Uránia

Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum: The First Same-Sex Couple in History?

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 19:00:00 +0000

Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum served at the pharaoh’s court in Ancient Egypt. They held the position of overseers of the royal manicurists. They became famous not for their service, but for the circumstances of their burial: the men were interred together in a single tomb.

Senegal Doubles Penalty for Same-Sex Relations to 10 Years in Prison

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 15:35:05 +0400

Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has signed a law that doubles the maximum penalty for same-sex relations. Offenders now face up to 10 years in prison. The National Assembly passed the measure by an overwhelming majority on March 11, 2026, with 135 votes in favor, none against, and three abstentions.

History of Male Homosexuality in Senegal

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0300

Senegal is a country on the westernmost edge of Africa, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. The majority of its population practices Islam. Before gaining independence in 1960, Senegal was a French colony, and its capital, Dakar, served as the main center for all of French West Africa. This context is important for the local history of homosexuality: it was precisely in the mixed, port city of Dakar that Europeans most often noticed same-sex relationships and men who adopted female roles.

In the UK, a Former Drag Artist Runs for City Council with Right-Wing Reform UK and Calls Migration a Threat to Gay People

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0300

Michael Felse, who led Manchester Pride in 2011 as his drag alter ego Ethol Mary, has announced his candidacy for the right-wing Reform UK party in a by-election for Salford City Council in Greater Manchester, in northwest England. Felse opposes immigration, arguing that it poses a direct threat to gay people.

Two Scenes of Sex Between Men in the Etruscan Tomb of the Chariots

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0700

Who Were the Etruscans

The Etruscans lived during the 1st millennium BCE in the region of Etruria – the territory of present-day central Italy. They had their own cities, religion, language, and a sophisticated culture. Early Rome developed alongside the Etruscans and under their influence.

A Woman Leads the Anglican Church for the First Time. What Is Her Stance on LGBT Issues?

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 21:00:00 +0300

On March 25, Sarah Mullally was formally installed at Canterbury Cathedral as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury – the spiritual leader of the Church of England and the symbolic central figure of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Mullally became the first woman to hold the position in 1,400 years. Around two thousand guests attended the ceremony, including Prince William and Princess Catherine.

Menaka Guruswamy Becomes the First Openly Lesbian MP in the History of the Indian Parliament. She Was Elected on the Ticket of a Regional-Nationalist Bengali Party

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 18:00:00 +0300

On March 9, constitutional lawyer Menaka Guruswamy was elected to the Rajya Sabha – the upper house of the Indian Parliament – representing West Bengal.

Crabs With Both Male and Female Traits Found in Indian National Park

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 23:50:00 +0300

Freshwater crabs of the species Vela carli displaying both male and female biological traits in a single body have been discovered in Silent Valley National Park in the Indian state of Kerala. The condition is known as gynandromorphy — a rare phenomenon in which an individual simultaneously exhibits characteristics of both sexes. The findings have been published in the international journal Crustaceana.

What the Ancient Greeks Wrote About Homosexuality in Persia – and How Much of It Is True

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0700

The modern concepts of “homosexuality” and “heterosexuality” took shape in European medical science by the end of the 19th century. They do not apply to ancient societies. In the ancient world, sexual relations were structured not by the sex of one’s partner but by social status, age, the distribution of power, and the distinction between active and passive roles.

Poland's Supreme Administrative Court Orders Recognition of Same-Sex Marriages Contracted in Other EU States

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0300

On March 20, Poland’s Supreme Administrative Court (Naczelny Sąd Administracyjny) ruled that the country must recognise same-sex marriages legally contracted in other European Union member states. The court ordered the Warsaw civil registry office to transcribe the marriage certificate of two men who married in Berlin in 2018.

Saint Moses the Hungarian – One of the First Queer Figures in Russian History?

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0700

The Life of the Venerable Moses the Hungarian is one of the most unusual texts in Old Russian hagiography. A monk of the Kyiv Cave Monastery who was taken captive to Poland, he refused for years to marry a wealthy and powerful woman, was castrated for it, and was later canonized as a model of chastity.

