| − | Pederasty was permitted, but had to be practiced through a refined courtship marked by self-control and dignity. Laws protected youths from the sexual aggression of adult males. Laws also stripped adult males who lost their self-control and sold their bodies to the sexual and psychological dominance of other adult males. Though ancient Athens permitted limited forms of pederasty, restrictions on male prostitution reveal a deep-seated fear that if not checked, homosexuality could corrupt its citizenry and subvert the polis. <ref name="Acceptance through Restriction: Male Homosexuality in Ancient Athens"/> | + | Pederasty was permitted, but had to be practiced through a refined courtship marked by self-control and dignity. Laws protected youths from the sexual aggression of adult males. Laws also stripped adult males who lost their self-control and sold their bodies to the sexual and psychological dominance of other adult males. Though ancient Athens permitted limited forms of pederasty, restrictions on male prostitution reveal a deep-seated fear that if not checked, homosexuality could corrupt its citizenry and subvert the polis.<ref name="Acceptance through Restriction: Male Homosexuality in Ancient Athens"/> |