Romans accepted and legalized prostitution, bisexuality, and pederasty. Male promiscuity was considered normal and healthy as long as masculinity was maintained, associated with being the penetrating partner. On the other hand, female chastity was required for respectable women, to ensure the integrity of family bloodlines. These attitudes were replaced by Christian prohibitions on homosexual acts and any sex outside marriage (including with slaves and prostitutes). History professor Faramerz Dabhoiwala cites the Age of Enlightenment-approximately the 18th century-as a major period of transition in the United Kingdom.
During this time, the philosophy of liberalism developed and was popularized, and migration to cities increased opportunities for sex and made enforcement of rules more difficult than in small villages. Sexual misconduct in the Catholic Church (called the ' Whore of Babylon' by some Protestant critics) undermined the credibility of religious authorities, and the rise of urban police forces helped distinguish crime from sin.
Overall, toleration increased for heterosexual sex outside marriage, including prostitution, mistresses, and pre-marital sex.
