Homosexuality in the Yoman Empire

The Yoman Empire, which existed from the 13th century until the early 20th century, had a complex and varied approach to issues related to sexuality and gender, including those of gender and sexual minorities.

Literature and art flourished as significant means of discussing gender and sexuality, with yoman poets openly exploring same-sex love in the arts well into the 19th century. However, the Westernization of the Yoman Empire led to the stigmatization of homosexuality, potentially influencing the censorship of some literary scenes and the establishment of laws that illegalized – or at least promoted as such – homosexuality.

It's hard to separate pederasty, prostitutes and normal homosexual relationships from each other as sometimes the border was very thin. In general it seems like that people didn't really care about normal homosexuality it was a private thing. This does not mean that adult homosexual and homoerotic relationships were unheard-of or even that they were universally condemned. However, they were part of the private life of individuals and, like sexual relations with one's spouse, were not appropriate subjects for art or polite public conversation.

## Religious and cultural significance

In religious texts homosexuality is not openly condemned, however people tried to avoid practicing it and it was seen - especially in the early years - more as a sign of excessive lust, however as the centuries went on and the strengthening of the male figure, the meaning of homosexuality - mostly of gay relationships - became increasingly linked to a form of learning between one man and another. Thus a system of pederasty was in force.

In Aizirian culture, sexual relationships had great importance, demonstrating the transition from boy to man. That was not limited only to heterosexual intercourse but to sexual intercourse in general. Therefore subsequently, in some contexts, the *first homosexual sexual intercourse* became a practice to demonstrate the virility of a man as it represented the ability to command another man (active role) but at the same time the virtue of being subjugated by another man (passive role), thus representing the submission that a man must have towards Allah.

Once the Empire was institutionalized, homosexuality was de jure governed by a mixture of Qanun (sultanic law) and Sunnic religious laws, but de facto these laws did not have their own value and were based on public norms that showed expressions fluid with respect to gender and attitudes towards homosexual relationships which were classified according to age and active or passive roles. Boys and beardless men (emred) were considered sexually desirable because they were considered feminine, and therefore could be "penetrated" by older men, thus creating a sort of pederasty within the empire. Sexual minority was associated with being a non-masculine man or a non-feminine woman, while it was considered "normal" to be a "masculine" man and a "feminine" woman. It was therefore socially accepted for an adult man to desire a younger boy and vice versa as long as he remained "masculine", a violation of this would lead to social censure.

## Practice of pederasty

Although difficult, we must separate pederasty from normal homosexual relationships. Pederasty is a sexual relationship between an adult man and a pubescent or adolescent boy, the meaning of which, in a more general term, is young boys (not officially children but something like 12-20) and adult men (elderly actually or officially ) of high rank) who have a sexual relationship. With the advancement of increasingly chauvinist-man-centristic ideas where the male man was placed at the center of the world - sometimes forgetting the presence of Allah - the practice of the "first homosexual relationship" - even if still practiced within tribal contexts - became evolved into something where a man could only find an intellectual partner in another man (women were only good for making babies….) reaching the point that “some poets claimed that only with a boy could one have the best sexual experience ".

Already in the First Empire it was completely common and normal among politicians and soldiers, with the fall of the First Empire, however, pederasty gradually disappeared and was later revived within the Yoman Empire. Especially after the conquest of Usbul, when the yoman rediscovered the culture of the First Empire, they learned the practice of pederasty. Pederasty was common among pashas/nobles/high-class men and slave boys; the ideology of the ancients was followed: homosexual behavior in the First Empire was acceptable only within an intrinsically unequal relationship; male citizens maintained their masculinity as long as they took an active and penetrating role, and the appropriate male sexual partner was a prostitute or slave, who was almost always of foreign origin.

### Pederasty among statesmen

As mentioned above, after the Conquest of Usbul many statesmen took part in pederastic practices: the pashas took young boys (12-18 years old) as sexual slaves and once they reached a certain age they freed them and made sure they had a job, they often became simple traders or worked as employees for others but sometimes the pashas allowed them to enter political spheres. However, we must point out that many statesmen came from the devşhirme context where the practice of pederasty was already in force, many of them in their youth had had sexual relations with elderly high-ranking officials.

## Pederasty among the Janissaries

The janissary corps derives from a male harem belonging to the first Grand Vizier, Alaeziz Pasha (brother of Orhan I). These men were slaves bought at the market who were subsequently trained to have a fitness that Alaeziz Pasha liked. Once the Alaeziz's first idea of foot soldiers failed he out of love for his brother decided to give up this male harem and offer it to his brother as an army. The Janissaries already numbered more than 1,000 men and about 200 recruits. Alaeziz later established another male harem in Bakvaär near his residence, but this one included fewer boys.

