Homosexuality has been a feature of humanity and culture since early history.

It was popularized by the ancient Greeks, where erotic attraction and sexual pleasure between males was considered an ingrained, accepted part of culture. Certain sexual activities, like anal sex in some cultures and oral sex in other cultures, are considered taboo. In other cultures, especially Christian subcultures have viewed sodomy as a crime against nature; however, the condemnation of penetrative sex between males predates Christianity and the theme of “crime against nature” was traceable to Plato.

In the last two decades of the nineteenth century, a different viewpoint of homosexuality began to emerge and to predominate medical and psychiatric circles, many of whom labeled such behavior as a type of a person with a defined and stable sexual orientation.

The modern gay rights movement began in 1969. Seen by some as a type of pathology or mental illness to be cured, homosexuality is not more often investigated as being a part of the biology, psychology, genetics, history, politics and cultural aspects of what it means to be human.

The legal and social status of those who identify themselves as gay or lesbian varies significantly across the world and it remains a hotly contested religious and political debate.

See also

• History of Homosexuality
• Homosexuality in Asia

These including Socrates, Alexander the Great, Lord Byron, Julius Caesar, Michelangelo, and Donatello. One of the problems with finding them gay is just that no one in antiquity or the Middle Ages experienced homosexuality as an exclusive or permanent way of defining sexuality.

Although denied by European explorers, homosexual expression in historical Africa was present and took the form of male Azande warriors who routinely married male youths and who functioned as temporary wives. Among Native Americans, same-sex sexuality centered around the figure of the two-spirit individual. The child who was born this way was given the choice as to whether or not to follow the path, learning the customs of the role the child had chosen. These two-spirit individuals often became Shamans. Both homosexual and transgender people were common among the Aztecs, Mayans, Quechas and other tribes in South America. The god Xochiquetzal was considered male and female at the same time.

It was widely accepted in these cultures and surprised many Europeans. None of the modern day Asian countries have specific legal prohibitions against homosexuality.

Relationships are often marked by differences in age and social distinction.

The picture above is the one of Nong Tum internationally recognised Ladyboy for her portrayal in the film Beautiful Boxer.