Just to educate, Romans didn't have an issue with homosexuality as long as there was a clear power dynamic. A Roman man could have sex with a younger, lower status person and he would be looked at as virile. The boy would also not face backlash. However as they grow into adults, the "bottom" would be looked at as a woman or unmanly.
Caesar was mocked as the queen of Bithynia due to a gay rumor between Caesar and the king, but the making fun wasn't because of the gay act, but because Caesar was rumored to be the bottom.
I'm guessing two Gladiators going at it would not be an issue for anyone as they were slaves and prisoners.
Additionally, Gladiators were extremely sought after as male prostitutes to women of wealth.
For like equestrian and ruling class I would say yes. That was the nice thing about being a pleb, you're already looked down on so you can just do whatever the fuck you want really lol
The western Roman empire lasted about a thousand years, right? So I'm guessing they would have gone through many social norms over time and even had different norms depending on geography and class.
Yesterday I watched something about Sacha Baron Cohen (https://youtu.be/a8d-Xj2V4Zg) and a gay kissing scene (recorded live and in front of an unexpecting crowd) and they tried to at least beat him up, I guess they'd have him lynched if they had the possibility. I guess the American, rural crowd isn't ready yet for sweaty men kissing.
There was more context to it than "rural Americans saw men kissing and got angry." He intentially created a situation where the crowd was filled with hateful bigots, they were specifically there because they are homophonic.
I believe his father was fairly ambiguous in the original film. I don't know that he was ever intended to be Maximus' son, but be did have a bond with Lucius, and be was definitely implied to be an old lover and likely a mashing buddy of his mother's.