NationStates

Ephyra has no codified constitution, but instead derives its rights from a collection of sources, including customs, precedent, and a number of written documents and statues over many centuries. None of these documents explore the nature of LGBT, as the Freehold is rather dismissive of its legitimacy.

Cultural norms surrounding sexuality do not operate on a heterosexual-homosexual dichotomy, but rather one of power based around an 'active' and a 'passive' partner, known more crudely as the dominant and submissive binary model. Marriage only facilitates monogamy between one man and one woman, and no other norm is accepted as a legitimate marriage. Sexual acts however deemed non-heterosexual, of which Ephyra does have a concept, are entirely varied in their reception depending on who has done what.

Addressing male acts, there is no social stigma for any man who opts to utilise another male for his own pleasure, assuming of course he is not acting in a manner deemed offensive to the morals of the Freehold on grounds such as sexual restraint or accepted behaviours. The only stigma and shame is for the men who take the passive role, and who use their bodies for the pleasure of other men. This act of physical subservience to the desires of another man is considered wholly repulsive, and is an act that destroys the image of a man's virtue and masculinity. In some cases, it can even lead to a declaration of infamy, removing certain liberties and rights from an individual, assuming they are citizen.

If exposed as being a passive, a man who offers himself to other men, he also faces the social repercussions of essentially being disowned from his family, any woman currently in social contract to becoming his wife is immediately liberated from having to follow through, any woman he already calls his wife has pretext for divorce (with full recovery of dowry), and the man is considered shamed to his family, nation, and gods. These social repercussions don't apply in the same strength for men raped, which due to the power perceptions of homosexual activity, can occur at a rate fluctuating between not as common and more common than rape against women. However, it's not unheard of for divorces to occur following such acts, as a key element of virtue for man is to be capable of providing and protecting his family. Though seemingly harsh, a number of women have presented the difficult to refute case of how her protection is guaranteed by him if he fails to protect himself. Unlike willing submission however, this will not destroy his reputation.

Because of the major social risks involved, the majority of citizen men who wish to engage in homosexual acts typically use slaves or non-citizens to accomplish this. It should be added however that the men in question are only held in esteem so long as they act in no manner deemed exposing a lack of self-control, or exposing a complete lack of interest in women. In the former case, men are simply looked down upon as being ineffectual, whilst in the latter, they are deemed strange and again ineffectual, as lack of any attraction to women makes family-building impossible.

For women, it is much safer and without issue. It is not accepted that two women can actually engage in sex, only sexual acts, which essentially negates any perception of dominance and submission. Therefore, whilst men who occupy the female position in sex with a man are looked down upon and scorned, it isn't possible for a woman to occupy the male position naturally.

Bisexuality therefore, given the accepted social attraction to both men and women for either sex, but with high emphasis on self-restraint and mindfulness towards the duty of family and monogamy, is not recognised as its own classification in Ephyra. Transgenderism and transsexualism simply are rejected outright. Ephyral believe in non-masculine men, and non-feminine women, but the idea of being able to swap genders or sex, either through biological fact or by choice, is simply insane. There is also no accepted gender-sex association outside of male and female. Typically, anyone claiming to be something they're clearly not is regarded as mentally disturbed.

So in a hypothetical situation, if two men migrated to Ephyra, and were engaged in a homosexual relationship, and they both acquired citizenship, the standing of one or even both of them (depending on if they switch roles) could be outright destroyed by their activities, as well as being shunned for having no mindfulness towards the concept of heterosexual monogamous familial construction.