5 Historically Famous LGBTQ Women That You Didn’t Know About (But Definitely Should)

Originally written on Lesbian Visibility Day 2019 for Sheffield Hallam University’s Library blog.

Sappho: Birth date unknown — Died 630 BC

Sappho was a Greek, lyrical poet who wrote predominantly about her raw emotions, particularly towards women. She spoke openly about her feelings in a contemporary way as she explored her sexuality. Sappho manifests the delicacy of human emotions through her work whilst she writes about heartbreak and physical love. Despite her poems being adored by many, she was also shunned for her sexual preferences and the detail she expressed it in.

Gladys Bentley: 1907–1960

As the roaring twenties were approaching, a new era of acceptance was looming. This gave Gladys Bentley the stage to unapologetically be who she wanted to be. She was a black, lesbian drag king who was widely accepted and went on to become a celebrity not just in the Harlem area, but across America. Her performances radiated confidence and energy, as she explored her sexuality through traits that were deemed as masculine, as well as releasing her African rhythm to the audience. Bentley was the first performer of the era to be so open about her trans identity, so much so in an interview that shocked many at the time, she openly admitted to marrying a white women.

Amrita Sher-Gil: 1913–1941

Amrita Sher-Gil, also known as the Indian Frida Kahlo, explored the sadness of the daily lives of Indian women in the 1930’s, by depicting them looking solemn in her paintings, despite the vibrancy of their surroundings. Sher-Gil wanted to manifest the ‘real’ struggling women of India that wasn’t seen in many, or any, paintings made before herself. Sher-Gil’s paintings represent her own battles with oppression and sexuality, as she challenged the prude expectations of Indian women. Sher-Gil was torn between both Western and Eastern origins and translated this through her paintings.

Audre Lorde: 1934–1992

Described herself as “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet,” Audre Laude is an advocate for equality and expressed the same themes throughout all her work. Lorde felt she had a duty to represent the raw injustices that she experienced during her lifetime due to her sexuality, class, gender and race. She was completely devoted to poetry, as the chosen medium to expose these injustices, which has influenced the growth of the equality movements we see today.

Barbara Gittings: 1932–2007

Barbara Gittings was at the front line of the LGBT+ equality movement. Her list of achievements that helped the community is astonishing. In 1950’s American, she found the first national organisation for lesbians: Daughters of Bilitis. She helped retract and change the definition that homosexuality is a mental disorder in the American Psychiatric Association. Gittings is renowned as ‘Mother of the Gay Rights Movement.’ Gittings has previously said that she has a desire to create a bibliography for lesbians whilst she was working in libraries, as she couldn’t find any work that represented how her sexuality has shaped her life.