Support for LGBT Rights in the US: PRRI's 2025 50-State Survey

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000

The Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) is an independent American nonprofit research center that studies the intersection of religion, culture, and politics. As part of its 2025 American Values Atlas, the institute surveyed more than 22,000 American adults and produced an analysis of support for LGBT rights across all 50 states. The survey was conducted online from February 28 to December 8, 2025. The margin of error at the national level is ±0.87 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

The Hermitage's 'Amorous Couple': An Iranian Painting with Gender Ambiguity

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 22:45:37 +0700

The painting Amorous Couple is an anonymous early 19th-century Iranian work from the collection of the State Hermitage Museum, inventory number VP-1156. It is painted in oil on canvas and measures 131.5 × 77 cm. Museum descriptions date it to the early 19th century.

Openly gay centre-right politician Gil Avérous re-elected mayor of Châteauroux, France

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 11:30:00 +0300

Gil Avérous, an openly gay and independent centre-right politician, has been elected mayor of Châteauroux for the third time . In the municipal elections of March 15, 2026, his list won in the first round with 68.24% of the vote.

Nepal elects its first transgender woman to parliament

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 14:00:00 +0300

Bhumika Shrestha has become the first transgender woman in Nepal’s parliament. According to South China Morning Post, she was greeted by members of the LGBT community in Kathmandu.

The Story of a Medieval Arabic Source in Which the Women of the 'Rus' Were Called the World's First Lesbians

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In English-language academic and popular literature on the history of sexuality in the Middle East, one occasionally encounters the claim that the medieval Arab encyclopedist Shihab al-Din al-Nuwayri wrote that the women of the “Rus” practiced same-sex love, and that those women were the first in human history to engage in such practices.

The Earliest Laws in History Against Same-Sex Relations – Assyria in the Twelfth Century BCE

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0100

The legal history of sexual life in ancient Mesopotamia is full of uncertainties. The sources are fragmentary, and their interpretation depends to a great extent on the scholar’s point of view. Even so, most historians agree on one point: the people of ancient Mesopotamia seem to have lived under fewer sexual prohibitions than many later societies.

Sex Reassignment in the Islamic Republic of Iran: A Comprehensive Overview

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 22:45:37 +0700

This article examines why sex reassignment surgery received religious justification in the Islamic Republic of Iran. It also tells the story of Maryam Khatoon Molkara, a person who played a notable role in gaining official recognition for transgender people.

The Possible Homosexuality of Grand Duke Nikolai Mikhailovich of the Romanov Family

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 22:45:37 +0700

Nikolai Mikhailovich was almost the only Romanov praised both by his contemporaries and by historians of very different political persuasions — left and right alike. Within the family, he stood out as an intellectual who pursued scholarship seriously.

Male Same-Sex Intercourse in Iran After the Islamic Revolution: Criminal Law and Prosecution Statistics

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 22:45:37 +0700

Before 1979, Iran had a predominantly secular criminal justice system. It was based on a general penal code adopted in the 1920s, modelled on French law.

How Duke Xian of Jin Sent a Beautiful Youth to Another Ruler to Weaken His Court and Then Conquer His Country

Sat, 21 Feb 2026 22:45:37 +0700

In the ancient Chinese text Zhanguo ce, there is a story about the ruler of Jin, Duke Xian-gong, to whom especially cunning diplomatic methods are attributed. One of them was pressure on a rival through the placement of an attractive young man in his inner circle.

“The Bitten Peach”: Duke Ling of Wei and Mizi Xia as One of the Earliest Same-Sex Court Tales in Chinese History

Sat, 24 Jan 2026 22:45:37 +0700

Ling, the ruler of the ancient Chinese state of Wei in the 6th–5th centuries BCE, was married. Yet when he is mentioned, people more often recall his relationship with a young man named Mizi Xia. Their love gave rise to the image – and the expression – “the bitten peach,” (余桃) which came to signify male same-sex love in Chinese culture.

Homoeroticism of the Victorian Era: Male Intimacy in Photographs from the 1850s–1890s from the Herbert Mitchell Collection

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 22:45:37 +0700

The photographs below are mostly amateur studio portraits from the second half of the 19th century, roughly from the 1850s to the 1890s. In them, men pose in close physical contact: embracing, holding hands, placing a hand on a shoulder or on a knee.

