
While some are doing their best to hate and erase LGBTQ folks from human history, Iām doing my best to celebrate and spotlight our collective contributions, pioneers, and stories.
The montage above and list below include a few of my favorites.
Thanks for watching!
Clint
WEāRE QUEER. WEāRE HERE.
WEāVE BEEN MAKING HISTORY, DEAR.
HEROES + PIONEERS
Aubrey Beardsley (1872ā1898) English illustrator and author, known for his decadent art and illustrations in Salome.
Claude Phillips (1846ā1924) British art historian and museum curator.
Daniel Defert (1937ā2022) French sociologist and AIDS activist, founder of AIDES.
David Bowie (1947ā2016) British singer, songwriter, and actor, known for his alter ego Ziggy Stardust.
David Grainger Whitney (1939ā2005) American curator, editor, and partner of architect Philip Johnson.
Frederic Leighton (1830ā1896) British painter and sculptor, associated with the Victorian era.
Glenn Ligon (1960ā) American conceptual artist, known for his works addressing race and sexuality.
Glenway Wescott (1901ā1987) American novelist and essayist.
Glyn Philpot (1884ā1937) British painter and sculptor, known for his portraits and religious works, many featuring LGBTQ themes.
Hadrian (76ā138) Roman Emperor, known for building Hadrian's Wall and his relationship with Antinous.
Halston (1932ā1990) American fashion designer, renowned in the 1970s for his minimalist designs.
Henry "Chips" Channon (1897ā1958) British-American politician and diarist, known for his controversial diaries.
Henry Gerber (1892ā1972) German-American LGBT rights activist, founder of the Society for Human Rights in the U.S.
Henry Scott Tuke (1858ā1929) British painter and photographer, known for his depictions of male nudes and maritime themes.
Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener (1850ā1916) British field marshal, known for his role in the British Empireās military campaigns.
Ian McKellen (1939ā ) British actor, known for roles in Lord of the Rings and LGBTQ activism.
Ismail Merchant (1936ā2005) Indian film producer, best known for his partnership with James Ivory and their films like A Room with a View.
J. C. Leyendecker (1874ā1951) American illustrator, known for his iconic Arrow Collar Man and depictions of masculinity.
J. M. Barrie (1860ā1937) Scottish author and playwright, creator of Peter Pan.
J. R. Ackerley (1896ā1967) British writer and editor, known for his memoirs and involvement in LGBT literature.
Jack Halberstam (1961ā) American academic and author, known for work on gender studies, queer theory, and visual culture.
James Baldwin (1924ā1987) American writer, known for his essays, novels, and activism on race, sexuality, and social issues.
James Beard (1903ā1985) American chef and food writer, considered one of the pioneers of modern American cuisine.
James Buchanan (1791ā1868) 15th President of the United States, often regarded as one of the worst due to his failure to avert Civil War.
James Dean (1931ā1955) American actor, cultural icon of teenage disillusionment, starred in Rebel Without a Cause.
James VI and I (1566ā1625) King of Scotland as James VI and King of England and Ireland as James I, known for commissioning the King James Bible.
James Whale (1889ā1957) English film director, known for his work on Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein.
Jim Fall (1962ā) American film director, known for Trick and The Lizzie McGuire Movie.
Jimmie Daniels (1908ā1984) American cabaret singer and gay cultural icon during the Harlem Renaissance.
Jody Dobrowski (1981ā2005) British man who was murdered in an anti-gay hate crime in London, sparking increased hate crime legislation.
Joe Orton (1933ā1967) English playwright and author, known for his dark comedies and satirical plays.
Joel Schumacher (1939ā2020) American filmmaker, known for directing The Lost Boys and Batman Forever.
John August (1970ā) American screenwriter, known for writing Go, Big Fish, and Charlieās Angels.
John Beresford Fowler (1906ā1977) English interior designer, famous for his refined taste and work with Colefax & Fowler.
John Cage (1912ā1992) American composer and music theorist, known for his avant-garde and experimental compositions.
John Cameron Mitchell (1963ā ) American actor and filmmaker, known for Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
John Church (1780ā1835) British preacher, claimed by some as the first openly āgayā ordained Christian minister in England.
John Gielgud (1904ā2000) English actor and director, one of the trinity of great 20th-century Shakespearean actors.
John Henry Newman (1801ā1890) English theologian and cardinal, canonized in 2019.
John Koch (1909ā1978) American painter known for his depictions of fashionable social settings and the New York art world.
John Maynard Keynes (1883ā1946) British economist, revolutionized economic theory with his ideas on government intervention in economies.
John Schlesinger (1926ā2003) British filmmaker, known for Midnight Cowboy and Sunday Bloody Sunday.
