Homosexuality

After the discussion we had in class about the Lover/Beloved relationship between Parmenides and Zeno, I felt compelled to further examine this subject matter. In the current time period, the relationship between Parmenides and Zeno may strike many people as odd or even morally corrupt simply because of the frequent homosexual tendencies of the time. Dr. Bowery had even mentioned that she felt the need to introduce the homosexual nature of ancient Greek culture so that the class was no longer shocked by the idea when we were introduced to it in the works of Plato. The idea that there was a need to ease the classes’ minds into the homosexual relationships of these Classical philosophers can be very telling on the conceptions of homosexuality that many people currently have. Marriage equality has been a prominent issue for the last several years, with many people fighting vehemently against the idea of allowing homosexual couples the same rights that heterosexual couples may enjoy. There seems to be a strong hate for gays, even though the people fighting against gay rights would be barely affected, if at all, by the allowance of marriage equality. I have no business in the sexual preference of other people; therefore I feel no need to oppress a group of people that deserve the same rights as me.

Students should not be appalled by homosexuality, but they should question the reason for the relationship. If the relationship between these men were strictly based on love, I would understand them much more easily. Since Women were deemed inferior beings and were needed merely for reproduction, they were irrelevant. Women were not allowed the luxury of education; therefore they were restricted from having the intellectual tools to be considered equal to men. Humans constantly strive for one meaningful relationship in their life so that they will be physically and intellectually connected to a person in such a way that they can not conceive the idea of living without that person. I would be much more understanding if homosexuality was practiced because there was a meaningful relationship between two people who were capable of pushing each other intellectually. Instead, the lover/ beloved relationship were usually not based on love.

To have a much older man, who wanted sex from a much younger man in return for knowledge, seems rather corrupt to me. A mentor/ student relationship between two men would make much more sense if the relationship was strictly concerned on the teachings of the student to better function within society. I have often thought that an older, wiser mentor to question my every decision would greatly help my philosophical journey. But in an ideal beloved/lover relationship, the beloved was not supposed to even enjoy the sexual acts they were forced to partake in because the lover was reaping the benefits of his teachings. The older men whom functioned as lovers were misguided for their focus on such lust.

I believe, if someone has an intellectual connection with another person regardless of gender, they should not be disallowed from the freedoms that they rightly deserve as a human being. It seems that the relationships these ancient philosophers had been much more perverse than if the lover was not solely focused only on sex.