March 26, 2009

LBT People In History

"Within the typical secondary school curriculum, homosexuals do not exist. They are 'nonpersons' in the finest Stalinist sense. They have fought no battles, held no offices, explored nowhere, written no literature, built nothing, invented nothing and solved no equations... To the homosexual student, the message has even greater power: No one who has ever felt as you do has done anything worth mentioning". ~Gerald Unks

It is true to say the education system routinely 'heterosexualises' historical figures, in the same way that Hollywood does it's characters i.e. The English Patient. To a confused or closeted teenager, knowing this could make all the difference.

We all need to know that others once felt the way we do and that they didn't allow the prejudice of others to limit or define them, it gives us hope. On that note, here is a short list of lesbian, gay and bisexual people in history.

Some were good, some were bad, no different from any heterosexual persons. If you want more just google 'Famous LGBT People'.

Military Persons
At least 3 English Kings: James I, Edward II & Richard The Lion Hearted
Ernst Röhm, German Nazi leader
As for J. Edgar Hoover, former Director of the FBI, you'll have to draw your own conclusions.

Sports
Martina Navratilova
Justin Fashanu
Try Googling 'Bingham Cup Rugby'...

Actors
James Dean
Sir Ian McKellen
Rock Hudson

Politicians
Eleanor Roosevelt
Harvey Milk
Bayard Rustin

Artists
Andy Warhol
Michelangelo
Frida Kahlo
Robert De Niro Sr.

Musicians
Tchaikovsky
Melissa Ferrick
Janis Ian
Janis Jopplin

Writers, Poets & Playwrights
Virginia Woolf
Tennessee Williams
Hans Christian Andersen
W. H. Auden

And Finally...
At least 2 Popes: Pope Julius III, Pope John XII

4 comments:

  1. Ha, pretty much every great female poet was a lesbian: Rich, Bishop, Woolf... Cheers! This a campaign worth supporting!

    ReplyDelete
  2. People mind your own business. Sex between two consenting aldults is okay as long as its behind closed doors.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Popes?! Wow, surely they would have had to excommunicate themselves...?

    This campaign is definitly worthwhile, yes. Signing. :) x

    ReplyDelete
  4. Homophobia is gay.

    Equal Rights For All!

    ReplyDelete

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