Is it true that most Greek men are gay ?

[ThetaPrincess24]

Originally Posted by Senusret I

I haven't heard that stereotype in a very long time, but I did used to hear all the time that men from Greece were usually gay. Weird.

I've never heard that stereotype, atleast not for modern times. I do recall reading about ancient Greek & Roman history that having relationships with both men and women were not uncommon and was accepted as part of the culture of the time.

My high school Latin class got a 45 minute lecture on the subject and how homosexuality didnt concern them (the Ancients) after a classmate asked the teacher what the Latin word was for "faggot." Also included in that lecture was how politically incorrect it was to use the word, "faggot."

[VJDTropical]

Originally Posted by ThetaPrincess24

I've never heard that stereotype, atleast not for modern times. I do recall reading about ancient Greek & Roman history that having relationships with both men and women were not uncommon and was accepted as part of the culture of the time.

My high school Latin class got a 45 minute lecture on the subject and how homosexuality didnt concern them (the Ancients) after a classmate asked the teacher what the Latin word was for "faggot." Also included in that lecture was how politically incorrect it was to use the word, "faggot."

Incorrect ... homosexuality was seen as superior to heterosexuality and not as equal ... basically male homosexuality was the best , heterosexuality second best and female homosexuality the third one in place

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by VJDTropical

Incorrect ... homosexuality was seen as superior to heterosexuality and not as equal ... basically male homosexuality was the best , heterosexuality second best and female homosexuality the third one in place

This is bit of an overbroad statement, too. At least in classical Greek culture, sexual relations between adult males was often considered inferior. It's true that some male-male relationships were considered superior to male-female merely because males were considered superior to females. But in general, it was the older male-younger male relationship that was approved of, and not always even then.

A major problem arises in using a modern social constructs like "homosexuality" or "heterosexuality" and applying them to cultures that recognized quite different constructs.