Chopin’s (Not So Obvious) Queerness Contrasts with His Biographies
Why one of the most brilliant composers of the XIX century was probably gay and no one knew about it
A few years ago, a story broke out in international media about the hidden past of the single most important Polish composer, Frédéric Chopin. The piece was about how Chopin’s homosexuality had been erased from record — or if not completely erased, majorly concealed from the public eye.
It is worth noting that Polish society in general has a complicated acceptance to the existence of LGBTQ+ people, and although some of the bigger cities in Poland have a more open and welcoming approach to our community, up until very recently there were government-stipulated zones free of LGBTQ+ people. It was only this year that the last of these local decisions had been overturned by the judiciary.
So, to say that this is a very complicated society with an inclination to prejudice against us would not be an understatement — although, there were many attested examples of important Polish people with queer lives, from other famous composers to writers, actors and even rulers.
That means claiming that Poland has ever been a country free of us would be a lie.
