Intimate Gay Behavior
Question:
B'kavod Ha'Rav,
I have seen discussion regarding gay Jewish people where the claim is made that chazal did not prohibit any part of a gay "lifestyle" other than the actual act of bi'ah (please excuse my impolite language but I am trying to avoid confusion). I would like to understand if this is true, if so why it was not discussed, and if it is therefore correct to say that any behavior connected with a gay lifestyle that is not bi'ah (for example chibbuk v'nishuk) is therefore permitted by chazal and was perhaps only forbidden later on.
respectfully,
Answer:
Any form of intimate gay behavior is prohibited. This would fall under the prohibition of causing one's self to have improper thoughts, arousing one's self to erection, and wasting seed. In addition this activity is arousing one's yetzer hara, which in it of itself is prohibited, as it puts one in a position to violate more severe transgressions.
In fact an entire Siman in SHulchan Aruch is dedicated to this topic, Even Haezer Siman 24. Based on the Gemara at the end of Kiddushin Shulchan Aruch rules that there is no prohibition of Yichud [seclusion] with another man. However the Shulchan Aruch continues that in his times [and all the more so our's] where this sin is widespread, one should in fact refrain from even Yichud with another man! See the commentaries there. All the more so would any intimacy be strictly prohibited or anything that may lead to intimacy.
Sources:
There are numerous sources in Chazal which refer to the above prohibitions and the importance of kedusha with regards to arayos, a few of them are: Avoda Zara 20a-b, Niddah 13a-b, Sanhedrin45a, Brachos 12b.
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