Non Standard Marriages History

Same-sex unions have been recorded in the history of a number of cultures, but marriages or socially-accepted unions between same-sex partners were rare or nonexistent in other cultures. Same-sex marriage remains infrequent worldwide, especially as it is prohibited in most countries. As tolerance of homosexuality has become more widespread in Western cultures, more governments are allowing and/or sanctioning marriage of same-sex couples.

Although popular demand for state-recognized same-sex marriage is a relatively new phenomenon in modern times, there is a history of same-sex unions around the world. Various types of same-sex unions have existed in earlier cultures. These have ranged from informal, unsanctioned relationships to highly ritualized unions. The practice of same-sex love in antiquity often took the form of formal pairings of men with youths, which had many of the attributes of marriage but were limited in duration.

Same-gender romantic love or sexual desire has been recorded since ancient times in the entirety of the continent of Asia, right from the Middle East to South Asia to East Asia. Such desire often took the form of same-sex unions, usually between men, and often included some difference in age. There is far less information available on relationships among women in ancient times.

There has been a history of same-sex unions in the Western world. Some early Western societies integrated, and even celebrated, same-sex relationships, though it should be noted those these relationships were generally substantially different from and in some cases co-existed with traditional marriage. The practice was outlawed in 342 AD, though it is believed to have continued until the late Middle Ages.