Fatima Freeman Homosexual or Homosocial LGQ French History Andrew Suozzo, Ph.D.

April 1, 2012

Reading this article by Marc D. Schacter That Friendship Which Possesses the Soul: Montaigne Loves La Boetie the realization is that this relationship could be defined as a homosocial relationship (Schacter, 2002). However, the relationship between Montaigne and La Boetie does not have any display of any erotic behavior, but because of the love that Montaigne shows La Boetie it is seen as a homosexual relationship. Therefore, as the author of the article does state that Montaigne Loves La Botie in the title of article and the article is found in the Journal of Homosexuality does not make the relationship between Montaigne and La Boetie a homosexual relationship (Schacter). Montaigne and La Boetie are one great example of homophobia because they are people of the same sex that have strong feeling towards each other and their friendship is seen as homosexuality. Human beings interact with each other on the basis in certain classes, groups and/or sexes to make our identity known. Therefore, if human being interact with each other from the same sex on a social level than every human being would be a homosexual. Furthermore, what about the relationship between mother and daughter? Or what about the relationship between father and son? The Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy defines the word homosexual as discussions about sexuality, in general, and same sex attraction in particular, have occasioned philosophical discussion ranging from Platos Symposium to contemporary queer theory (Pickett, Spring 2011). While the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines homosocial as a term of relating to or involving social relationships between persons of the same sex and especially between two men (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). As demonstrated in the article about the relationship between Montaigne and La -1-

Boetie that their friendship was the most celebrated friendship in all of French History is proven that this was not a homosexual relationship between these two men, but the relationship was a homosocial relationship (Schacter). Therefore, we as human being are always ashamed to have a strong connection or relationship with another person that is from the same sex that we will be marked as a homosexual, but in this case as Montaigne and La Boetie proves that it is possible to be in a relationship with another person as the same sex without having any erotic relations. Futhermore, in my opinion, Montaigne was celebrating the friendship during the time that La Boetie was alive in words as would a man would celebrate the life of a woman that he loved after their death. The same would be for Madeleine de Scudery in her literary work as a philosopher that the relationship between two women should be intimate and she goes on to define how the relationship between two people of the opposite sex should be treat as that of a relationship between two women (Hinds, 2002). This article as well is defining how human beings have a love for each other without any eroticist been involved and how human beings take a statement to an extremity without understanding what the statement is in regards to.

Reference List 1. Merriam-Webster Dictionary, An Encyclopedia Brittanica Company. March 30, 2012 www.merriam-webster.com 2. Pickett, Brent, Homosexuality, The Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed), http://plato.standford.edu/archives/spr2011entries/homosexuality/. 3. Schacter, Marc D. (2002): That Friendship Which Possesses the Soul Journal of Homosexuality, 41:3-4, 5-21 http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J082v41n03_02