Plato's Phaedrus, composed around 388 B.C., is a dialogue focusing on love and desire. While it primarily examines the art of rhetoric, Plato and Socrates use examples rooted in love. Meanwhile, Plato's Symposium, written around 370 B.C., delves into the essence of beauty and analyzes men's reactions to male beauty.

Fierstein's Safe Sex is a trilogy of plays that debuted in 1987. These one-act plays address the challenges homosexuals encounter when AIDS becomes a concern in relationships and intimacy.

M. Butterfly (1988), penned by David Hwang, tells the story of a French diplomat who falls for an opera singer. The twist is that the singer is a man masquerading as a woman. Throughout their lengthy relationship, the diplomat insists he never realized his partner was male or that the singer was actually a Chinese spy.

Oscar Wilde's Picture of Dorian Gray, released in 1891, is an early gothic romance that explores homosexual love, causing a scandal among the British public upon its release.