It's A Sin: The Ancient Origins of Homophobia (feat. Harry Tanner) episode artwork

EPISODE · Nov 13, 2025 · 59 MIN

It's A Sin: The Ancient Origins of Homophobia (feat. Harry Tanner)

from Historical Homos · host Sebastian Hendra

To access the full version of this episode, join our Patreon at the link below. Our community awaits you with legs open, heart full, and mouth slightly ajar 🤤www.patreon.com/historicalhomos–Welcome to the wild and infuriating world of ancient homophobia!You know how everyone thinks ancient Greece and Rome were queer free-for-alls, where all holes were goals (as long as you were a male, bisexual top) and pederasty was the only acceptable form of same-sex love between men?Yeah, well that's not quite the full story.We're thrilled to introduce to the podcast Harry Tanner, the author of The Queer Thing About Sin: Why the West Came to Hate Queer Love. Harry joins us to discuss his fascinating research into the Greek, Hebrew, Roman, and Christian origins of homophobia.We cover:The story of two gay lovers overthrowing Athens' last tyrantAncient Greece's porn pot industry (Onlyfans, but make it ceramic!)The real meaning of Leviticus and the story of Sodom & Gomorrah in the ancient Hebrew TorahThe surprisingly homophobic writings of small-time philosophers like friggin' PLATO and ARISTOTLEAnd, for our Patreon subscribers, a deeper dive into the STRAIGHT historian who bequeathed us our current, warped view of ancient Greek homosexualityIf you were ever told that homosexuality or queerness is "unnatural," this episode is required listening for you.Because we show how homophobia, like homosexuality, is simply a social and cultural construction. As Harry Tanner explains, it is a response to political and economic instability. A desire for control. That's the only human thing about it.Same-sex desire occurs naturally in every society and culture in history. But condemning it only seems to happen when there is profound economic inequality in those societies.Get ready to dive into this fascinating story of homophobia's ancient history.The chastity cages are mandatory and the water is a preposterously inviting...human temperature.–🎧 Listen now on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or wherever you pod. Semen-stained tunics sold separately.🤑 Please support the burgeoning Historical Homos empire on our ⁠Patreon⁠, if you have the means – or the madness – to do so.📱 Follow Historical Homos on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sign up to our monthly ⁠newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you care about gay people, like, at all.✍️ Most importantly, if you like what you hear, please leave us a ⭐ FIVE STAR ONLY ⭐ review on Apple or Spotify.–Episode CreditsWritten and hosted by BashEdited by Alex ToskasProduced by Dani HenionGuest: Dr. Harry James Tanner Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

To access the full version of this episode, join our Patreon at the link below. Our community awaits you with legs open, heart full, and mouth slightly ajar 🤤www.patreon.com/historicalhomos–Welcome to the wild and infuriating world of ancient homophobia!You know how everyone thinks ancient Greece and Rome were queer free-for-alls, where all holes were goals (as long as you were a male, bisexual top) and pederasty was the only acceptable form of same-sex love between men?Yeah, well that's not quite the full story.We're thrilled to introduce to the podcast Harry Tanner, the author of The Queer Thing About Sin: Why the West Came to Hate Queer Love. Harry joins us to discuss his fascinating research into the Greek, Hebrew, Roman, and Christian origins of homophobia.We cover:The story of two gay lovers overthrowing Athens' last tyrantAncient Greece's porn pot industry (Onlyfans, but make it ceramic!)The real meaning of Leviticus and the story of Sodom & Gomorrah in the ancient Hebrew TorahThe surprisingly homophobic writings of small-time philosophers like friggin' PLATO and ARISTOTLEAnd, for our Patreon subscribers, a deeper dive into the STRAIGHT historian who bequeathed us our current, warped view of ancient Greek homosexualityIf you were ever told that homosexuality or queerness is "unnatural," this episode is required listening for you.Because we show how homophobia, like homosexuality, is simply a social and cultural construction. As Harry Tanner explains, it is a response to political and economic instability. A desire for control. That's the only human thing about it.Same-sex desire occurs naturally in every society and culture in history. But condemning it only seems to happen when there is profound economic inequality in those societies.Get ready to dive into this fascinating story of homophobia's ancient history.The chastity cages are mandatory and the water is a preposterously inviting...human temperature.–🎧 Listen now on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or wherever you pod. Semen-stained tunics sold separately.🤑 Please support the burgeoning Historical Homos empire on our ⁠Patreon⁠, if you have the means – or the madness – to do so.📱 Follow Historical Homos on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sign up to our monthly ⁠newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you care about gay people, like, at all.✍️ Most importantly, if you like what you hear, please leave us a ⭐ FIVE STAR ONLY ⭐ review on Apple or Spotify.–Episode CreditsWritten and hosted by BashEdited by Alex ToskasProduced by Dani HenionGuest: Dr. Harry James Tanner Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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It's A Sin: The Ancient Origins of Homophobia (feat. Harry Tanner)

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Techlore Surveillance Report Techlore Techlore Surveillance Report is your weekly deep-dive into the privacy and security news that matters for your digital freedom. Hosted by Henry Fisher, founder of Techlore and long-time digital rights educator, each episode cuts through the noise to bring you carefully selected stories with the context, analysis, and historical perspective you need to truly understand what's happening to protect yourself (and others!) in the digital space.Topics covered include:• Privacy tool updates and vulnerabilities• Data breaches and cybersecurity incidents• Surveillance technology and government overreach• Big Tech privacy policies and practices• Encryption and security standards• Digital rights legislation and court cases• Open-source software developments• Corporate data practices and accountabilityWhether you're a beginner trying to stay informed or a seasoned expert tracking the ecosystem, Surveillance Report has Explicit Catastrophe Chronicles catastrophechroniclespod Welcome to Catastrophe Chronicles, where Kathryn and Arin Babbick unravel the gripping—and often devastating—world of natural and man-made disasters. If you love the twists and turns of true crime, with a dash of whodunit intrigue, this podcast is for you. Each episode, Kathryn spins a dramatic tale of calamity, from hurricanes and earthquakes to industrial accidents and beyond, while Arin, a Navy veteran with a sharp sense of humor, offers his insights and candid commentary.Together, they blend serious reflection with lighthearted discussion, bringing you a fresh perspective on history’s most chaotic moments. It’s a perfect mix of historical mystery, dark drama, and the resilience of the human spirit—designed to captivate true crime fans and history buffs alike.Subscribe now and join the journey as we uncover the stories behind the chaos and dive deep into the dramatic side of our world. Explicit Mythstories One L Studios Join Dr Ciaran Bartlett and Shane Todd as they explore historical myths and stories and try to separate fact from fiction. Explicit Global Recon John Hendricks Welcome to the Global Recon Podcast! Hosted by John Hendricks. Mr. Hendricks sits down with American Intelligence professionals, and American Special Operations personnel to discuss a wide variety of subjects. These topics include historical events, current events, medicine, and geopolitics. Enjoy. Explicit

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This episode is 59 minutes long.

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This episode was published on November 13, 2025.

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To access the full version of this episode, join our Patreon at the link below. Our community awaits you with legs open, heart full, and mouth slightly ajar 🤤www.patreon.com/historicalhomos–Welcome to the wild and infuriating world of ancient...

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