Were monks gay

Preface

The following is a paper written in 1988. I would change some, perhaps many of the conclusions, and certainly the theoretical approach. In particular I would emphasis the position of massive aggregates of human beings [i.e. cities and monasteries] as a necessary but not sufficient pre-condition for homosexual sub-cultures.

It should also be noted that this paper stands firmly against the social constructionist model of homosexual cultures. It sees, in Western culture at least, the persistent life of recognizably gay sub-cultures which recur whenever opportunity presents itself. I am now much more open to constructionist arguments, but would insist that the free variation some aspects of constructionism seems to posit, does not exist:- in fact a small number of formulations recur repeatedly.

The bibliography on medieval homosexuality in the ten years since this sheet was written has grown enormously. There is an up-to-date online bibliography on hand. Anyone seriously interested in this topic needs especially to get hold of the following (full citations in the online bibliography):

  • Michael J. Rocke: Forbidden Friendship
  • James Brunda

    Queerness and gender fluidity permeate the landscape of Japanese culture, from BL manga to onnagata in Kabuki theater (male actors who play female roles). Additionally, sexual acts among males were common in ancient Japan and a major cultural feature in the Edo period. Japan was open-minded and even, in some cases, enthusiastic about same-sex relations up until Japan opened its borders in 1859, when Japan began to adopt repressive, Victorian-era attitudes towards sexuality in response to Western influence. Though Japan’s current political stance on queerness leaves much to be desired, Japan has a surprisingly rich history colored by a generally positive outlook on sex and sexuality. 

    From sex between male monks to 17th century erotica, Japan’s queer history might surprise you.

    5. Buddhist Monks Tolerated Homosexual Relations

    In general, attitudes in premature Japan towards sexuality were free and permissive. As Louis Crompton notes in Homosexuality and Civilization, “Shintoism… had no special code of morals and seems to have regarded sex as a natural phenomenon to be enjoyed with few inhibitions.” When Buddhism arrived in Japan in the seventh century, it did so against the

    Queer Rites: Faith Politics and Sexual Diversity

    In August of last year, I boarded a Greyhound bus for Scranton, Pennsylvania for a week’s stay in an Orthodox monastery. Okay, so it wasn’t like flying to Honolulu for a week, but for me it was more or less a necessary trip.

    Since I was a teen I’ve been visiting monasteries. At 14, I spent a week in a Norbertine Abbey in Paoli, Pennsylvania, with some grammar school classmates. I knew I was gay but I was still interested in the Catholic monastic life. Part of my attraction to the Norbertines was the snow light habit. The Norbertines were not a strict religious order; in many ways they were a level or two down from real monastics like the Benedictines and the Trappists.

    When you visit a monastery the idea is to tailor your daily schedule so that you’re always doing what the monks are doing. If they get up at4 AM, you get up at4 AM, and so forth. Since my visit was in the summer, animation at the Abbey was somewhat relaxed. In proof, it was so relaxed that we spent one afternoon lounging by the monastery pool. We wore our bathing suits, as did the five or six young monks who acted as our guides. Seeing monks in bathing suits was a litt

    Did the Medieval Church Have Gay Weddings?

    Some Christians try to rewrite Church history to show that homosexual behavior was ignored or even celebrated. So in today’s episode I’ll be responding to Mason Mennenga’s video “Who Were the first Gay Christians?”

    Mason:

    LBTQ Christians have existed since the inception of Christian history. This might enter as a surprise to you since many Christians claim that LBTQ relationships are a latest invention, but L-G-B-T-Q people have existed since the inception of history, and that means that LBTQ Christians own existed since the beginning of Christian history.

    Trent:

    Mason is actually taking the contrary view of what revisionists normally discuss . As you observe in my response to the 1946 documentary, which the producers tried to take down by the way, they try to debate that homosexual relationships are modern and so the Bible can’t be condemning because they were unheard of in biblical times.

    But of course there own always been people with same-sex attractions. That’s why St. Paul says those who engage in homosexual acts along with other unrepentant sinners will not inherit the kingdom of God but he adds this disclaimer, “And such were som

    Monastic or Chaste Homosexuality


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