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Homosexuality has been known and described through the ages. It has been observed in almost all cultures, and the prevailing attitude toward it has ranged from prideful acceptance to punitive rejection, depending upon the mores of the culture. In a recent review, Ford and Beach1 describe forty-nine present-day primitive cultures which accept homosexuality in modified forms, while twenty-eight similar cultures condemn the practice.
Homosexuality can be traced back to some of the earliest writings. The laws of Hammurabi, recorded during the second century B.C. in Babylon, speak with some disfavor of such behavior. At about the same period, an Egyptian papyrus referred to homosexuality as being so ancient that it was ascribed to the Gods.
In the Old Testament, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah occurred as a result of the perverted practices of their inhabitants. In Leviticus it is written, “If a man also lieth down with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed abomination. They shall surely be put to death.”
Socrates idealized homosexuality in a manner somewhat similar to that by which chivalrous love of a lady was held up as a goal by the troubadors of the Middle Ages. Plato wrote, “It is unjust that the homosexual should be accused of immodesty, for it is not through lack of modesty that he acts that way. It is because he has a strong soul, manly courage, and a virile character, that he seeks his own kind. This is proved by the fact that with age many homosexuals seem to be more efficient than others as servants of the State.”
The ancient Greeks fostered the concept of male love for males. In Sparta, the older men served as inspiration for the younger men. However, in all eras there were some who regarded homosexuality as undesirable. Under Roman law, many forms of homosexuality were ignored. Anglo-Saxon laws are not as lenient and follow the Bible more closely. It is inaccurate to regard taboos against homosexuality chiefly a result of Jewish a