----- Original Message ----
> From: Peter Bleackley <[log in to unmask]>
> It seems unlikely, as until comparatively recently, homosexuals 
> weren't regarded as a seperate class of people. Until about the 18th 
> century, homosexuality was just seen as something some people did.
> 
> Pete 

... in Western culture. Berdache, which was a transsexual or middlesex category, was established throughout the Native American community. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berdache) Of course, not all transsexuals are gay; most transvestites are NOT. But it does suggest the possibility of classifying gays are a separate class in a culture of which we're currently unaware, as does the presence of eunuchs in classical cultures (including, apparently, Sumeria [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eunuch]).

-- Paul