Muzhik-Maslenitsa: A Maslenitsa Figure of a Man Dressed as a Woman

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 22:45:37 +0700

Maslenitsa is the Russian name for Cheesefare Week, the last week before Great Lent in the Orthodox calendar. Its date changes every year because it is tied to Pascha, or Easter. During this week meat has already been excluded from the diet, while butter, dairy products, and eggs are still permitted. Blini gradually became the best-known festive food of the season and one of the most recognizable symbols of Maslenitsa.

The Statue of Idet and Ruiu — Lesbians of Ancient Egypt?

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 22:45:37 +0700

This sculpture belongs to Egypt’s New Kingdom, specifically the 18th Dynasty, which flourished roughly between 1480 and 1390 BCE. The New Kingdom was the high point of Egyptian power: the state expanded its borders, erected major temples, and produced vast quantities of art. The period is noted for preserving traditional artistic conventions while paying closer attention to individual features.

A Queer Theological Reading of Leviticus 18:22: “Do Not Lie With A Man As With A Woman”

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 22:45:37 +0700

You shall not lie with a man as with a woman. It is an abomination (Lev. 18:22).

If a man lies with a man as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood is upon them (Lev. 20:13).

A 4,600-Year-Old Burial of a 'Third-Gender' Person: What We Know and What Is Disputed

Sun, 14 Dec 2025 22:45:37 +0700

In 2011, Czech archaeologists in Prague discovered an unusual burial. In the press, it was presented as “the oldest burial of a third-gender person.”

A Queer Lexicon of Ancient Egypt

Sun, 14 Dec 2025 22:45:37 +0700

How to Read the Ancient Egyptian Language

We do not know what Ancient Egyptian truly sounded like. The main reason is simple: writing almost never recorded vowels.

A Prehistoric Double Phallus From the Enfer Gorge

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 22:45:37 +0700

The cover shows a small carved baton made from reindeer antler, created in the Upper Paleolithic. This term refers to the late phase of the Stone Age, when people could already make complex tools, jewelry, and intentional art: figurines, pendants, engravings, and cave paintings.

Was Atatürk Gay or Bisexual?

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 22:45:37 +0700

In this article, we first briefly look at the biography of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, his personality, and his short family life. Then, drawing on memoirs, diplomatic documents, and historians’ works, we trace the origins and evolution of the claim that he may have been homosexual or bisexual.

Andrey Avinoff: A Russian Émigré Artist, Gay Man, and Scientist

Wed, 26 Nov 2025 22:45:37 +0700

Andrey Avinoff was a Russian entomologist and artist, and a friend of Alfred Kinsey. He was a collector, a connoisseur of beauty, and a gay man, yet he never made his sexuality public. After the Revolution in 1917, Avinoff left Russia for the United States. His homoerotic watercolors were published only in the 21st century.

Russian Poet Ivan Dmitriev, Young Favourites, and Same-Sex Desire in the Fables 'The Two Doves' and 'The Two Friends'

Wed, 26 Nov 2025 22:45:37 +0700

Ivan Ivanovich Dmitriev entered history as a notable sentimentalist poet of the late 18th–early 19th centuries and as a statesman who rose to the post of minister of justice under Alexander I. In official biographies, he appears as a strict, rational administrator. At the same time, sources and the memoir tradition suggest that young, talented men regularly appeared in his circle. His bachelor life, persistent rumors about the nature of his attachments, and the absence of public scandals create the impression of a figure whose private biography may have been deliberately shielded from publicity, yet remains legible through indirect evidence.

Homoerotic Themes in Taşlıcalı Yahya Bey’s Ottoman Poem “Shah and the Beggar”

Tue, 04 Nov 2025 22:45:37 +0700

More than 480 years ago in the Ottoman Empire, the poet Taşlıcalı Yahya Bey wrote a poem about love between two men — a story of a poor man’s passion for a noble, beautiful youth. In the sixteenth century, when people in Europe were persecuted and executed for similar themes, Yahya described male love in an elegant allegorical verse form — and, as far as we know, he was not punished for it.

