The Gay Icon Classics of the World by Robert Joseph Greene

The Gay Icon Classics Of The World
Introduction

    For thousands of years, history has robbed us of our identity. Gay men had to keep their homosexuality a secret for fear of death. Many of the stories presented are either directly influenced from the cultures of origin or are pieces of hearsay that I have made into a full story for others to understand.
    One perfect example of how I took hearsay and made it into a short story comes from my university years. While taking summer courses at UCLA, I met a girl from the Ivory Coast. When I told her that I was gay, she said that she had never met a gay man before. I asked her if she had heard of anything about gay love; she replied that she once heard of an ancient tribal story about two teenage boys who were banished from a village for kissing each other in public. The story was passed down to her by her grandmother but she didn’t remember the details.  It was from this piece of information that I was able to write the story of “The Soiled Loin Cloth”.
    I have particularly keen interest in stories from cultures that have deep homophobic views. I feel that seeing gay people exist in their culture will help them realize that love is a universal truth which is not limited to heterosexual relationships.
    The stories that I have chosen (and there were many to pick from) focus more on love and understanding rather than lust. In an interview with The Watermark (a Central Florida publication), I explained that most of my stories are allegories meant to give gay men more depth and understanding, to showcase human relations between men that will help readers to think of the spiritual and mental aspects of love over mere sex or lust.
    I am a true romantic. At times, I feel that romantics are to gays what Christians were to Romans back in the day: we are something to feed to the lions.
    When I was honored by Camp Rehoboth (a nonprofit community service organization dedicated to creating a more positive gay environment in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware) and its related communities, I knew this book was long overdue.  Their monthly newsletter published one of my stories on Valentine’s Day. I was featured in “Letters From Camp Rehoboth” for my romantic writings. They had honored me by buying the one unpublished story that I felt really touched me.
    It has taken years for me to bring this all together but it is with great pride that I present to you the Gay Icon Classics.
    Â -Robert Joseph Greene

The Journey and the Jewels - Saudi Arabia
First Published in “Letters From Camp Rehoboth,” February 2006
    In the days when Europe fell into the dark ages, and as the world blossomed in the Middle East, there lived a young Arabian prince named Asfar. Prince Asfar was a happy young child who played with his young servant, Ahmed. As the young prince grew older so did his fondness for his obedient servant. Others in the palace saw this fondness between the young servant and the prince. Soon, palace officials felt that this fondness was becoming a forbidden one. When word got to the King of this forbidden relationship, the King quickly disapproved, and silently Ahmed was banished from his kingdom. Ahmed and his family, fearing death, had to flee Arabia during a cold, desert winter’s night. The young prince was not told of his servant's hasty departure nor of his father’s displeasure.
    Young Prince Asfar soon came into manhood. As he grew, his forbidden affections grew from his longing for his childhood servant, Ahmed, to other men. Prince Asfar kept this secret to himself, for the laws of Koran forbade these types of affections. The prince’s heart lay empty, for it was longing for Ahmed. His father, in preparing Asfar to take his throne, burdened the young prince with scholarly tutors, physical exercises, and hunting lessons. It was during a hunting exhibition that the young prince won a top prize for bravely capturing a fierce snake single-handedly.