Karl Lagerfeld (1933ā2019) German fashion designer, artist, and photographer known for his work with Chanel and Fendi.
Keith Vaughan (1912ā1977) British painter, associated with neo-romanticism, known for his male figure paintings.
Kenneth Anger (1927ā2023) American underground filmmaker, known for Scorpio Rising and Hollywood Babylon.
Kenneth Ray Stubbs (1947ā ) American author and tantra expert, known for his work on sexuality.
Kevyn Aucoin (1962ā2002) American makeup artist, known for his work with celebrities and supermodels.
Konstantinos Kavafis (1863ā1933) Greek poet, known for his modernist and homoerotic themes.
Larry Kramer (1935ā2020) American playwright and LGBTQ activist, known for founding ACT UP.
Larry Rivers (1923ā2002) American artist, known for blending abstract expressionism with pop art.
Leonard Bernstein (1918ā1990) American conductor, composer, and pianist, known for West Side Story.
Leonard Matlovich (1943ā1988) U.S. Air Force Sergeant, known for challenging the military's ban on LGBTQ service.
Leonardo da Vinci (1452ā1519) Italian polymath, known for masterpieces like Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.
Lord Ivar Mountbatten (1963ā ) British aristocrat, the first openly gay member of the British royal family.
Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889ā1951) Austrian philosopher, key figure in analytic philosophy.
Marsden Hartley (1877ā1943) American modernist painter, known for his bold use of color and form.
Martin Kippenberger (1953ā1997) German artist, known for his provocative and satirical works.
Matthew Shepard (1976ā1998) American student whose murder became a pivotal moment in LGBTQ hate crime legislation.
Merce Cunningham (1919ā2009) American choreographer, known for his experimental approach to modern dance.
Michael Dillon (1915ā1962) British physician and author, the first trans man to undergo phalloplasty.
Michael Llewelyn Davies (1900ā1921) One of the Llewelyn Davies boys, who inspired J. M. Barrieās Peter Pan.
Michael Musto (1955ā) American journalist and author, known for his gossip column in The Village Voice.
Michael Patrick King (1954ā) American writer, director, and producer, best known for his work on Sex and the City.
Michael Sam (1990ā) American football player, first openly gay player to be drafted into the NFL.
Michael Stipe (1960ā) American singer, songwriter, and frontman of the band R.E.M., known for his distinctive voice and activism.
Michel de Montaigne (1533ā1592) French Renaissance philosopher and writer, known for popularizing the essay as a literary form.
Michelangelo (1475ā1564) Italian Renaissance sculptor, painter, and architect, known for masterpieces like the Sistine Chapel and David.
Mike White (1970ā) American writer, actor, and director, known for School of Rock and The White Lotus.
Minor White (1908ā1976) American photographer and critic, noted for his black-and-white images and work in spiritual expression.
Montgomery Clift (1920ā1966) American actor, known for his roles in A Place in the Sun and From Here to Eternity.
Murray Bartlett (1971ā ) Australian actor, known for his roles in Looking, The White Lotus, and The Last of Us.
Mwanga II of Buganda (1868ā1903) King of Buganda (Uganda), known for his controversial persecution of Christian converts.
Neil Patrick Harris (1973ā ) American actor, known for his roles in How I Met Your Mother and LGBTQ advocacy.
Oscar Wilde (1854ā1900) Irish poet and playwright, known for The Picture of Dorian Gray and Salome.
Paul Cadmus (1904ā1999) American artist, known for his satirical depictions of the male nude.
Paul Monette (1945ā1995) American poet, novelist, and activist, known for his works on AIDS and LGBTQ themes.
Paul Morrissey (1938ā ) American filmmaker, best known for his collaborations with Andy Warhol.
Pedro Almodóvar (1949ā ) Spanish filmmaker, known for his colorful, melodramatic style.
Pete Townshend (1945ā ) British guitarist and songwriter, a founding member of The Who.
Peter Allen (1944ā1992) Australian singer-songwriter and entertainer, known for songs like I Go to Rio.
Peter Berlin (1942ā ) German-born American artist and gay adult star.
Peter Hujar (1934ā1987) American photographer known for his black-and-white portraits of the NYC art scene.
Peter Tatchell (1952ā) British human rights campaigner, known for LGBTQ activism.
Philip Ahn (1905ā1978) Korean-American actor, known for portraying Master Kan on Kung Fu.
Philip Johnson (1906ā2005) American architect, known for his modernist and postmodernist work.
Philippe I, Duke of OrlĆ©ans (1640ā1701) Brother of Louis XIV, known for his flamboyant personality and military prowess.