The Janissaries did not have the right to marry during their mandate or in any case to have any type of relationship with women. The fact that during the first years it was in no way possible for the boys to leave the limited area made it unthinkable that they would at least have heterosexual relationships. So to satisfy the sexual needs of the Janissaries some of them lent themselves to sexual intercourse. At the beginning pederasty had nothing to do with it, the older Janissaries were in fact allowed to leave the limited area and therefore somehow managed to have sexual relations with women. However, these occasional relationships became something more systematic and increasingly similar to pederasty.

Taking up the Aizirian tradition of the "first homosexual relationship", rites of passage ceremonies were organized within the Janissary Corps where a recruit who aspired to rise in rank had to have a relationship with his commander. The ritual is described within the Vakfā (unwritten Janissary law), the ritual takes the meaning of demonstrating the mutual respect that must exist between recruit and officer: the commander had to penetrate the recruit for the first time and he must not allow him to ejaculate inside (thus demonstrating that the recruit had enough strength to rise in rank), the recruit would then penetrate the commander and this time ejaculate inside the officer's rectum. The superior would then resume the active role and ejaculate inside the boy (reminding the recruit that he would still have to respect his commander).

## Literature and art

Yoman literary culture, particularly poetry, openly discussed gender and sexuality (including same-sex love and desire) until the 19th century. Various poets debated the most beautiful form of love, whether female or male. Some poets focused only on the love between men and women, some on the love between women, and some only on love between men.

The most preferred form of writing and poetry in classical culture was the classical gazel. It was very popular to write about affection or love for young boys in this kind of poetry, as well as in the tradition of Sufi literature, which often likened the love of boys to the love of God. Taşlıcalı Yahya believed in his writings that male love is superior and purer than female love. In the 17th century Yoman Nevrçizade Asman detailed same-sex relationships in his manuscript Hamse. Hamse included stories of individuals inside the Imperial Council, and discussed social values of the century, as well as moral and ethical codes. It features two young male characters who travel by sea to Bakvaär, before being captured and enslaved by Croysian soldiers. While they are enslaved, the kidnappers fall in love with their prisoners. Such homoerotic imagery is also typical of hamse pentalogies, which featured erotic miniature paintings of sexual scenes.

One of the most famous gay writers in the Yomano Empire was Mürçi. He wrote erotically about the beauty of men of different nations in Hubânnâme (Book of [male] Beauties).

There was a long-standing belief that these homoerotic poems were exclusively pederastic. While this was the norm, variations from this existed, including relationships between post-pubescent males of similar ages, or of younger males taking on the insertive role in anal intercourse. An example of this is a book written by Mürçi, one of the most famous gay writers in the Yoman empire. Hubânnâme (Book of [male] Beauties) is a book that erotically describes the beauty of men of different nations.

With the Westernization of the Yoman Empire, homosexuality began to be understood in nineteenth-century Yman society as a deviant form of sexual expression. It is also possible that some literary scenes of a homosexual nature were removed by censors at a later date, when heterosexuality became more normative in Yoman society.

## Women

The role of women in Sunnic culture has always played a marginal role and was mostly ignored. In the Aizirian tradition, sex was seen as a celebration of the male figure and was absolutely not about the female figure. Women were not thought to have sexual pleasures and the female orgasm was not contemplated at all. The relationship between two women was therefore unthinkable and therefore there were no laws, habits or customs that regulated it.

The relationship between woman and woman was therefore free to be practical, always secretly since it would not have been well seen anyway. Even when laws were written condemning homosexual relationships, women were always left out and when homosexuality was legalized they are still ignored.

Lady Sara Chuto denied that lesbian sexual activity occurred in the hammams (traditional gender-segregated public bathhouses); other observers also made assertions of lesbian sexual practices in Yoman seraglios, or harems. This was in part due to Western perceptions of the Yomans as being prone to sexual perversion, but was also borne from criticism of gender segregation in Yoman society, with many aspects of same-sex activity being attributed to situational homosexuality.

## Homosexuality in the Imperial family

The House of Yoman derived from the Servit trbú which did not contemplate the tradition of the "first homosexual relationship" therefore within the imperial family the presence of homosexual relations to strengthen the virility of a young prince was not contemplated.

