
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
Albrecht Becker (1906ā2002) German actor, photographer, and Nazi regime survivor.
Andrew George Scott (Captain Moonlite) (1842ā1880) Irish-Australian bushranger and folk hero.
Barry Shils (N/A) American film producer and director, known for LGBTQ documentaries.
Bayard Rustin (1912ā1987) American civil rights leader and LGBTQ activist, key adviser to Martin Luther King Jr.
Beauford Delaney (1901ā1979) American modernist painter associated with Harlem Renaissance.
Benvenuto Cellini (1500ā1571) Italian sculptor, goldsmith, and author.
Bill Condon (1955āpresent) American director and screenwriter, known for Dreamgirls and Gods and Monsters.
Billy Name (1940ā2016) Photographer and filmmaker, part of Andy Warholās inner circle.
Billy Porter (1969āpresent) American actor, singer, and LGBTQ advocate.
Billy Strayhorn (1915ā1967) American jazz composer, pianist, and collaborator with Duke Ellington.
Boscoe Holder (1921ā2007) Trinidadian dancer, painter, and choreographer.
Boy George (1961āpresent) British singer, songwriter, and fashion icon, lead singer of Culture Club.
Bruce Nugent (1906ā1987) American writer and painter, part of the Harlem Renaissance, openly gay.
Chris Beckett (1955āpresent) British writer and social worker, known for science fiction novels.
Christopher Isherwood (1904ā1986) English-American novelist, known for The Berlin Stories.
Christopher Marlowe (1564ā1593) English playwright and poet, a contemporary of Shakespeare.
Chuck Renslow (1929ā2017) American businessman, publisher, and gay rights activist, co-founder of the Leather Archives & Museum.
Cleve Jones (1954āpresent) American LGBTQ rights activist, creator of the AIDS Memorial Quilt.
Countee Cullen (1903ā1946) American poet, part of the Harlem Renaissance, known for his work on racial identity.
David Geffen (1943āpresent) American business magnate, film producer, and philanthropist, co-founder of DreamWorks.
David Hockney (1937āpresent) English painter, known for his contribution to pop art.
David Hurles (1944ā2023) Photographer known for his work in the gay adult industry.
David McDiarmid (1952ā1995) Australian artist and LGBTQ activist.
David Sedaris (1956āpresent) American humorist, essayist, and radio contributor.
David Wojnarowicz (1954ā1992) American artist and AIDS activist.
Dean DeBlois (1970āpresent) Canadian director, screenwriter, and producer known for How to Train Your Dragon.
Del Shores (1957āpresent) American playwright, director, and producer, known for Sordid Lives.
Dennis Severs (1948ā1999) American-born artist and historical preservationist, creator of Dennis Severs' House in London.
Derek Jarman (1942ā1994) British filmmaker and LGBTQ activist, known for films like Caravaggio and Prosperoās Books.
Dick Leitsch (1935ā2018) American LGBTQ rights activist, known for organizing the Sip-In at Julius' bar in NYC.
Don Bachardy (1934āpresent) American portrait artist, longtime partner of writer Christopher Isherwood.
Donatello (c. 1386ā1466) Italian sculptor of the Renaissance, known for his work in bas-relief and statues like David.
Duncan Grant (1885ā1978) British painter and designer, a member of the Bloomsbury Group.
Dustin Lance Black (1974āpresent) American screenwriter, director, and LGBTQ activist, known for Milk.
E. M. Forster (1879ā1970) English novelist, known for A Passage to India and Maurice.
Eardley Knollys (1902ā1991) British artist and art dealer, associated with the Bloomsbury Group.
Eddie Stevenson (1858-1942) American writer who, under the pseudonym Xavier Mayne, published the early LGBTQ novel Imre: A Memorandum, as well as an the early sexology study The Intersexes.
Gore Vidal (1925ā2012) American writer and intellectual, known for his essays and historical novels.
Gottfried von Cramm (1909ā1976) German tennis champion, also known for his resistance to Nazi rule and support for LGBTQ causes.
Grant Wood (1891ā1942) American painter, known for American Gothic.
Hans Christian Andersen (1805ā1875) Danish author, best known for his fairy tales like The Little Mermaid and The Ugly Duckling.
