LGBT through the ages.

• Author: Jigour, Jennifer
• Position: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender - Worldview

IMAGINE WE ARE ON a journey through the ages--taken by ship. You will need to hang on, as you may encounter things that will challenge your view of the world. Let us first make port of call in Washington, D.C. The year is 1963. Do you see that huge crowd of people marching to the Lincoln Memorial? They are following Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Who is that by King's side? It is none other than Bayard Rustin. Yes, he was a man who loved men, as well as a civil rights activist.

One of the most frustrating aspects of discussing the history and rights of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) is that many people around the world, as well as certain racial minorities in the U.S., strongly believe that homosexuality is a white Western European import. That, however, is far from the truth. It is not so much that the world has slipped into cultural dementia and forgotten that nontraditional forms of gender and sexuality have existed in every culture and in every time, it is that our attitudes about them have shifted.

While we set sail back to ancient times, heading towards Africa, let me remind you about the current climate of certain countries there. For instance, the prime minister of Uganda recently signed into law that gays and lesbians can be denounced and sent to jail. Homosexuality is illegal. However, it was not always so. Transvestites in Zulu (southern Africa) and Lugabara (Uganda) often had spirit cults where possessed males would dress in women's clothing and recount homosexual dreams in a high-pitched voice. Among the Bara, they had a word for the cross-dressing male: sarombavey. These people were accepted among the community. They even would be married to men. The arrangement was a status symbol.

Let us sail on to ancient Greece. Alexander the Great, a well-known leader, had numerous male lovers. Unlike many modern views, bisexuality and homosexuality in men was not a sign of weakness. In ancient Greek and Roman societies, it was a sign of strength. It is important to note that Alexander the Great had lots of power, and many people within that society believed that bisexual and homosexual practices contributed to that power.

That power dynamic changed as the Roman Empire fell and Christianity took its place. Previously, ancient mythology and religion had embraced same-sex desires and transgender practices. This can be seen in Greek and Roman deities, including Zeus (Jupiter) and Poseidon (Neptune). Both have stories about taking...