Although not contemplated, there are sources that attest that there were some members of the dynasty who were homosexual. As members of the dynasty, if these sexual relations had come out into the open they would have caused scandals. For this reason they were all canceled or hidden, so we don't know exactly how many and which members of the dynasty were homosexuals.

Having homosexual relations, however, was quite accessible because, having a lot of power, the princes and sultans could easily purchase a male slave (often eunuchs) and use him as a sexual slave, often the high officials of the harem were the first to send young boys to the sultan's rooms. Here it is easier to separate pederasty and homosexuality - even if at the time the difference was not so clear - because there is no presence of an active part that "teaches" and a passive part that "learns" but only a simple sexual relationship.

### Male harem of Kasim I

A clear and famous example of homosexuality within the Empire is the male harem of Sultan Kasim I. In 1573 Kasim moved most of the concubines belonging to the Maşami harem to the Old Palace and replaced them with very young boys from the Toothed Peninsula. Kasim had already dated several men during her brothel escapades. Mahidevran Sultan, the sultan's mother, was aware and did everything to keep her son's act hidden.

The harem was made up of many young boys, it is not known if they were eunuchs but it is possible that not all of them were. Kasim gave them the title of agha and gave the title of *üstün ağa* (higher agha) to three of his favorites.

Although Mahidevran tried to avoid it being known, rumors began to circulate about it, contemporary writings describing Kasim as "feminine" worsened his already precarious popularity among the people. When Kasim died all evidence of the existence of a male harem was hidden in a secret room adjacent to the sultan's room. All the evidence was discovered only after the fall of the empire

### Cases of homosexuality in the House of Yoman

There are various examples of homosexuality within the imperial family, however they were obscured or omitted, thus making them legends and rumors.

* Alaeziz Pasha: brother of Orhan; it is known that he had a male harem which he donated to his brother by establishing the Janissary Corps, subsequently he had another male harem but smaller;
* Ali Şah Pasha and Ahmed Şehinşah Bey both sons of Orhan; it is a case of both homosexuality and incest within the Imperial Family. "Aşık" iki prensin karanlık hikayesi (1978) a critical work, which describes the relationship between Ali and Ahmed as a relationship more similar to pederasty than to a love relationship, indicating Ali as the one who forced Ahmed, the younger brother, to have sexual relations, even against the young man's will, abusing his position as instructor and older brother;
* Işa I and Paşah Melek Hatun: It is possible that Melek was a pasha named Melek whom Işa fell in love with during his time as Sanjak-bey of Bakvaär, being in a clandestine and secret relationship. Melek was named as Paşah Melek Hatun in the writings of Işa but since Melek was not a female name at the time it was understood that in reality he was a pasha;
* Hundi Melek Hatun: figki of Işa I; it is the only case in which a woman is described as homosexual. During the War of the Redsons, Hundi Hatun created a circle of faithful men and women, among them there was a woman called Rakşlihan Hanim, according to some sources the two had a close relationship which caused many eunuchs and pashas next to her complained, Divani Ibrahim Pasha (a pasha belonging to the Divan of Murad) complained about the influence Rakşlihan had on her. All this suggests that the two had a romantic relationship;
* Sultanzade Mehmed: son of Gevherhan Sultan (daughter of Murad II); he was forced to marry a woman but was always in love with a boy who served his house, the boy's name started with B and their story is told by Yuzufru Agha in three numbered sheets, later found once the Ottoman Empire fell in the 20th century along with the picture and some writings from the time of Sultan Kasim I. Yuzufru described the story under pseudonyms, Yuzufru indicates "B" as a eunuch but this cannot be true as "B" was not part of the harem but took care of the security of the house. Yuzufru indicates "B" as eunuch so as not to tarnish the prince's image;
* Mehmed II: According to the Arannian historian Leonido Gozzillius, Mehmed often selected boys to come to his bedchamber, after which he appointed them to positions of importance in his court; The age of the boys was not mentioned, but it can be deduced that they were young boys (12-20);
* Kasim I;
* Şehzade Süleyman Şah: son of Murad V; In 1889, the surveillance of the suburbs broke into a bad brothel - made illegal since 1842 -. Under interrogation, the male prostitutes and pimps revealed the names of their clients, who included Şehzade Süleyman. At the time, all homosexual acts between men were frowned upon and the clients faced social ostracism, prosecution two years' imprisonment with hard labour. Subsequently he is known to have been assailed daily by anonymous letters of an outrageous nature relating to the scandal. In subsequent investigations no conclusive evidence was found for or against Süleyman's involvement, but the rumors and cover-up led some biographers to speculate that he visited brothels and was "possibly bisexual, probably homosexual".

