Happy LGBTQ+ history month
Happy LGBTQ+ history month!
February is LGBTQ+ history month for the UK, aiming to celebrate influential queer people from around the globe. In July 2020, Scotland became the first country in the world to make LGBTQ+ history a compulsory part of the curriculum, making history themselves! The rest of the UK are yet to follow, meaning a lot of students leave school with a shaky, at best, knowledge of key queer figures from history. So, who are these important historical figures, and why are they relevant today?
Sappho (c.610-c.570 BCE):
The only female ancient Greek author of a surviving literary source, Sappho was a queer poet, famous in modern times for her ‘Fragments’ - small pieces of her poems that have survived, often in coffins. The word ‘lesbian’ even came from Sappho herself, derived from the island Lesbos that she lived on. She was known for gifting violets to her lovers, and this became a secret code amongst queer women in the 19th century. Lesbian scholars would wear violets on their clothes as a discreet signal of their sexuality, and would often gift the flower to women as a way of confessing their love for them. Sappho’s influence has been long-standing within the queer community.
Judy Garland (1922-1969):
A much more modern figure, Judy Garland became a queer icon due to her role as Dorothy in ‘The Wizard of Oz’. As well as Garland being bisexual herself, her role as Dorothy demonstrates her being accepting and welcoming of people who are different to herself. Therefore, she became an icon of the queer community, with gay men using the code phrase “Are you a friend of Dorothy?” in the 20th century as a secret way of enquiring about another man’s sexuality.
Doctor James Barry (1789-1865):
After living his childhood as a female, James Barry transitioned into a man and became a military surgeon, given the rank of ‘Inspector General’ in charge of military hospitals. Barry’s transition was unknown during his life, only revealed after a post-mortem examination. Much speculation sourced about his identity, with historians arguing that he only presented as a man so he could attend medical school, as it was illegal for women to become doctors at this stage of history, and some suggesting that he was intersex (possessing both male and female characteristics, e.g. chromosomes). However, due to the fact he presented as a man in both private and public spheres, we can assume James Barry identified as a transgender man. He saved the lives of many soldiers, making him a very brave and influential historical figure!
Alan Turing (1912-1954):
During World War II, Alan Turing worked as a cryptanalyst at Bletchley Park, constructing ‘The Bombe’, which cracked the German Enigma Code. The cracking of this code allowed the allies to intercept and decode German messages, which cut potentially years off the length of the war, and saved millions of lives. Turing was prosecuted for being gay in 1952, undergoing chemical treatment to ‘cure’ his homosexuality. He died in 1954, with his cause of death being unclear, but potentially being due to suicide. In 2013, Queen Elizabeth II issued a ‘mercy pardon’ on Turing due to his unfair treatment from the government despite his vital contribution to the war effort.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616):
While Shakespeare’s sexuality is obviously unconfirmed, many scholars suspect he is bisexual. As well as his marriage to Anne Hathaway, several of his sonnets, including ‘Sonnet 18’ are love poems addressed to men, which include puns relating to being gay. Several of his fictional characters, such as Iago from Othello, also contain clear subtext relating to repressed homosexuality. While homosexuality was strictly condemned by both religion and the state, a blind eye was often turned, especially when it came to influential, wealthy gentlemen like Shakespeare. His longstanding literary legacy remains extremely significant today, with his works being studied worldwide.
Marsha P Johnson (1945-1992):
Marsha P Johnson was a drag queen, self-identified transvestite (we now utilise the term ‘transgender’ instead) and queer liberation activist. At the Stonewall Uprising at the Stonewall Inn in 1969, a gay bar in New York, Johnson participated in riots against police when the bar was raided. There is speculation that Johnson started the riot, however, she denied this. The uprising was essential in the progression of queer liberation: it encouraged organised and cohesive protests, pro-gay publications, and improved representation in mainstream culture, which eventually led to the legalisation of homosexuality in New York, and other American states where it was still criminalised. Marsha’s legacy lives on after her death, and she is a celebrated figure of the queer liberation movement.
Keith Haring (1958-1990):
Known for his bright, colourful pop art figures, Keith Haring used his art as a means of social activism. He spread awareness of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, being HIV-positive himself. His final art piece was named ‘Unfinished Painting’: the canvas is largely white, with only the upper left corner covered in white and blue lines. It represents the lives cut short by the AIDS crisis, which politicians were actively not funding research for due to homophobic stigma surrounding the disease. Haring died of AIDS-related complications in 1990, remaining influential today.
Many queer figures from the past have a huge impact on our society today, whether we realise it or not – as activists, artists, writers and scientists. Due to still-existing homophobia, LGBTQ+ history remains largely untaught in the British education system, leaving out important figures and events that have changed the way we live our lives today. I hope this article taught you something new!
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sappho
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Barry_(surgeon)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Turing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexuality_of_William_Shakespeare
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsha_P._Johnson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Haring
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unfinished_Painting