The Relationship Between Hadrian and Antinuous

In the classical world, gender roles and sex were not nearly as defined as they are today. It is hard to come right out and say that Hadrian was gay, or that that made him unique among Roman emperors. But there were certain mora's concerning homosexual interactions that he flouted with impunity. His choice of partners, his complete abandonment of women, and above all, his willingness to do everything out in the open bothered the permissive, but subtly so, Roman aristocracy.