The Homosexuality of Sultan Mehmed II

Tue, 04 Nov 2025 22:45:37 +0700

Byzantine authors of the 15th century remembered Mehmed II not only as the conqueror of Constantinople. Their texts also contain stories about his attraction to young men and about a possible intimacy with Radu the Handsome, the brother of Vlad Dracula.

Homosexuality Among Neanderthals

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 22:45:37 +0700

Researchers still lack direct evidence that Neanderthals engaged in same-sex relationships. In archaeology and paleoanthropology, there are very few reliable indicators that could allow such practices to be identified with confidence; it may, in fact, be impossible to obtain this type of evidence at all.

Sergei Romanov: A Homosexual Member of the Imperial Family

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 22:45:37 +0700

In the Romanov dynasty (Russia’s ruling imperial family from 1613 to 1917), every adult family member was expected to marry and produce heirs — this was seen as part of one’s duty to both the family and the state. Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich (a “Grand Duke” was a high-ranking title reserved for close male relatives of the Russian emperor), the brother of Emperor Alexander III, also married, but the couple never had children. The Grand Duke was homosexual.

Adam Before Eve: Male or Androgynous? Theological Debates From the Church Fathers to the Present Day

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 22:45:37 +0700

In Genesis 2, God creates Eve from Adam’s rib. This prompts a basic question: what was Adam’s sex or gender status before Eve appeared — at a moment when “woman,” as a socially and linguistically formed category, has not yet entered the narrative?

Divine Homosexuality in the Ancient Egyptian Myth of Horus and Seth

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 22:45:37 +0700

One of the earliest Egyptian myths describes a confrontation between Seth and his nephew Horus. In one episode, Seth attempts to have sexual intercourse with Horus in order to humiliate him and affirm his own superiority. Horus acts differently: he catches Seth’s semen in his hand and discards it.

The Story of the 2016 “Twinks for Trump” Photo Shoot

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 09:30:32 +0700

In 2016, at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, a photo project titled \u201CTwinks for Trump\u201D was presented. It was a series of photographs featuring young, slim, and often shirtless gay men wearing baseball caps that read \u201CMake America Great Again.\u201D

The Story of Syrian General Suheil al-Hasan, Nicknamed 'The Tiger'

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 00:10:32 +0700

Origins and Early Service

Suheil al-Hasan was born in 1970 in Syria’s Latakia province.

Al-Hasan is an Alawite. The Alawites are a religious community associated with the Shiite branch of Islam. Their doctrine includes elements of Islam, Christianity, and certain ancient Near Eastern traditions. In Latakia, Alawites make up a significant share of the population, and in Syria, members of this community have traditionally held prominent positions in the army and state institutions.

Goddess Nephthys – a Lesbian?

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 22:45:37 +0700

Who Is Nephthys

Nephthys is an Ancient Egyptian goddess who belongs to the so-called Heliopolitan Ennead – a group of nine major gods worshipped in the city of Heliopolis.

What Gender Is God in the Old Testament?

Sun, 30 Mar 2025 22:45:37 +0700

In many ancient religions, male deities are depicted with explicitly emphasized sexuality.

In the Bible, the portrayal is different. God is disclosed through Israel’s history and through the speech of the prophets, and these disclosures are preserved in the texts of the Old Testament. They describe how God presented Himself to people. Within these texts, He calls Himself the Father of Israel. Does this imply that God is male? No. Below are reasons why biblical language employs masculine terms without reducing God to male sex.

A Homoerotic Plot in Ancient Egyptian Literature: Pharaoh Pepi II Neferkare and General Sasenet

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 22:45:37 +0700

Ancient Egyptian literature rarely touched on the personal lives of pharaohs. In this respect, Pepi II is an exception. Particularly notable is the homoerotic Tale of King Neferkare and General Sasenet: for its era, narratives of this kind were seldom recorded in writing.

Why German Gay Men Vote for the Alternative for Germany

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 00:10:32 +0700

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) recorded the highest level of support among users of the Romeo dating platform, which is aimed at gay and bisexual men. In a poll conducted from January 24 to February 2, more than 60,000 respondents reported their preferences for the federal election. The AfD received 27.9% of the vote. At a clear distance were the Greens (19.9%), the Christian Democratic Union (17.6%), and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (12.5%).

