It is hard to imagine how it was like to be gay when people identified themselves with the tribe, kingdom and city-state they belong. Sure, the ones in-hiding inside the closet have existed and so were the confused-but-forced-to-marry-and-have-children abound. But to love and grow old with a male companion was unheard of, and to flaunt a guy's effeminate behavior by dancing in women's clothes was totally impermissible. Authorities saw it an abomination; a denial of human nature, and for the longest time the people believed.
The canon of human history has long been tampered by the ones in power. Some call it revision, while others dismiss it as propaganda. Events and customs that were deem contrary to the accepted norms were taken out of context. Some were even left to wander in the realms of myths. Only very recently did we learn to review the facts and write our stories without hesitation. The subjects we missed or deliberately scratched off begin to come to light, and our story - as homosexuals - slowly trickles from just being mere legends to becoming recognizable part of our past.
The Native Americans have a word for it - niizh manidoowag - two spirits. They were people who can exhibit both characteristics of a man and a woman. The niizh manidoowag had an important role to play in society. They were the witch doctors, shamans and astrologers who decode the message of the stars. They accompanied the tribal chiefs in battles, and was consulted for advise in times of domestic need. What the niizh manidoowag didn't see was their slow disappearance from history. With the coming of Europeans, they vanished from a land memory has forgotten.
The Sacred Band of Thebes was an army of gay men. They were known for their ferocity and honor. Seldom did they flee from their ranks, and often, fought until their last breath. The band was composed of male couples handpicked from one of Greece's city states. Housed and trained to become foot soldiers, they were an elite group of soldiers who swore eternity to their beloved and defense of their homeland..
Their defeat came in the hands of Philip, King of Macedon. In the cover of spears and arrows, other army groups had fled but the band refused. Serving as the last line of cover so that the heteros could retreat, their death meant the survival of the city-state. In the heap of their corpses Alexander the Great once stood. Many years after the prince became a king, he too would have a lover, a male companion who fought alongside with him in all his greatest battles.
The ancient times were replete with homosexual records that never appeared in our history books. After all, experts-in-robes deem homosexuality a crazy disease just over 50 years ago. They never knew the hijras were excellent and trusted administrators in the court of Mughal Emperors of India. The Japanese had nanshokus to keep their masters and teachers appeased. Even the Arabs had wine boys in their joyous merriment. I wonder how the practice endured at the risk of beheading. They say even the Sufi Teachers deflowered their male students too.
It was only in the Middle Ages that homosexuality faced its darkest moments. In a place where war and famine takes a toll on the population, survival mandates constant procreation. The kings and priests of the time saw how the social fabric would collapse. Aided by a religion they found in the desert, new values were introduced. Fearing eternal damnation and earthly persecution, echoed constantly from the churches, male love was wiped out from human psyche.
Times have changed after information has become freely available. The loud voices raising questions about our existence has now become but a whimper in the pond of human epoch. While empowerment is still an ongoing struggle for many people like us, we are still fortunate to live in a time when the option to come out is met with open arms and heartfelt recognition.
History is written for us to remember. So that in war and peace and in the confusion within our estranged self, we may find solace from the triumphs of those before us. When in doubt, remember: male dolphins and penguins are known to form bonds with the same gender. If you believe in Charles Darwin, you will find that there's a connection.
And in the dawn of our presence, another revelation was revealed.
Kamila Remisova Vesinova and her team of researchers from the Czech Archeological Society believe they have unearthed the remains of an early homosexual man. The remains date from around 2900-2500 B.C., on the outskirts of Prague.That claim stems from the fact the 5,000-year old skeleton was buried in a manner reserved for women in the Corded Ware culture: its head was pointed east rather than west, and its remains were surrounded by domestic jugs rather than by hammers, flint knives and weapons that typically accompany male remains.
Time Magazine
Long before we were born in tribes and kingdoms. Ante-dating our first empires and nations. We discover that our nature precedes us.
We have been homo-sapiens all along.