Jacqueline Valdes

Professor de Benedictis
October 11, 2010
MWF 10:00

History of the World Part One Movie Outline

Specific Purpose: To explain the acceptance of homosexuality in the roman culture and how it
differs from our culture today.

Introduction:
History of the World Part One is a parody of early cultures and its purpose is to demonstrate the
way in which people lived. One of the eras shown in the movie was the era of the Roman
Empire. The makers of the film made it a point to demonstrate the prevalence of homosexuality
in Rome by portraying it in a few scenes. Homosexuality was generally accepted throughout the
Roman Empire and it was ultimately featured in many paintings, sculptures, graffiti and literary
works. Our culture today, however, generally condemns the homosexual subculture.

Body

I. I will discuss the homosexual subculture of Rome.

A. Around 200 BC, there were already places where male prostitutes preferred
staying, specializing either in the passive or active roles.
B. There were ways to identify themselves according to the roman poet,
Juvenal.
II. I will discuss the moral opinions of homosexuality in Rome.
A. In the mid Republic homosexual acts were widely accepted, if the active
partner was a Roman, and the passive partner a slave or other non-roman.
B. Negative attitudes towards same-sex relations only became the majority
when Christianity was adopted a few hundred years later.
III. I will discuss the similarities and differences between the ancient and modern cultures
in regards to homosexuality.
A. There are similarities in the ancient and modern subcultures and the way
conservatives and liberals still perceive homosexuality.
B. There are differences in the sense that there were actually homosexual
public marriages and there were rarely any acts of violence for those who
had same-sex relations.

Conclusion:
The irony is that although we have progressed in time since the Roman Empire, we have
regressed in our thinking. Although our society has made many improvements to accept those
who come from different cultures and who share a variety of beliefs, our society must take a
lesson from the Romans and refrain from discriminating others based on their sexual
orientation.