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Harmodius and Aristogeiton

2015-10-04T05:09:49Z

Danielek: /* Harmodius and Aristogeiton 514 BC */

{{History}}
'''Harmodius and Aristogeiton''' (died 514 BC) were a pederastic couple from Athens whose assassination of the tyrant Hipparchus was credited with bringing democracy to Athens. Others argued that their act sprang from a desire for personal revenge, and was only later processed by democratic politicians and historians into a patriotic act.

== The Peisistratid Tyranny ==

Athens flourished under the tyranny of Peisistratus (561-556, 546-527 BC), and when rule passed to his two sons, Hippias and Hipparchus, the city continued to accept, albeit grudgingly, the now hereditary tyranny.<ref>The Life of Greece, by Will Durant p.123</ref>

Hippias, the elder brother, wiser and more statesmanlike, ruled Athens as tyrant. Hipparchus, on the other hand, "was fond of amusement and love-making." <ref>http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0086.tlg003.perseus-eng1:18</ref>

== Harmodius and Aristogeiton 514 BC ==

Thucydides described Harmodius as being "in the flower of his youth, of great beauty".<ref>http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.perseus-eng1:6.54</ref> He was the beloved of Aristogeiton, an Athenian of middle rank. Their relationship came under direct threat when Hipparchus, having fallen in love with Harmodius, made continual attempts to seduce the young man.
[[File:Harmodius and Aristogiton.jpg|thumb|left|[[Harmodius and Aristogeiton]]]]
Harmodius rejected all sexual advances from Hipparchus, something which angered the second-most-powerful man in Athens and caused him to plot revenge.

In the lead up to a sacred procession, Harmodius's sister was enlisted to carry a basket. But she was expelled from the event and publicly humiliated by the implication she was not a virgin and therefore not worthy.

This deliberate humiliation, engineered by Hipparchus, angered Harmodius – but it enraged his lover, Aristogeiton, who plotted revenge.

Aristogeiton and his beloved, along with other co-conspirators, developed a plan to overthrow the Peisistratid tyranny by assassinating both Hippias and Hipparchus.

On the day of the Great Panathenaea, an Athenian festival celebrated every fourth year, Harmodius and Aristogeiton prepared to attack the Peisistratids with daggers. But before they could begin, they saw Hippias engaging in conversation with some of the plot's co-conspirators. Believing their plot foiled, the two lovers rushed to effect what damage they could. They came across Hipparchus and "in all the fury that a man in love and a man humiliated could feel, they stabbed until they killed him."<ref>Homosexuality in Greece and Rome, ed. T. Hubbard, p.61</ref>

Harmodius was immediately killed by Hipparchus's guards, while Aristogeiton was taken alive and tortured in an attempt to discover the identity of the co-conspirators. Aristogeiton convinced Hippias he would confess all if the tyrant would only shake his hand as a pledge of good faith. Hippias did so, but was immediately taunted by Aristogeiton for shaking the hand of his brother's murderer. Enraged, Hippias lost control and slew Aristogeiton on the spot.<ref>http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0086.tlg003.perseus-eng1:18</ref><ref>http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.perseus-eng1:6.54</ref>

== Aftermath ==

Hippias continued as tyrant for another four years but, in the aftermath of his brother's assassination, he developed a deep mistrust of pederasty and his rule became harsh and paranoid. He allied himself with the Persians who had attacked the institution of pederasty in Ionia in order to bring those cities under dictatorial control.<ref>Pederasty and Pedagogy in Archaic Greece, by William Armstrong Percy III, p.121</ref>

Unhappiness with the ever-harsher tyranny grew until finally the Spartans were recruited to help drive out the last of the Peisistratids. Hippias fled to Persia where he became a vocal critic of pederasty.<ref>Pederasty and Pedagogy in Archaic Greece, by William Armstrong Percy III, p.182</ref>

== Immortality ==

Within a year of the defeat of tyranny, a statue celebrating Harmodius and Aristogeiton was erected in the agora. They were the first historical figures to receive such an honour and their fame remained steadfast, often uniting Athenian partisans of vastly different political ideals. The moment the Persians were defeated at Salamis in 480 BC, a new, bigger, bolder statue of the heroic lovers was erected.

