homosexuals ruled empires back in ancient times i mean idk its not liek its something new.
Hadrian had a close relationship with a Bithynian Greek youth, Antinous, which was most likely sexual.[58]
"During a journey on the Nile he lost Antinous, his favourite, and for this youth he wept like a woman. Concerning this incident there are varying rumours; for some claim that he had devoted himself to death for Hadrian, and others — what both his beauty and Hadrian's sensuality suggest. But however this may be, the Greeks deified him at Hadrian's request, and declared that oracles were given through his agency, but these, it is commonly asserted, were composed by Hadrian himself.[59]"
Antinous drowned in 130. Deeply saddened, Hadrian founded the Egyptian city of Antinopolis in his memory, and had Antinous deified – an unprecedented honour for one not of the ruling family. The cult of Antinous became very popular in the Greek-speaking world.[60] It has been suggested that Hadrian created the cult as a political move to reconcile the Greek-speaking East to Roman rule.[61]
