Old homosexuals
The Old Way to Be Gay?
Simple logic would suggest that “gay genes” would not survive in the evolution of our species. Even if a homosexually-oriented human occasionally had sex with a woman, he wouldn’t be competent to keep up, reproductively speaking, with a man who by virtue of “straight genes” felt highly motivated to bed women. And yet androphilic males—that is, males who are sexually oriented toward other males—show up in cultures around the world. Why?
Harvard University sociobiologist E.O. Wilsonsuggested as an explanation the kin selection hypothesis, which holds that an androphilic male provides a level of assistance to his family large enough to overcome his lack of direct reproduction. “Gay genes” are then passed down (and so kept in the human gene pool) not via the androphilic male himself reproducing with a female, but via the straight family members he helps—family members who would naturally share many of his genes.
When sexologists have looked to see whether gay men in industrialized nations such as the United States and Japan are on average more altruistic towards
by Jordan Redman
Staff Writer
Do you know what the word gay really means?
The word gay dates help to the 12th century and comes from the Old French “gai,” essence “full of joy or mirth.” It may also relate to the Elderly High German “gahi,” definition impulsive.
For centuries, gay was used commonly in speech and literature to indicate happy, carefree, bright and showy, and did not take on any sexual meaning until the s.
At that time the sense of gay as carefree evolved to imply that a person was unrestrained by morals and prone to decadence and promiscuity. A prostitute might contain been described as a “gay woman” and a womanizer as a “gay man.”
“Gay house” was commonly used to refer to a brothel and, later, “gaiety” was used as a common name for certain places of entertainment.
In the s, the word “gey cat” (a Scottish variant of gay) was used to describe a vagrant who offered sexual services to women or a young traveler who was new to the road and in the company of an older man.
This latter use suggests that the younger bloke was in a sexually submissive role and may be among the fir
People with a History: Lesbian, Gay, Pansexual, and Trans* History Sourcebook
Gunnora Hallakarva:
The Vikings and Homosexuality
Gunnora Hallakarva runs the Viking Answer Lady Page, a collection of essays on all sorts of aspects of Viking customs. She wrote this piece, which is a splendid summary of s discussion on Viking homosexuality, and gave permission for its inclusion at the People With a History site.
DEAR VIKING Respond LADY How did the Vikings regard and treat male and female homosexuals? I am considering adding a sky feather to my Viking garb, but I wonder how this will influence my persona?
(signed) They Call me Strange OddiGENTLE READER,
My personal research into homosexuality in the Viking Age shows clearly that the Vikings had words (and therefore mental constructs and concepts) of same-sex activity; however since the needs of agricultural/pastoral living require reproduction not only to work the farm but also to provide support for the parent in old age, it was expected that no matter what one's affectional preferences were that each individ
Has 'Homosexual' Always Been in the Bible?
Reprinted with permission from The Forge Online
The word “arsenokoitai” shows up in two different verses in the bible, but it was not translated to signify “homosexual” until
We got to settle down with Ed Oxford at his home in Long Beach, California and talk about this doubt.
You include been part of a research team that is seeking to understand how the decision was made to put the synonyms homosexual in the bible. Is that true?
Ed: Yes. It first showed up in the RSV translation. So before figuring out why they decided to use that word in the RSV translation (which is outlined in my upcoming publication with Kathy Baldock, Forging a Sacred Weapon: How the Bible Became Anti-Gay) I wanted to witness how other cultures and translations treated the equal verses when they were translated during the Reformation years ago. So I started collecting old Bibles in French, German, Irish, Gaelic, Czechoslovakian, Polish… you name it. Now I’ve got most European major languages that I’ve calm over time. An