Same-sex bonds are viewed as an expression of autonomy and a refusal to have one's body entirely commodified for reproductive labor.
While enslaved people could not legally marry, they developed their own commitment rituals and family cultures. Evidence of male-male and female-female bonds appears in various forms: naked gay sex slaves
Olaudah Equiano’s 18th-century narrative details a close emotional and physical bond with a male shipmate, describing how they "laid in each other's bosoms". Same-sex bonds are viewed as an expression of