Contrary to what many people claim, homosexuality has existed since the most remote times, coming to be considered, in ancient civilizations, as something common and exempt from any type of punishment. It had a notable presence in ancient Greece and Rome, however it was on this Monday that it began to be persecuted and extended until the Middle Ages, reaching the present day.

 

In Greece it gained a lot of prominence with the practice of pederasty, this consists of a pedagogical practice in which an older man called erastes, chooses a younger boy, the eromeno, to educate him and introduce him into society, even in a sexual, considering that women in that period were seen as inferior and only served for procreation and household tasks. Pederasty was part of the common reality and was seen as a privilege of the most learned.

 

In Roman culture, on the other hand, homosexuality was only tolerated until Júlio Cesar's command, even though it had no social value. It was with the increasing spread of Christianity in Rome that it came to be considered inappropriate and passive of punishment by Justinian. The expansion of the Roman Empire brought together Greek and Roman cultures, and even in Greece, pederasty underwent changes, which are no longer considered so well accepted and are only allowed among Romans and slaves.

 

In the Middle Ages it takes on the title of homosexuality because it is considered abnormal and has been treated as a disease by the Catholic Church and by religions that see sex with a merely reproductive function. However, it gains a lot of proportion in monasteries and military camps for confining people of the same sex for a long time. He is persecuted and talked about a cure, which keeps homosexuals anonymous for decades.

 

Despite the drastic changes that have occurred over time, homosexuals are constantly suffering from various types of violence, from the Nazi holocaust that killed around 5 to 15 thousand homosexuals, to prejudice and daily street violence, albeit with the develop from history they have been gaining more support and freedom of expression, reaching the rights such as:

the stable union, the representation before the national bench, LGBT Conferences,

Gay Pride Day, the famous Gay Parade in São Paulo and in some countries,

taking Brazil as an example, marriage.

 

Raquel Barreto is a lawyer and wrote this thesis on homosexuality and law.