Hans Heinrich (1934ā2006) Swiss-born American philanthropist and art collector.
Harry Hay (1912ā2002) American LGBTQ rights activist, founder of the Mattachine Society, one of the earliest gay rights organizations.
Harvey Fierstein (1954āpresent) American actor and playwright, known for Torch Song Trilogy and Hairspray.
Harvey Milk (1930ā1978) American politician and LGBTQ rights activist, one of the first openly gay elected officials in the U.S.
Henry Scott Tuke (1858ā1929) British painter and photographer, known for his depictions of male nudes.
Herbert List (1903ā1975) German photographer known for homoerotic images and classical themes.
Holly Johnson (1960āpresent) British artist, musician, and writer, lead singer of Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
Howard Hodgkin (1932ā2017) British painter and printmaker, known for his abstract works.
Hubert "Jay" Stowitts (1892ā1953) American dancer and painter, known for his homoerotic works.
Hubert de Givenchy (1927ā2018) French fashion designer, founder of the Givenchy brand, known for dressing Audrey Hepburn.
Hugh Steers (1962ā1995) American painter known for his works exploring gay identity and AIDS.
John Waters (1946āpresent) American filmmaker, writer, and artist, known for his transgressive cult films.
Jonathan Caouette (1973āpresent) American film director and actor, known for his DIY documentary Tarnation.
Julius Caesar (100ā44 BCE) Roman general, statesman, and pivotal figure in Roman history.
Karl Heinrich Ulrichs (1825ā1895) German lawyer, pioneer of the modern gay rights movement.
Karl Lagerfeld (1933ā2019) German fashion designer and photographer, creative director of Chanel.
Kehinde Wiley (1977āpresent) American portrait painter known for his vibrant depictions of African Americans.
Keith Haring (1958ā1990) American pop artist and social activist, known for graffiti-inspired artwork
Leonardo da Vinci (1452ā1519) Italian Renaissance artist, inventor, and scientist, known for Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.
Marcel Proust (1871ā1922) French novelist, known for In Search of Lost Time.
Socrates (c. 470ā399 BCE) Classical Greek philosopher, founder of Western philosophy, known for the Socratic method.
Stephen Fry (1957āpresent) British comedian, actor, writer, and activist, known for his wit and LGBTQ advocacy.
Stephen Sondheim (1930ā2021) American composer and lyricist, known for his contributions to musical theater, such as Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods.
Tab Hunter (1931ā2018) American actor and singer, 1950s Hollywood heartthrob.
Tennessee Williams (1911ā1983) American playwright, known for A Streetcar Named Desire.
Thom Gunn (1929ā2004) British-American poet known for themes of sexuality and death.
Thomas Eakins (1844ā1916) American realist painter, photographer, and educator.
Wilfred Owen (1893ā1918) English war poet of World War I, known for his poems on the horrors of trench warfare.
Wilhelm Von Gloeden (1856ā1931) German photographer known for nude portraits of Sicilian boys in classical poses.
Will Geer (1902ā1978) American actor and activist, known for his role on The Waltons.
Willem Arondeus (1894ā1943) Dutch artist and anti-Nazi resistance fighter, openly gay.
Willi Ninja (1961ā2006) American dancer and choreographer, prominent figure in the Harlem ballroom scene.
William Haines (1900ā1973) American actor and interior designer, notable for being openly gay in Hollywoodās Golden Age.
MUSIC
Martin Gauffin / Chalets
Martin Gauffin / Small Strokes
Martin Gauffin / & Wishes
Martin Gauffin / Ice Fields
Martin Gauffin / Exit
Courtesy Of Epidemic Sound
MORE FROM COLLIDE PRESS
Bluesky + Ko-Fi + Linktree + Shop
+ Storefront + Threadless + YouTube
I'm a big fan of some of these folks that I knew of, like Mr. Vidal whose acerbic wit compensates for his bleak view of the world, and our lovely artists like Tennessee Williams whose one-act plays are still a hidden gem for most, and Keith Haring. Thanks for this.
Thanks again for the potted bios. I didn't know a good many of these men, most of whom are American.