History of homosexuals

The gay rights movement in the United States has seen huge progress in the last century, and especially the last two decades. Laws prohibiting homosexual activity have been struck down; lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals are now allowed to serve openly in the military transgender individuals were allowed to serve openly from until March , when a new ban was put in place. And same-sex couples can now legally get married and adopt children in all 50 states. But it has been a long and bumpy road for gay rights proponents, who are still advocating for employment, housing and transgender rights. During his U. Police raids caused the group to disband in —but 90 years later, the U.

LGBT history dates back to the first recorded instances of same-sex love and sexuality of ancient civilizations , involving the history of lesbian , gay , bisexual and transgender LGBT peoples and cultures around the world. What survives after many centuries of persecution—resulting in shame, suppression, and secrecy—has only in more recent decades been pursued and interwoven into more mainstream historical narratives. This observance involves highlighting the history of the people, LGBT rights and related civil rights movements. Among historical figures, some were recorded as having relations with others of their own sex—exclusively or together with opposite-sex relations—while others were recorded as only having relations with the opposite sex.

A quick glance at any book on LGBT history will show that there have always been people who engage in what we would now identify as same-sex romantic or sexual relationships. The acceptability and understanding of these relationships have varied throughout the centuries, but they have always been a part of every culture. The Western contemporary concept of homosexuality is relatively new. Our ideas of what homosexuality and sexual orientation are date roughly from the late nineteenth century.

Ancient Times: Cultures such as the Indian, Chinese, Egyptian, Greek and Roman accommodate homosexuality and crossdressing among a minority of its citizens since the earliest recorded times. The castration of homosexual slaves and house servants becomes a custom of the Middle East, and Jewish tribes criminalize homosexual behavior. The Mahabharata of India describes how Arjuna was well-received in the palace of Maharaja Virata while spending one year as a crossdressing transgender. One of the earliest Egyptian pharaohs associated with homosexuality is King Neferkare, who is described having an affair with his top military commander, Sasenet, during the Sixth Dynasty. The custom of castrating homosexual slaves and house servants is established in Ancient Assyria.