Homosexuality In The Renaissance Movement

The Renaissance movement proved that the people of this time period only concerned with their own wellbeing. If you weren’t a straight white male, you were either rejected by society or you were used for one’s own personal benefits whether that was entertainment or to display wealth. The statuses of particular genders and races were obvious; white males at the top, and women and blacks at the bottom to do work for the males. On an even lower scale were homosexuals whom were not welcomed by any means in Europe. Society during the Renaissance era was very self-absorbed and therefore if one was not a heterosexual white male, conditions tended to be worse; women were meant to stay at home and not achieve too much of an education; homosexuals were persecuted because both the people and the government

In order to stop these peculiar ways, various sermons were giving and laws were enforced. Francisco Bernardino of Siena was one of the leading people who worked on establishing laws against homosexuality. Another attempt was made in Florence, Italy to rid of sodomy by developing magistracy. This magistracy was named “the Office of the Night” due to the fact that most of this abnormal behavior was done at night so others would remain unaware of the actions. This government board consisted of six men who watched the streets at night to make sure no despicable actions were taking place. This group even went as far as trying to get others to accuse people of being gay. This sexual activity was practiced by an eclectic sort of males; it didn’t just happen in a certain class or particular job. Men of all careers and ages took part in these activities, but generally involved younger males. These men taking part in sodomy practiced it for bonding and for an exchange in money. In addition to homosexuals, blacks also faced certain issues in the Renaissance