• aaaaaaadjsf [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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    5 months ago

    Didn’t Alexander share a tent with his best friend Hephaestion though? With descriptions of them reading letters together, kissing a ring to the others lips to keep a secret, and Alexander “yielding to Hephaestion’s thighs”. And after Hephaestion died, Alexander showed immense grief.

    That sounds very gay to me. Or bisexual and polygamous considering they also had wives. To be honest applying modern conceptions of sexuality to ancient Greek rulers probably doesn’t work too well.

      • aaaaaaadjsf [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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        5 months ago

        Oh cool, thanks for the interesting information, I didn’t know that. Though it makes sense when you explain it.

        It’s interesting how you never really learn about these things in history class. I remember surprising my history teacher with some interesting questions. It should be taught, LGBT history. Trans history especially, given all the nonsense right wing propaganda out there about how “being transgender is a modern phenomenon”.

    • impartial_fanboy [he/him]@hexbear.net
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      5 months ago

      Didn’t Alexander share a tent with his best friend Hephaestion though?

      Yes and Hephaestion had died less than a year before Alexander. His body had to be physical pried away from Alexander because he wouldn’t leave it for the entire day. He wept and didn’t eat for three days after and had the doctor looking after Hephaestion hanged. He declared an empire wide period of mourning. They also both married daughters of Darius and Alexander hoped that a child who was related to the both of them would one day rule. You know … normal heterosexual things.

      Hephaestion’s wikipedia page is where they put all the gay stuff since I guess it’s too offensive to have in Alexander’s.

    • Tankiedesantski [he/him]@hexbear.net
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      5 months ago

      With descriptions of them reading letters together

      Fellas, is it gay to read correspondence with another bro?

      Jokes aside, I think we should be careful applying the sexual and cultural standards of modern western culture across borders and time. For example, it’s still very common in the middle east for men who are friends to hold hands while walking down the street. To us that’s a sign of homosexuality, to them it’s just bros being bros.

      That all being said, taking a stance that any ancient Greek figure was straight as we know it is hilarious.