If you thought the gays invented cruising culture in the 21st century, think again. Thanks to @yourgaybigbro (aka Chase Finn), we’ve all been blessed with a steamy little history lesson about how Romans met in Ancient Rome—and let’s just say, bathhouses and beautiful men were definitely involved.
In a delightful deep-dive, Chase reminds us that the Romans were not only bathing together in elaborate steamy spas, but also redefining what it meant to be in a relationship—without the modern labels of “gay” or “straight.”
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According to a blog post by Abigail Hudson for the University of Birmingham, Ancient Romans didn’t box people into categories like homosexual or heterosexual. Instead, relationships were understood through a lens of power. If you were the “active” or dominant partner, congratulations—you were considered masculine and socially superior. The “passive” partner? Not so much. (Yes, we know it sounds archaic and offensive, but stick with us.)
1. Homosexuality was accepted
Ancient Rome was largely ruled by men who had sexual desires for both boys and women. The Romans did not conceptualise homosexuality. Men could have and express sexual desires for women as well as for boys and other men. But in sexual activity,… pic.twitter.com/5TzaAxTV1h
— Uncle Chu (@datchuguyy) May 19, 2025
Hudson writes, “Freeborn male Romans had the civil liberty to do as they pleased when it came to sexual activity, and as such, the concept of a Roman man engaging in homosexual sex was in no way controversial or taboo… as long as it fell within certain parameters.” In other words, if you were a high-ranking man, it wasn’t about the gender of your partner—it was about your role.
So… where did these steamy encounters happen? Cue the bathhouse. These weren’t just places to rinse off after a long day of war or politics—they were social hubs dripping with heat, gossip, and maybe a little something more.
As historian A. Asa Eger notes in his journal Age and Male Sexuality: “Queer Space” in the Roman Bathhouse?, the baths weren’t exclusive to queer behavior, but they were definitely hot spots (literally and figuratively) for what he calls “architectures of desire.” These sensual spaces allowed for “cruising, passive male sex, and role reversal” to unfold in a somewhat anonymous, yet socially layered way.
Eger explains that while not every bathhouse visit was an ancient hookup, these public steam rooms became “queer spaces” where traditional norms could be bent—much like the men inside them.
So there you have it: your quick and cheeky primer on Ancient Roman romance. Turns out, public quickies aren’t just a modern invention. And next time someone side-eyes your bathhouse adventures or gym flirting, just tell them you’re honoring centuries of tradition.
Now excuse us while we reimagine Spartacus with this new historical context in mind…
REFERENCES: University of Birmingham, Journal of Roman Archaeology