Histories of Man/Boy Love

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Left to right: John Burnside, Harry Hay and Jim Kepner marching in the Spirit of Stonewall demonstration, New York, 1994

History tells the stories of humanity. Narrative history tells the stories of individuals (or political entities or schools of thought), interacting, usually as they participate in notable events. Social history tells the stories of everyday folk and their societies and cultures as they develop and change through time. Woven through many of these stories are the stories of man/boy love.

From famous couples such as Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas, to cultural institutions such as that of ancient Greek pederasty, to cultural concepts such as China's "passion of the cut sleeve", to iconic figures such as Francis Bacon or Walt Whitman. From the earliest known homoerotic couple, Smenkhkare and Akhenaten, to medieval Andelusian troubadors, to 20th century figures such as Allen Ginsburg and Arthur C. Clark, man/boy love spans every dimension of history, both Western and non-Western.

The articles linked below are truly a miniscule sample of what could be, and indeed what has been, written on the subject. This section will be expanded over time with both new and previously published material -- feel free to help us in this effort.

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