. HADRIAN AND SABA WERE SEND S ONCE REMOVED. BUT THERE WAS NO BREEDG. HADRIAN NEVER NSUMMATED THE MARRIAGE AND THE UPLE DIDN’T HAVE ANY CHILDREN.CONTEMPORARI CLAIMED HADRIAN TREATED HIS WIFE SABA A LTLE BETTER THAN A SLAVE. HE MARRIED SABA OUT OF OFFICIAL DUTY AND NOT BEE OF ROMANTIC TERTS.HADRIAN WAS MUCH MORE TERTED HIS MALE LOVERS. NO WONR THAT POOR SABA LOOKED FOR SOLACE THE ARMS OF OTHER MEN!ONE OF SABA’S LOVERS WAS ROMAN HISTORIAN SUETONI. HADRIAN EXPELLED HIM OM THE URT FOR ‘SOLACG’ HIS WIFE. TODAY, SUETONI’S WRGS ARE A SOURCE OF RMATN ABOUT THE ROMAN EMPERORS.AS ALREADY MENTNED, HADRIAN PREFERRED SEX WH MEN. HE EVEN WROTE EROTIC POETRY ABOUT HIS YOUNG LOVERS. NO EVINCE POTS TOWARDS HADRIAN BEG ATTRACTED TO WOMEN. A WELL-KNOWN LOVE STORY BETWEEN HADRIAN AND ANTO IS A STRONG PROOF OF HADRIAN’S LOVE FOR YOUNG MEN.HADRIAN’S GAY LOVER ANTO BEME A GOD

Today you n have a lbian who was born a man and a gay male who was born a woman or a male prison who behav ways that to the outsi world appear homosexual, but to the prison, ​the muny do not, alongsi the more tradnal homosexual, bisexual, and heterosexual rol.

Sce the ncepts 'heterosexual' and 'homosexual' did not exist, but there do seem to be a high gree of rrelatn between the nduct of men intified as caedi and that of some men now labeled 'homosexuals, ' though mt be appreciated that the morn term is clil while the ancient one is emotnal and even hostile, and that both have been imposed om outsi. The photographs for Dover’s book had to be livered to the prter by hand, bee the post might have been tercepted unr Sectn 11 of the Post Office Act (1953), which banned sendg “cent or obscene prts” by Homosexualy is not a prehensive acunt of same-sex relatnships the Greek world. The ia of ‘homosexual’ and ‘heterosexual’ did not yet exist - what mattered was to be sexually domant we know om documents that the Londium of Hadrian’s time was a slave-owng society, sharg the same valu as cizens throughout the Roman empire, we n be sure that same-sex relatnships were normal.

In honour of LGBTQIA+ history month, Ancient History alumni Ollie Burns tak a closer look at the social, polil, and cultural implitns of homosexualy ancient Rome.

WHY THE ROMANS ARE IMPORTANT THE DEBATE ABOUT GAY MARRIAGE

The prentatn and perceptn of homosexualy the Roman world was vastly different than how is today, and giv an example of how homosexualy has been libly lked wh munitns of power and thory antiquy. The Lat language has no word for eher heterosexual or homosexual, and stead partners a sexual relatnship would be prented as eher active, synonymo wh masculy, or passive and therefore, feme, regardls of the genr of the dividuals volved. Freeborn male Romans had the civil liberty to do as they pleased when me to sexual activy, and as such, the ncept of a Roman man engagg homosexual sex was no way ntroversial or taboo to the Romans, as long as fell wh certa parameters.

As a rult of this, men were ee to engage homosexual relatnships, so long as they were the active partner wh the perative power, and the submissive partner was nsired to be lower society than them.

GAY MARRIAGE AND HOMOSEXUALY WERE PART OF MORAL LANDSPE ANCIENT ROME

He was approachg an age which would renr him too old for his relatnship wh the Emperor to be socially appropriate, which, if te, monstrat the strict fixedns of the parameters around which homosexual relatns were permted among Roman men.

While is unclear as to whether this claim is te, Caar was moured to have been the passive sexual partner, earng him the tle ‘The Queen of Bhynia’ om his enemi, monstratg the relatnship between passivy and femy, as well as the emasculatory effects that beg the recipient of homosexual sex entailed. In summary, homosexualy ancient Rome was as much about munitns of power and stat than was about attractn and emotn, wh sex as a vehicle to exercise privilege and domance.

GAY MARRIAGE: THEOLOGIL AND MORAL ARGUMENTS

For more rmatn, see Craig Williams’ ‘ Roman Homosexualy’, Saara Lijia’s ‘Homosexualy Republin and Augtan Rome’, or Suetoni’ ‘Liv of the Caars’. Pdar and TheoxenThe most famo love poem wrten by Pdar to clare his love for the young Theoxen was scribed by gay rights scholar Magn Hirschfeld as "one of the most perfect love songs the Greek language. In the cultur of the ancient world, there was no need for signatns such as LGBTQ+ bee there was no difference noted between what is now fed as "homosexual" and "heterosexual" relatnships.

There are not even words the ancient languag which translate to the morn-day "homosexual" and "heterosexual" which were only ed 1869 CE.

Scholar Col Spencer not, "Bisexualy the male was accepted as natural and never drew adverse ment, but passive homosexualy ma the Egyptians feel uneasy. The tale of Sodom and Gomorrah om the Book of Genis is also monly ced attacks on the gay muny, but even Church Fathers such as Sat Ambrose (d. Rape and regulatnHomosexualy the legnsLbian loveThe time of ChristianyDurg the time of the Republic, Roman cizens had the right (libertas) to protect their bodi om physil ercn, cludg both rporal punishment and sexual vlence.