A Homosexual Scene in Norway’s Prehistoric Art: The Bardal Petroglyphs

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 22:45:37 +0700

On the Bardal farm in the municipality of Steinkjer is one of the largest collections of rock art in the region – the Bardal petroglyphs (Bardalfeltet).

Peter the Great’s Sexuality: Wives, Mistresses, Men, and His Relationship with Menshikov

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 22:45:37 +0700

Peter the Great entered history as a reformer who drastically changed the old order. But his private life was no less turbulent and contradictory.

The Gay Romance Option in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2: Are Same-Sex Relationships Possible in 15th-Century Bohemia? Reviewing the Historical Record

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 00:10:32 +0700

A public debate has emerged around the not-yet-released Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. The new medieval RPG from Warhorse Studios, set in 15th-century Bohemia (today’s Czech Republic), has attracted attention due to reports of a possible homosexual scene.

The Execution of the Siamese Gay Prince Rakronnaret (Kraison): Power and a Charge of Treason

Fri, 24 Jan 2025 00:10:32 +0700

In 1848, King Rama III of Siam sentenced his friend, Prince Rakronnaret – also known as Kraison – to death. The prince, who was openly in relationships with men, was charged with treason. His execution followed the traditional method reserved for high-ranking individuals: he was placed in a velvet sack and beaten to death with clubs.

Did Swedes Really Take Sick Leave for Homosexuality to Protest or Get Out of Work?

Fri, 10 Jan 2025 00:10:32 +0700

Until 1979, Sweden officially classified homosexuality as a mental illness, even though it had been legal since 1944. This historical detail is linked to a common misconception that spread online in the early 2010s. According to some posts, large numbers of Swedes supposedly took sick leave by claiming they “felt gay/lesbian,” either as a protest or simply to avoid work.

The First Homoerotic Image in History — The Addaura Cave Rock Engravings

Wed, 08 Jan 2025 22:45:37 +0700

The Addaura Caves

Prehistoric art appeared in Sicily noticeably later than in some other parts of Europe. The earliest traces of artistic activity in southern Italy are usually dated to roughly 16,000–15,000 years ago. By comparison, in Spain, prehistoric art sites are known from about 40,000 years ago.

A Possible Same-Sex Intercourse Scene from Ancient Egypt – The Erotic Ostracon

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 22:45:37 +0700

What an Ostracon Is

An ostracon is a potsherd – most often from a clay vessel – or a small piece of stone used in antiquity for writing and drawing. Papyrus was expensive and not always available, so people used whatever was at hand for notes, drafts, and practice exercises. Ostraca are known from Egypt, Ancient Greece, and other parts of the ancient world.

The Story and Controversy Around the LGBT Military Unit TQILA During the War Against ISIS in Syria

Sun, 01 Dec 2024 00:10:32 +0700

In 2017, an international group of volunteers fighting alongside the Syrian Democratic Forces against ISIS in northern Syria announced the creation of what they described as the first LGBT military unit in history. The unit was called the Queer Insurrection and Liberation Army (TQILA) and was formed within the International Revolutionary People’s Guerrilla Forces (IRPGF).

The Diary of Pyotr Medvedev, a Bisexual Moscow Merchant, 1854–1863

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 22:45:37 +0700

Information about intimate life in the 19th-century Russian Empire was left primarily by nobles. The diary of Pyotr Vasilyevich Medvedev, a Moscow merchant of the third guild, is a rare exception. From 1854 to 1863, he recorded his thoughts on faith, marriage, the body, desire, and sexual experience – with both men and women. This is the voice of someone outside the elite: a former peasant, a small entrepreneur, a resident of Moscow during the era of the Great Reforms.

Russian Empress Anna Leopoldovna and the Maid of Honour Juliana: Possibly the First Documented Lesbian Relationship in Russian History

Sun, 10 Nov 2024 22:45:37 +0700

Empress Anna Leopoldovna ruled Russia for only a year and remains a relatively little-known figure. She is rarely discussed in school textbooks. Yet her relationship with her lady-in-waiting (often rendered as ‘maid of honour’ in English), Juliana (Julia) von Mengden, deserves attention: it may represent one of the earliest documented indications of lesbian love in Russian history.