Although writers such as Thucydides carefully debunked many of the mythological elements surrounding the Harmodius and Aristogeiton story, at no time was the symbolic importance of this pederastic dynamic duo seriously threatened.

The statue of Harmodius and Aristogeiton celebrated an ideal pederastic relationship. According to C. Sara Monoson, "the statue invites young men and boys to identify with Harmodius and mature men with Aristogeiton and then for both to 'vicariously savor the [[homoerotic]] relationship between the two' (Stewart 1997: 73)".<ref>''The Allure of Harmodius and Aristogeiton'' p.48, by C. Sara Monoson, in "Greek Love Reconsidered", ed. T. Hubbard, NAMBLA Topics 9</ref> Such a relationship is expected, as a matter of course, to channel its pederastic energy into a betterment of its lovers and the society they belong to. The self-confidence, love of freedom, and intellectual creativity that was to bloom in classical-age Athens was thought to have derived from the ideal represented by this heroic couple. Plato and Xenophon, in their later critiques of pederastic relationships that deviated into anal sex (known as "hybris" in Ancient Greece, and seen as dishonorable, abusive, and shameful), never disputed the rightness of ethical pederastic relationships modeled on that of Harmodius and Aristogeiton.<ref>Homosexuality in Greece and Rome: a sourcebook of basic documents, Edited by Thomas K. Hubbard, p.15</ref><ref>''The Allure of Harmodius and Aristogeiton'' pp.42-51, by C. Sara Monoson, in "Greek Love Reconsidered", ed. T. Hubbard, NAMBLA Topics 9</ref><ref>Pederasty and Pedagogy in Archaic Greece, by William Armstrong Percy III, pp.181-2.</ref><ref>Greek Homosexuality, by K.J. Dover, pp.41-2.</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== See also ==

*[[Ancient Greece]]

*[[Pederasty in ancient Greece]]

*[[Athenian pederasty]]

[[Category:Ancient Greece]]

Don Bosco

2015-09-12T13:05:06Z

Danielek: /* Relationships with boys */

== Biography ==
Don Bosco (1815-1888) is an Italian priest born from a poor family, famously known in the Catholic community for his life-long work in favor of poor children. He has been canonized by the Roman Catholic Church in 1934. He is the creator of the Salesian Society, dedicated to fostering boys and providing them with a Christian education, as well as apprenticeship to get a qualified job as artisan. Through his congregation, hundreds of thousands of boys have benefited from his actions through the years. Many Catholic schools nowadays refer to him in their name and/or claim his heritage.

== Controversy about his sexuality ==

Through his biography, he seems to not have been attracted to women, but to have demonstrated an unusually strong affection for boys, whose he dedicated his life to. His close contacts with boys, as well as his whole vision of the role of the boy educator, "a child among the children", and of course his life-long dedication to boys only, suggest he had some homosexual - pedophile (boy love) attraction. Some testimonies of contemporaneous observers and writings by Don Bosco himself reinforce this idea too.

But some, in particular people linked to Catholic Church, contest he was homosexual or pedophile, mainly on the basis that he condemned homosexuality and defended purity and chastity in regards to sexual matters. However, this argument is more relevant to his actual sexual behavior than to his real sexual attraction.

== Relationships with boys ==

In his young adult years, he tried and attracted street boys of Torino by performing acrobatics in the streets. He provided them with a shelter and education. His methods of education were quite revolutionary for the time, as it emphasized understanding and caring love towards children rather than repression.

One of the most documented relationship he had with boys was with Domenico Savio, whom he served as spiritual guide. Domenico Savio met Don Bosco at the age of twelve, and impressed him with his dedication to reach sainthood. Don Bosco took him in his institute to prepare the boy to priesthood, and they developed an intense friendship, but Domenico died before his 15th birthday. His very detailed story related by Don Bosco allowed later the boy to become the younger non-martyr saint canonized by the Catholic Church.