Pierre Cardin (1922ā2020) Italian-French fashion designer, known for his futuristic designs and space-age fashion.
Poliziano (1454ā1494) Italian Renaissance scholar and poet, a leading figure in humanist circles.
Prince Azim Of Brunei (1982ā2020) Bruneian royal, known for his philanthropy.
Prince Egon von FuĢrstenberg (1946ā2004) Swiss fashion designer, socialite, and member of European nobility.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840ā1893) Russian composer, known for works like Swan Lake and The Nutcracker.
Quentin Crisp (1908ā1999) English writer, actor, and raconteur, famous for his memoir The Naked Civil Servant.
R. W. Ketton-Cremer (1906ā1969) British biographer and historian, known for his works on 19th-century England.
R.G. Harper Pennington (1854ā1920) American painter known for his portraits and connection to prominent figures in the Gilded Age.
Rainer Werner Fassbinder (1945ā1982) German filmmaker, playwright, and actor, known for his prolific and influential work in New German Cinema.
Ralph Chubb (1892ā1960) English poet, printer, and artist, known for his esoteric and homoerotic works.
Randal Kleiser (1946ā) American film director, best known for directing Grease.
Reginald Brett, 2nd Viscount Esher (1852ā1930) British Liberal politician and royal advisor.
Rob Epstein (1955ā) American director best known for The Times of Harvey Milk.
Robert Bernays (1902ā1945) British Liberal politician, known for his opposition to Nazism.
Robert De Niro Sr. (1922ā1993) American abstract expressionist painter and father of actor Robert De Niro.
Robert Graves (1895ā1985) British poet and novelist, known for I, Claudius.
Robert Indiana (1928ā2018) American artist, famous for the LOVE sculpture.
Robert Opel (1939ā1979) American activist and photographer, best known as the streaker who disrupted the 1974 Oscars.
Robert Rauschenberg (1925ā2008) American painter and graphic artist known for Combines.
Rock Hudson (1925ā1985) American actor, heartthrob, and one of the first major celebrities to die of AIDS.
Roger Casement (1864ā1916) Irish nationalist and British diplomat, known for his work against human rights abuses.
Ronald Wright (Sir Gay) (1929-2020) British artist and model.
Rotimi Fani-Kayode (1955ā1989) Nigerian-born British photographer, known for exploring race and sexuality.
Rudi Gernreich (1922ā1985) Fashion designer, known for avant-garde designs like the monokini.
Rudolf Nureyev (1938ā1993) Russian ballet dancer, considered one of the greatest of the 20th century.
Russell Tovey (1981ā) British actor, known for roles in Being Human and Looking.
Sadao Hasegawa (1945ā1999) Japanese artist, known for his homoerotic art inspired by Eastern and Western traditions.
Salvador Dali (1904ā1989) Spanish surrealist artist, known for his eccentric works such as The Persistence of Memory.
Steve Endean (1948ā1993) American LGBTQ rights activist and founder of the Human Rights Campaign.
Sunil Gupta (1953ā ) British-Indian photographer, known for documenting LGBTQ identity and HIV activism.
Tab Hunter (1931ā2018) American actor and singer, a 1950s heartthrob who came out later in life.
Thomas Mann (1875ā1955) German novelist, best known for Death in Venice.
Tim Cook (1960ā ) CEO of Apple, one of the most influential figures in tech.
Tim Gunn (1953ā ) American fashion consultant, known for Project Runway.
Todd Haynes (1961ā ) American filmmaker known for films like Carol and Velvet Goldmine.
Vincent van Gogh (1853ā1890) Dutch Post-Impressionist painter, known for works like Starry Night and Sunflowers.
Vito Russo (1946ā1990) American LGBTQ activist, author of The Celluloid Closet.
Vivian Forbes (1891ā1937) British painter and poet, closely associated with the artist Glyn Philpot.
W. H. Auden (1907ā1973) British-American poet, known for his stylistic and technical achievement in poetry.
Walt Whitman (1819ā1892) American poet, essayist, and journalist, famous for Leaves of Grass and his contributions to free verse.
Wilhelm von Gloeden (1856ā1931) German photographer, famous for his classical nude photography of young men in Italy.
MUSIC
Howard Harper-Barnes / It's Becoming Clear
Howard Harper-Barnes / Meet Me in the Hills
Howard Harper-Barnes / Subtle Differences
Howard Harper-Barnes / Once in a Life
Howard Harper-Barnes / Brave New World
Howard Harper-Barnes / A New Day Is Here
Howard Harper-Barnes / Moving Emotions
Howard Harper-Barnes / Barksdale Lane
Howard Harper-Barnes / La Danse Timide
Courtesy Of Epidemic Sound
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