December 10, 2003

Let's reclaim that epithet 'sodomite'

It's about time we get to use that lovely word again to describe that segment of queer folk that are not ashamed to come out and stand up for what they do in bed.
Rather than "gay" (so innocuously middle class in a oh-my-god, I forgot to whitewash my picket fence! sense) or "queer" (so inclusive it's become a term of endearment on mainstream television) I prefer "Sodomite" for its cultural and historical references.
Church fathers distorted its definition early on to mean men who partake in buggery, while in the Bible it refers to people in the city of Sodom who lacked hospitality skills, like in not wanting to shout you a round in the pub when it was their turn. (I think this should still be considered a far greater sin than buggery).
Good old Oscar Wilde was accused by Lord Queensberry as "posing as a Somdomite [sic]" - a wonderful turn of phrase, methinks! Conjures up images of Art Nouveau sculptures.
And then there is the wonderful description in Dante's Inferno as "that scorched army whose rubric is sodomy".
A poetic term that deserves to be reclaimed by those so inclined! So good I'm making it my profile's motto

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