Germany's Gay Rights Movement and the Greek Ideal of Eros
Date
2019-09-13
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Abstract
During the 19th and early 20th centuries in Germany a gay rights movement began inspired by philosophy, artwork, and society of ancient Greece. Beginning with Johann Winckelmann’s homoerotic interpretation of ancient statuary in 1764, and flourishing with the writings of Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, Magnus Hirschfeld, and the contributors to the world’s first journal of homosexuality, Der Eigene, ancient Greek ideals on male same-sex relationships and notions of masculinity and effeminacy informed the discussion of what made a man homosexual, how he should act, and to what extent homosexuality should be accepted and encouraged in German society as a whole. Phaedrus’ discussion on Heavenly and Common Aphrodite in Plato’s Symposium became a way by which to defend homosexuality as a natural and acceptable form of sexuality, as well as to help create the entire concept of sexuality in the modern Western world.
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LGBTQ+, LGBT, Gay and Lesbian Studies, History of Sexuality, Sexuality, Masculinity, Comparative History, Classics, German History, Ancient History, Greek History, Ancient Greece, LGBT+, 19th Century History, 20th Century History
Citation
Garbutt, M. V. (2019). Germany's Gay Rights Movement and the Greek Ideal of Eros (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.