2. The homosexuality in ancient Greece
 Accepted without stigma
 Sometimes idealized and
institutionalized
 Lyric poets: Alcaeus, Ibycus,
Anacreon, Theognis and the
illustrious Pindar
 Tragic playwrights:
Aeschylus, Sophocles and
Euripides
 Plato’s Symposium
Angel NG

3. The homosexuality in ancient Greece
 The Greek mythology
 Zeus’s abduction of
Ganymede
 Prototype for the
homosexuality
Angel NG

4. The homosexuality in ancient Greece
Alexander the great and
his general and bodyguard Hephaestion
Angel NG

5. The homosexuality in Rome
 Greek glorification of same-sex love was not being
accepted wholeheartedly
 Some Roman citizens were scorned
 The adult relationships with boys was outlawed
 Remained ambivalent about homosexuality.
 Cicero even attacked male liaisons
Angel NG

6. During the European middle ages
 Homosexuality was seriously condemned under
the influence of the Roman Catholic Church.
 Some educational institutions were reported to be
centres of same-sex activity.
 Practiced freely but not openly among the upper
nobility of France and Norman England.
Angel NG

7. During the European Renaissance
 The benighted thinking during the Middle Ages
were throw away.
 The break up of the monopoly of Roman Catholic
Church.
 ‘Unprecedented suppression of homosexuality’
due to the competitions between the Catholics and
Protestants.
Angel NG

8. During the European Enlightenment
 No longer viewed as an “offence
against God” or “a perversion of
God’s creative intention”
 ‘The philosophical sin’ in France
 Montesquieu
 Not a sin or sickness, but a social
problem
Angel NG

9. During the European Enlightenment
 Jean-Paul Marat
 Send the same-sex lovers to insane asylums
but not the prison if necessary
 Marquis de Sade
 ‘An innocent deformity’ but not a normal
variation of human sexuality.
 The abolishment of sodomy as an offence
in the Code Pénal de la Révolution in 1791
Angel NG

10. In today’s Europe
 General acceptance of the homosexuality
 The decline of the religious influences
 The human rights movement
 Increased economic power of women
 Miserable marriages are no longer tolerated
 A variety of family structure had to be
accepted
Angel NG

11. The legal recognition of same-sex marriage
 Netherlands (on 1st
April 2001)
 The first country in the world to legally recognize it
 Belgium (on 30th
January 2003)
 Achieved when the Christian Democrats party was not in the
power
 Spain (on 3rd
July 2005)
 Led by President of Spain
 Norway (on 1st
January 2009)
 The rights of parenthood
 Sweden (1st
May 2009)
 Wed same-sex couples in new gender-neutral church ceremonies
Angel NG

12. Civil unions and registered partnerships
 France
 The “Pacte civil de solidarité” (PACS) since 1999
 Germany
 Life Partnership Act since 2001
 Denmark
 Registered partnerships since 1st
October 1989
 Finland
 Registered partnerships since 2002
 United Kingdom
 Civil Partnerships Act since 2004
 Czech Republic, Hungary, Portugal, Iceland, Luxembourg,
Slovenia, Switzerland
Angel NG

13. Unregistered cohabitation
 Austria
 A registered partnership law will be announced “in a
few weeks”
 Croatia
 Under consideration
Angel NG

14. IMPERIAL CHINA SOCIETYIMPERIAL CHINA SOCIETY
 Great tolerance on same sex love (male)
 No serious crash on the family-system
 Appraisal by the Taoism & literature
Chris FONG

15. IMPERIAL CHINA SOCIETYIMPERIAL CHINA SOCIETY
Not equal to homosexuality
“Male homosexuals” never forge an
identity
Unparallel sexuality between male and
female
Chris FONG

16.  Introduced as a western concept
 A kind of mental disorder
 A kind of sexual perversion ( 性變態 )
 Moral decadent from the West
Homosexuality in China (<1980Homosexuality in China (<1980ss))
Chris FONG

17. Homosexuality in China (<1980Homosexuality in China (<1980ss))
 Political considerations
 Continue spawning is important
 Resentment on the “western exotic decadent”
 Easily related to crimes (e.g. sodomy, loitering)
Chris FONG

18. Homosexuality in China (<1980Homosexuality in China (<1980ss))
 No protection on the rights of
homosexuality
 Not considered by the law makers
 No associations for the homosexuals
 Easily lead to misunderstanding
 No research done on relative issue
 Homosexuals are forced to accept therapy/
re-education when caught with other crime
Chris FONG

19. Interaction between East & WestInteraction between East & West
(>1980(>1980ss))
 Access to the west:
 Media
 HK & Taiwan gay movement
 Rising educational level
 Participation in international academic
forum on the homosexuality
Chris FONG

20. Homosexuality in China (>1980Homosexuality in China (>1980ss))
 Opening attitude
 Removing homosexuality from the list of
mental disorder
 Formation of homosexual community
 Increasing studies on homosexuality in China
 Occurrence of seeking for homosexual rights
Chris FONG

21. Homosexuality in China (>1980Homosexuality in China (>1980ss))
 Increasing acceptance on homosexuals
 In Lee’s research (2008), more people accept:
 Equal rights between homosexuals & heterosexuals
(chat A)
 Will continue friendship (chat B)
 Equal working opportunity (chat C)
 Have films about the relative topic (chat D)
B C D
A
Chris FONG

22. Homosexuality in China (>1980Homosexuality in China (>1980ss))
 However, the society is not totally tolerating
 Divergence of the view between urban and rural
regions
 Many families still wish homosexuals to change
(chat E)
 Great opposition on same sex marriage (chat F)
 Social pressure and social restrictions still exist
E F
Chris FONG