Don Bosco tried and helped the boy find a balance between the strict demands of Christian faith regarding sanctity and the normal life of a boy, reminding him for instance that "a sad saint is a sorry saint". When, in an excess of fervor, the boy started performing extreme penances, Don Bosco forbade him to continue, telling him all Jesus asked from him was a simple obedience to God's commands, as well a grateful attitude towards Him and His creation. On the whole, Don Bosco's guidance seems to have allowed Domenico to enjoy his young life with peace of mind while pursuing his unique, demanding spiritual path.

Some allegations of sexual contact between a boy and Don Bosco have been made by the boy himself years later, but there is a lack of formal evidence to support it. From the testimonies collected, Don Bosco seemed to be really attached to protecting the boys' "purity" and encouraged them towards chastity.

== Sources ==
[http://www.giovannidallorto.com/biografie/bosco/bosco.html#1a Ritratto di don Bosco (1815-1888) come gay (A gay portrait of Don Bosco)]

[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02689d.htm Catholic Encyclopedia]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bosco, Don}}
[[Category:1815 births]]
[[Category:People|Bosco, Don]]
[[Category:Nineteenth century boylovers]]
[[Category:Virtuous pedophiles]]
[[Category:Clergy]]

Don Bosco

2015-09-06T12:21:34Z

Danielek: Created page with "== Biography == Don Bosco (1815-1888) is an Italian priest born from a poor family, famously known in the Catholic community for his life-long work in favor of poor children...."

== Biography ==
Don Bosco (1815-1888) is an Italian priest born from a poor family, famously known in the Catholic community for his life-long work in favor of poor children. He has been canonized by the Roman Catholic Church in 1934. He is the creator of the Salesian Society, dedicated to fostering boys and providing them with a Christian education, as well as apprenticeship to get a qualified job as artisan. Through his congregation, hundreds of thousands of boys have benefited from his actions through the years. Many Catholic schools nowadays refer to him in their name and/or claim his heritage.

== Controversy about his sexuality ==

Through his biography, he seems to not have been attracted to women, but to have demonstrated an unusually strong affection for boys, whose he dedicated his life to. His close contacts with boys, as well as his whole vision of the role of the boy educator, "a child among the children", and of course his life-long dedication to boys only, suggest he had some homosexual - pedophile (boy love) attraction. Some testimonies of contemporaneous observers and writings by Don Bosco himself reinforce this idea too.

But some, in particular people linked to Catholic Church, contest he was homosexual or pedophile, mainly on the basis that he condemned homosexuality and defended purity and chastity in regards to sexual matters. However, this argument is more relevant to his actual sexual behavior than to his real sexual attraction.

== Relationships with boys ==

In his young adult years, he tried and attracted street boys of Torino by performing acrobatics in the streets. He provided them with a shelter and education. His methods of education were quite revolutionary for the time, as it emphasized understanding and caring love towards children rather than repression.

One of the most documented relationship he had with boys was with Domenico Savio, whom he served as spiritual guide. Domenico Savio met Don Bosco at the age of twelve, and impressed him with his dedication to reach sainthood. Don Bosco took him in his institute to prepare the boy to priesthood, and they developed an intense friendship, but Domenico died before his 15th birthday. His very detailed story related by Don Bosco allowed later the boy to become the younger non-martyr saint canonized by the Catholic Church.

Some allegations of sexual contact between a boy and Don Bosco have been made by the boy himself years later, but there is a lack of formal evidence to support it. From the testimonies collected, Don Bosco seemed to be really attached to protecting the boys' "purity" and encouraged them towards chastity.

== Sources ==
[http://www.giovannidallorto.com/biografie/bosco/bosco.html#1a Ritratto di don Bosco (1815-1888) come gay (A gay portrait of Don Bosco)]

[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02689d.htm Catholic Encyclopedia]