What do Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Adam Lambert have in common? The answer is: homosexuality. In the United States of America, 7.2 million people under the age of 20 are homosexual; meaning that they are mentally, physically and emotionally attracted to members of the same sex. According to The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Ancient Greece held this sexual preference as one of the highest forms of masculinity. In his Symposium, Plato shared his viewpoint on this matter by stating that ‘armies should be comprised of same-sex lovers’ (Pickett). So, regarding the ancient philosopher’s statement, the Greek city of Thebes formed what they called The Sacred Band of Thebes. It contained 250 same-sex couples- that is, 500 soldiers. They were notorious throughout the Ancient World for their valor in battle. Although this occurred in Ancient Greece, same-sex relationships are still very prevalent today. And despite having proof that dates back to these archaic times, many people maintain the idea that homosexuality and accordingly, gay marriage, is ultimately a modern phenomenon; one that did not exist prior to 60 or so years ago. Such a belief is clearly false and hopefully by looking at the history of same-sex relationships, the state they are presently in, and the opposition they are now faced with, the reality of gay marriage will be uncovered.
Gay rights activists have been working tirelessly to bring equality to all members of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (GLBTQ) community, for longer than the last half a century. However, same-sex weddings have occurred and been desired for much longer. There is proof that same-sex marriage has been present throughout history dating as far back as the 5th Century B.C. It has been widely practiced throughout the world from Greece, Rome, and Europe to Asia and Africa (Pickett). When European settlers arrived in the New World they were surprised to find many men dressed in women’s...