History Shows that No Sexual Orientation is 'Normal'

one of the clear lessons of history: Nearly every way we’ve thought of classifying people has been constructed; meaning every category has a history to it, and a consequence resulting from that history. Here we can clearly see that there is no such thing as something being “perfectly natural.” Same goes for orientation, and that is what this video is about

errata
10:45 - mammals are a class, kingdom is the next taxonomic rank above that (thx CambrianPinniped)
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[CynicalHistorian]

See replies to this comment for errata and additional info

[DAndyLord]

Drapetomania was the "medical" "illness" wherein a slave would want to run away from their master.

[dodes]

"Having sex with women is gay." - Plato, probably

[EmperorTigerstar]

The amount of people misunderstanding the title or being triggered that lgbt people have always existed is unsurprising but hilarious.

[occupyvenus]

I think it's important to keep in mind that eg in ancient Greece acceptable sexual behavior wasn't so much determined by the "sexes" of the partners, but by their role: Being "active", the one who penetrates, or "passive", the one who is penetrated. Adult men were not supposed to be the passive partner, younger men and boys were still "allowed" to take on the part "of the woman". This also informs how same-sex ... sex was seen between men of the same age: For adult men being the passive part was ostracized, being the active one wasn't. Slaves and metics were generally able to prostitute themselves as bottoms without much social repercussions (though they obviously didn't have a high social standing anyway). Same-sex relations between young men or teenagers, though by no means as encouraged as pederasty, seem to have mostly been tolerated independent on who was "the bottom" and who was "the top".

[JakeTvisterOfficial]

"Sexuality is complicated"
Haha...yeah!
*worringly looking at the hentai folder*

[locodave]

Angry frogs: “Keep politics out of my history”

Historians: “History = politics (of the past)”

Angry frogs: * visibly angry and confused noises*

[jalejablonsky]

There's a quote I like to use every now and then, "Heterosexuality and homosexuality are modern day inventions."

[zooblestyx]

I've met people at parties who've unironically argued that homosexuality isn't "natural", while wearing synthetic garments and drinking beer out of an aluminum can.

[hiddenhist]

I always say that looking at other cultures in different time periods is the best way to get an understanding of the true variety of human behaviour. Thanks for taking on a task I’m not sure I’ll ever be brave enough to do though.

[GriffinWulf]

fyi our kingdom is Animalia, Mammalia is the class ;)

[Joesolo]

WHAT? I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW

*ANGRY MOTH NOISES*

[AtunSheiFilms]

Great video. Damn, should have included a boom cover trade joke in my recent video about Yankee sailors... oh well

[Polygonyall]

i love it when historians say something that people dont like because you see the true colors of those people fast

[TheMdduran]

Cypher: "I'm sure this is going to get demonitiz..."
Ad: INTRUPT!

[hopethisnamesnottaken]

The take of ancient Rome on homosexuality was completely different from the Greek one: To Roman society sex was less about gender and more about dominance and submission. For a Roman male it was considered unmanly to be in a relationship that put him in a position of being submissive, e.g. getting penetrated. So it was socially acceptable to have sexual relationships with any group of people considered submissive/powerless - women, slaves or infames, that is, people who had been stripped of their legal standing - but not acceptable to have one with another free Roman male.

Homosexuality for females was generally frowned upon because to the Romans' understanding it would necessarily mean that one of them would have to take the active/dominant part, which was considered indecent.

[formicidaeinc.]

Bro... I'm literally procrastinating a school assignment about the symposium by watching this video and it's the first thing he mentions

[TensileStrength]

Now Hamlet's "Get thee to a nunnery" comment makes sense. I always thought it was strange way of saying brothel, as all my teachers said.

[Crazael]

I am... skeptical of your claim that the category Mammalia was named as a means of pushing for breast feeding rather than a reference to one of it's defining physical traits.

[psyched]

Fun fact, the class mammalia in German is called "Säugetier, " which literally translates to "sucking animal, " also referring to breast feeding.

The video is awesome by the way. I definitely learned a lot and will probably refer to it a few times as I forget details.