Homosexuality in the 18th-Century Russian Empire — Homophobic Laws Borrowed From Europe and How They Were Enforced

Thu, 24 Oct 2024 22:45:37 +0700

The 18th century was a time when Russia was becoming one of the leading powers of Europe. It was also when the state for the first time established a punishment for male same-sex relations in secular law. Under Peter the Great, in 1706, Russia adopted an especially harsh provision borrowed from Western European practice — death by burning. At first, it applied only to the military, above all to soldiers.

About Us

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 20:37:29 +0700

“Urania” is a media project about the history and present of LGBT people in Russia and around the world, as well as LGBT politics and queer theology. By this we mean the lives and experiences of people whose sexual orientation or gender identity does not fit common social norms.

Series of Articles

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 20:37:29 +0700

This is a collection of article series united by a common theme: from antiquity and folklore to biographies and case studies on LGBT history in different cultures.

What Is Queer Theology

Tue, 24 Sep 2024 22:45:37 +0700

Queer theology is a branch of theological thought that draws on queer theory to analyze gender and sexual identity within religious contexts. It proposes new ways to read sacred texts, interpret religious traditions, and reconsider doctrines in light of the experience and concerns of LGBT people.

The Homosexuality of Russian Tsars Vasily III and Ivan IV the Terrible

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 22:45:37 +0700

Vasily III

Vasily III was Grand Prince of Moscow and ruler of the Russian state from 1505 to 1533. His reign is generally considered successful: stone construction expanded; Pskov, Smolensk, and Ryazan were incorporated into the state; and the country continued to recover after centuries of dependence on the Horde — the Mongol political domination often referred to as the “Tatar Yoke” — along with the raids and devastation associated with it.

Grigory Teplov and the Sodomy Case in 18th-Century Russia

Sun, 22 Sep 2024 22:45:37 +0700

“Having summoned him to his bed, first caressing him and holding out promises of reward, and in the end also threatening him with a beating, he forced him to commit muzhelozhstvo (literally “lying with a man”) on him.” This is a line from the interrogation of a serf peasant, where he accuses his master, Grigory Nikolayevich Teplov, of “muzhelozhstvo” (a historical legal and church term usually translated as “sodomy”) and of rape.

Uncensored Russian Folklore: Highlights from Afanasyev’s “Russian Secret Tales”

Sun, 22 Sep 2024 22:45:37 +0700

We chose three adult Russian folk tales to make one point clear: the folklore of our ancestors was far more explicit – and far bolder – than you might expect. Alongside familiar fairy-tale staples like talking animals and magical transformations, these stories openly explore the body, taboo sex (including sex across species), gigantic phalluses, bondage, and even same-sex themes.

Homosexuality in Ancient and Medieval Russia

Thu, 22 Aug 2024 22:45:37 +0700

While in England, the Netherlands, France, and Spain, people were burned at the stake and tortured for homosexuality, in Rus’ there was not a single secular law up to the 18th century that punished the “sin of Sodom.”

What Is the History of Sexuality?

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 22:45:37 +0700

Why Do We Study History?

It is natural for human beings to be curious about themselves and about others. When we turn to history, we try to see more clearly who we have become and why — what we have inherited, what we have lost, what we keep repeating. Past eras help us describe the present with greater precision — to notice what seems self-evident but is, in fact, the result of historical formation. History is not only the preservation of memory: it gives us tools for understanding today’s conflicts, habits, and assumptions, and for looking toward the future with greater awareness.

The Cross-Dressing Bogatyr: A Russian Bylina About Mikhailo Potyk, Who Disguises Himself as a Woman

Sun, 29 Oct 2023 22:45:37 +0700

Russian byliny (epic songs) contain a rare plot about the bogatyr (epic warrior) Mikhailo Potyk, who twice disguises himself in women’s clothing. Why does he do this? And how does this motif work inside the epic? This article briefly retells the bylina’s plot, then focuses in detail on the two episodes in which cross-dressing appears: once as a way to defeat enemies, once as a way to save the hero’s life.

All articles

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000