Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I reckon it's fair to assume that the existance of gay space marines is extremely likely.

If you think about it, they don't have women among their kind, they are much bigger than any human female, and normally human females aren't around in their fleets.

Now, the Space Marines weren't created and trained to reproduce and have sexual intercourse. I don't even know if they have male genitals. But they were born humans, and human instincts never disappear completely: they are not devoid of emotions and those always resurface. Besides, it's been proven that testosterone and adrenaline (two hormones which are prevalent in the Space Marine biology) are interconnected with sexual drive. I think it's fair to assume that it's common among Space Marines to have instinctive sexual drive and desire for affection which would then translate in romantic emotional, physical or even sexual (assuming they have genitals) relations with their brothers in arms. I'm thinking it'd be similar to how ancient greek soldiers sometimes slept with each other.

"They shall be my finest warriors, these men who give of themselves to me. Like clay I shall mould them, and in the furnace of war forge them. They will be of iron will and steely muscle. In great armour shall I clad them and with the mightiest guns will they be armed. They will be untouched by plague or disease, no sickness will blight them. They will have tactics, strategies and machines so that no foe can best them in battle. They are my bulwark against the Terror. They are the Defenders of Humanity. They are my Space Marines and they shall know no sexual arousal" (common quote, slightly adapted by me).

Bluebeard wrote:
I reckon it's fair to assume that the existance of gay space marines is extremely likely.

If you think about it, they don't have women among their kind, they are much bigger than any human female, and normally human females aren't around in their fleets.

Now, the Space Marines weren't created and trained to reproduce and have sexual intercourse. I don't even know if they have male genitals. But they were born humans, and human instincts never disappear completely: they are not devoid of emotions and those always resurface. Besides, it's been proven that testosterone and adrenaline (two hormones which are prevalent in the Space Marine biology) are interconnected with sexual drive. I think it's fair to assume that it's common among Space Marines to have instinctive sexual drive and desire for affection which would then translate in romantic emotional, physical or even sexual (assuming they have genitals) relations with their brothers in arms. I'm thinking it'd be similar to how ancient greek soldiers sometimes slept with each other.

You do realise that there are literally THOUSANDS of women in a space marine ship or in their world PDF ? The Imperium doesn't discriminate it's servants based on gender

Their mental conditioning is supposed to suppress any emotions that might prove to be problematic in the field, primarily fear. I'm pretty sure sexual emotions are suppressed too.

Space Marines have very tight bonds with each other as brothers, but not that tight that they would go gay for each other

 General Annoyance wrote:
Their mental conditioning is supposed to suppress any emotions that might prove to be problematic in the field, primarily fear. I'm pretty sure sexual emotions are suppressed too.

Space Marines have very tight bonds with each other as brothers, but not that tight that they would go gay for each other

Alternatively:

They're patterned after Greek and Roman soldiers.

That's particularly worrisome (the Greek bit; the Roman bit, not so much) when it comes to the sexual proclivities of the space marines.

My assumption is that English prudishness won out, and they simply don't have genitals.

That's what helps me sleep at night.

Bluebeard wrote:
If you think about it, they don't have women among their kind...

What a ludicrously nonsensical argument.

You don't get female sumo wrestlers either. That doesn't make the male sumo wrestlers gay.

I prefer that they simply don't think about sex - they are inhuman and at most they might vaguely recall such drives - like fear.

They may have cultures that promote or prosecute hetro or homosexual relationships - the Imperium will have both, but they are Asartes now -sex is nothing to them.

The sexual attractiveness of a given member of the human race will be something they would not be immediately aware of, they might understand the asthetics of a given humans form, as they would a statue or piece of artficer armour but the nuances of sensuality and sexuaility will be a strange "human" thing.

Unless they turn to Slaanesh

Or are Space Wolves.

The ancient Romans, Greeks and other cultures did not have the same definitions of sexulaity we do. In particular in Rome, you could have sex with men, women, whatever - as a man it was only if you took the "womans role" that you could get flack - and even then some of the most powerful and prominent Romans did not give a crap.

Sulla slaughtered his way through to supreme power, had 5 mariages and children but also ended his days declaring his love for an ageing female impersonator.
Julius Ceasar was described as “He is every woman’s man and every man’s woman.” ....

Life and sex is complicated.

There mentaly harderend and trained to put aside all but is needed for peak combat efficiency.

Your thinking of the close Greek and Spartan warrior traditions.
Brotherhood is extremely close, but they have very little "human" left to the point they are basically a new race due to extreme conditioning.

Romans had the Legions and organisation influences. And the story is somewhat like Ceaser era in places.

But gay...
I know of nothing confirming that.

 Lord Damocles wrote:

Bluebeard wrote:
If you think about it, they don't have women among their kind...

What a ludicrously nonsensical argument.

You don't get female sumo wrestlers either. That doesn't make the male sumo wrestlers gay.

Except Sumo wrestlers are not a different species and don't spend 99% of their time in company of other Sumo wrestlers

We did have fluff in the 5th edition codex of a Wolf Lord making a pass at a woman, which implies Astartes have nothing stopping them from being attracted to women.

I generally view the Astartes as warrior monks or holy knights akin to the Templars and Hospitallers and don't consider oaths of abstinence an unusual thing for them, especially when one of your enemies is a God of excess.

Jefffar wrote:
We did have fluff in the 5th edition codex of a Wolf Lord making a pass at a woman, which implies Astartes have nothing stopping them from being attracted to women.

I generally view the Astartes as warrior monks or holy knights akin to the Templars and Hospitallers and don't consider oaths of abstinence an unusual thing for them, especially when one of your enemies is a God of excess.

Space wolves are just the exception to every rule.
Bar maybe female space marines!

No.