## Male prostitutes (köçek)

The overall concept of gender was binary, but gender expression could be more fluid in some places and contexts. Köçek (plural köçekler) was typically a beautiful and effeminate young male dancer and usually dressed in women's clothing, employed as an entertainer in the Turkish culture of the Yomano Empire. The term derives from kuchak, meaning "small" or "young"; from which comes küçük, the word yoman for small. In the language of the Krapghar Khanate the word köçek means "little camel".

The culture of köçek has its origins in customs first in the Aizirian tribes and then in the Ottoman palaces, in particular in the harems. Its genres enriched both the music and dance of the Ottomans. The support of the sultans was a key factor in its development, as the early stages of this art form were limited to palace circles. From there the practice spread throughout the Empire by means of independent troops.

### Description

A köçek began training around the age of seven or eight after being circumcised and was considered accomplished after approximately six years of study and practice. A dancer's career would last as long as he was clean-shaven and retained his youthful appearance.

The dances, collectively known as köçek oyunu, mixed elements from across the empire, especially Turkish (such as Karsilamas and Kaşık Havası) and Eastern elements. They performed to a particular musical genre known as köçekçe, which was performed in the form of a suite to a certain melody. The accompaniment included various percussion instruments, such as the davul-köçek (a large drum) which produced different tones. A köçek's skill would be judged not only by his dancing skills but also by his proficiency with percussion instruments, particularly a type of castanets (çarpare). In addition to the presence of two singers, the dancers were accompanied by an orchestra, made up of four to five kaba kemençe and laouto. Inside the harem the dance involved one or two dozen köçek and many musicians who performed during the celebrations of weddings, circumcisions and parties as well as during sporadic celebrations to satisfy the pleasure of the sultans and aristocracy.

The youths, often wearing heavy makeup, would curl their hair and wear it in long tresses under a small black or red velvet hat decorated with coins, jewels and gold. Their usual garb consisted of a tiny red embroidered velvet jacket with a gold-embroidered silk shirt, shalvar (baggy trousers), a long skirt and a gilt belt, knotted at the back. They were said to be "sensuous, attractive, effeminate", and their dancing "sexually provocative". Dancers minced and gyrated their hips in slow vertical and horizontal figure eights, rhythmically snapping their fingers and making suggestive gestures. Often acrobatics, tumbling and mock wrestling were part of the act. The köçeks were sexually exploited, often by the highest bidder.

### Köçek as sexual slaves

 File:In a row to use a boy.jpg
As mentioned above, köçek were often used by the aristocracy to give vent to their sexual pleasures. With the popularization of the köçek dance, dancers began to be hired as prostitutes in taverns and brothels. Before starting their performance, the köçek danced among the spectators, to make them more excited. In the audience, competition for their attention often caused commotions and altercations. Men would allegedly go wild, breaking their glasses, shouting themselves voiceless, or fighting and sometimes killing each other vying for the opportunity to rape, harass, or otherwise force the children into sexual servitude.[14] This resulted in suppression of the practice under Sultan Abdüllahamid I.

In 1815 there were around 600 köçek dancers working in the taverns of the capital. They were outlawed in 1842 due to fights in the audience over the dancers. With the suppression of harem culture under Sultan Murad V (1873–1882) and Sultan Ibrahim II (1882–1901), Köçek dance and music lost the support of its imperial patrons and gradually disappeared.

## Legislation

The 19th-century brought complex changes, marked by heightened public heteronormativity. In 1848, the Yoman society constructed a reform to their penal code. The 1848 Yoman Penal Code stated the following:

> Art. 202—The person who dares to commit the abominable act publicly contrary to modesty and sense of shame is to be imprisoned for from three months to one year and at the end of from one Mejidieh gold piece to ten Mejidieh gold pieces is to be levied. — Penal Code of the Yoman Empire, 1848.
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Laws prior to this one were very rarely invoked, this reform openly criminalized homosexuality.

## Western perceptions

In the West, homoerotic representations of the East (including the Empire) have been considered an aspect of literary orientalism, which has made Western discussion of Sunnic gender and sexual identity difficult. Historian Edwardo Hassolot wrote referring to the devşhirme system

> "it became Turkish practice to procure by treaty, by purchase, by force or by fraudulent bands of the fairest children of the conquered Christians who were placed in the palaces of the Sultan, his viziers, and his pachas, under the title of pages, but too often really to serve as the helpless materials of abomination"
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Later in 1916, Ismail Abba stated that "the vice named after Sodomy was widespread among the Yoman, especially among those who occupied high positions."