Same-sex relationship

Lore & Background

Historically, same-sex relationships have been referred to as homosexual, gay, or lesbian relationships, but this led to exclusion of other LGBTQ+ members and has been described as a form of bisexual or transgender erasure. The 21st century has seen a shift toward the phrase same-gender relationship, which removes restrictions imposed by sexual orientation and acknowledges gender as a spectrum. The lives of many historical figures, including Socrates, Alexander the Great, Lord Byron, Edward II, Hadrian, Julius Caesar, Michelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo da Vinci, Oscar Wilde, Vita Sackville-West, Alfonsina Storni, and Christopher Marlowe, are believed to have included love and sexual relationships with people of their own sex. Some scholars caution against applying modern terms like gay or bisexual to these figures, as this risks anachronistically introducing a contemporary construction of sexuality. Contemporary studies suggest same-sex relationships can be broadly grouped into at least three categories, though there is no consensus. Historian Rictor Norton noted that in ancient Greece, egalitarian relationships co-existed with pederasty, and age- and gender-structured forms remain significant in Latin America, where male heterosexuals and 'butch' bisexuals and pansexuals can share a single identity.

Reader's Guide

Same-sex relationships have been a persistent feature of human societies, documented in art and literature from Persian homoerotic poetry by Abu Nuwas and Omar Khayyam to Japanese shudo and shunga traditions, Chinese works like Bian er Zhai and Jin Ping Mei, and modern media such as the anime subgenre yaoi. In the 1990s, American television began featuring same-sex themes, with Ellen DeGeneres's coming-out on her show Ellen and the success of Will & Grace and Queer as Folk. Legal recognition varies widely: same-sex marriage is available in 36 countries and several sub-national jurisdictions, while other nations offer civil unions or domestic partnerships. In the United States, Obergefell v. Hodges made all state restrictions on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. census, 33% of female same-sex couple households and 22% of male same-sex couple households reported children under eighteen. The American Psychological Association and other professional bodies have stated that these relationships are psychologically equivalent to opposite-sex relationships.

Did You Know?

• The term same-gender relationship is used synonymously with same-sex relationship, reflecting that gender identification is a spectrum.