Photograph of an ancient 79 AD painting recovered from a brothel in Pompeii, which had visual menus on the wall for ordering services, this one depicts a bisexual MMF, a man having sex with a man having sex with a woman in doggystyle position on the courtesan's bed.In two weeks I’ll be speaking in Columbus, Ohio. On what you ask? Sex and Sexism in Ancient Rome: Crossroads of Sexual Freedom & State Oppression. Co-hosted by PolyColumbus and the Humanist Community of Central Ohio. This will be Tuesday, July 14 (2015), at 7pm until 9pm EDT. Location: Kafe Kerouac (2250 N High, Columbus, Ohio 43202). It will be both naughty & entertaining and illuminating & disturbing (when you realize what life was really like back then for the would-be sexually liberated). With Q&A. But probably no visuals (so the talk can be posted to the internet without incident, copyright or otherwise).

Description…

Richard Carrier, Ph.D. (ancient history, Columbia University) will discuss several aspects of open sexuality and the policing of sexuality in Ancient Rome, and their connection to the stark sexism and mild homophobia of this pre-Christian time. Sexism and homophobia in this era were less products of religion and more products of secular attitudes. Even in the face of state and social attempts to oppress sexual expression, the universality of fascinating human sexual choices still shined through.

Carrier will illustrate these points with intriguing and (at times) ribald stories about demonesses in the Talmud, priestesses with strap-ons, bisexual MMFs, and how many men the law said you had to sleep with to be legally qualified as a whore (with the attendant consequences). Yet many things, such as consensual, public, gender-equal non-monogamy, remained taboo. “When in Rome…” the saying goes, but what were the common features of what (or who) you could do while in Ancient Rome, without risking severe sanction?

Note: This talk will include explicit discussions of human sexuality and sexual thoughts and practices, given from a sex-positive, consent-focused, GLBT-inclusive perspective. Given the nature of the talk, we respectfully ask that you leave the kids at home.

Admission: Free for dues-paid members. For all others, an $8 donation following the talk is suggested to help cover my honorarium. Also, please purchase a beverage from the Kafe in appreciation for the free venue.

Please RSVP at either the HCCO Meetup page or the Facebook event page. Because if there are enough RSVPs they may consider moving the event to a larger (but substantially more expensive) venue.

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The bibliography of scholarship informing this talk (and containing most of the material referenced in it) is now available as a PDF.

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