History of LGBT Pride
Pre Christian Roman Empire

The Roman Empire is something that we all studied in school at some point, but if we're looking at the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans) community then it is important to understand that, whilst they may have conquered most of the world, the Empire also stemmed from Ancient Greece. Before Christianity took hold in the Roman Empire, there was a massive tolerance for Homosexual marriage and although (and perhaps even because) pederastic lifestyle was abolished, the culture thrived by accepting the sexual appetites of it's citizens.

Julius Caesar was alleged to have had several homosexual love affairs, most notably with king Nicomedes IV of Bithynia. 27 BC saw the first officially documented same sex marriage. In the first century Nero became Emperor of Rome and married two men in legal ceremonies, with at least one spouse accorded the same honours as a Caesar's wife.

Trajan was one of the most beloved of Roman emperors and was well known for his homosexuality and fondness for young males. This was used to advantage by the king of Edessa, Abgarus, who, after incurring the anger of Trajan for some misdeed, sent his handsome young son to make his apologies, thereby obtaining pardon...

Emperor Hadrian's beloved Antinous drowns in the Nile, and upon Hadrian's death, Antinous was deified. He is actually the last non-imperial human to be deified. Antinous' likeness is found on numerous statues; he is often believed to have one the most recognizable faces from antiquity (some of us might remember Hadrian's Wall from history!).

Next Section (Christian Roman Empire)