Native Ideas on Sexuality

Egypt was a dominantly heterosexual culture.  Homosexuality was openly recognised, but viewed negatively.  Men who were penetrated by other men were deemed 'backturners' (ḥmjw); which could also mean 'coward,' & which was related to the term by which enemies were named (ḥmjw:l.) in royal decrees; or the more explicit 'fucked-men' (nkkw) (Graves-Brown).

In the Middle Kingdom (c. 2050 - 1700 bce), sexual intimacy between men became a prominent literary theme.  Additionally, some poetry often implies same-sex intimacy, & the term 'friend' (ḫnms[.t]) denoted an intimate same-sex friendship, with or without sexual implications.  A number of Ramesside (19th & 20th dynasties) poems explicitly avoided gendered terms or identities outright (Matić).

Love between women, as a rule in the ancient world, is all but unmentioned.