That gays don't belong in the military? Deep in history, the elite combat unit was made up of all gay couples! And the reasons were logical enough
Although in modern society same-sex relationships were indeed taboo until recently, and "homosexual tendencies" were also variously punished, in ancient Mesopotamia, in some areas of China, and in ancient Greece and Rome, various forms of same-sex unions were possible. And the situation was similar in the army, so much a purely masculine institution. There, same-sex relationships were criminalised and gay men were threatened with dismissal for this reason. In the 1940s, homosexuality was even considered a mental illness that made it impossible to join the army. So the fact that things were different in the past and people were actually more enlightened may seem completely impossible. But...
A little bit gay army
While the idea of the military as a group that gays are forbidden from joining may seem pretty universal across time, the fact is that there was even one specific combat unit that was made up entirely of gay men, or rather gay couples. It was called The Sacred Band of Thebes, and in Thebes in the 4th century BC, it was made up of professionally trained warriors who were highly valued by the Greek city-state. This was partly because the warriors, who numbered around three hundred in total, were all true professionals, which was certainly not commonplace at the time. And why and how did this truly unconventional fighting unit come into being?
At the time when the Spartans occupied the Theban citadel and the inhabitants of Thebes had to ask the Athenians for help, they realised that they urgently needed an elite fighting division in order to defend themselves effectively in the event of a repeat of the situation in the future. And so it was under the auspices of the only army unit of the time, the Theban Army, that the unique fighting unit Gorgidas was charged with assembling began to emerge. He chose the members of his "regiment" not only for their physical qualities and military merit, but also because they were gay. Although no one today knows exactly why Gorgidas chose this particular criterion, some believe that he was inspired by the Greek philosopher Plato's writing, The Symposium (the question of when the work was written is still a matter of dispute among scholars today - another theory is that Plato is simply describing a lived practice within the fictional dialogues it contains). But in any case, the philosopher writes in his work that "if a state or an army were made up of lovers and their loves, they would be the best leaders, abstaining from all dishonour and imitating each other in honour - and if they fought side by side with each other, though only a handful, they would conquer the world."
Elite warriors reaching the quality of the Spartan army
And so The Sacred Band of Thebes was formed, numbering some 150 gay couples, with the pairs usually consisting of an older man and a younger one who was less experienced in combat. Eventually - this type of relationship, where a certain gay affection was maintained between younger men and their older male partners/teachers - became typical of ancient Greece. But the fact is that historians agree that in the case of this army, gay relationships were kept real more for the purpose of passing on knowledge and skills than for the purpose of a relationship, as the older men acted as protectors and role models for the younger ones. The very name, or term "sacred", then, is said to refer to the sacred vow taken between lovers, or between the older, dominant and active lover, and his love, the younger and passive man, before the shrine of Iolaus (nephew of Hercules) at Thebes.
The unit of elite warriors then exhibited top form, which they also continuously worked on - the warriors thus spent their free time in military training, physical exercise and, according to surviving documents, the warriors also engaged in wrestling and held various competitions. However, their activities were also enriched by dancing, as it was assumed that engaging in the arts would make the soldiers more versatile. And given that Gorgidas was a former cavalry officer, it is quite likely that members of his unit were also honing their cavalry skills. Thus, in summary, it could be said that The Sacred Band of Thebes exhibited combat skills comparable to the elite warriors of Sparta. Indeed, that it was a truly top-notch troop could be demonstrated in several battles it took part in.
Although the rise and tenure of The Sacred Band of Thebes was relatively short-lived, as the warriors' forces were soon weakened after many attacks were repulsed, these warriors nevertheless joined with Athens in the fight against Philip II. Athens and Athens joined Athens in the struggle with the Macedonians. Although the enemy was greatly outnumbered, the Theban warriors refused to retreat, and so fought until the last of them fell. The fallen were then buried in a mass grave, and during the 19th century, 254 skeletal remains of men, spread out in seven rows, were excavated at the site of the Battle of Chaeronea (338 BC). It is alleged that these are the remains of this unique fighting group made up entirely of gay men...
