Tobias Gurl highlights five fascinating (mostly) men profiled on The Queer-A-Day Project.
April’s list begins with an appropriately gloomy artist: Edward St. John Gorey, whose picture books sported a grim Victorian/Edwardian ink style for their tales of comical horror. In his personal life Gorey was reportedly quite a cheerful fellow who enjoyed the companionship of several cats, and whose asexuality earns him a page on Queer-A-Day.
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The name John Radclyffe Hall should ring a bell for aficionados of lesbian literature, though he’s better known without the ‘John’ in front. His novel The Well of Loneliness earned him an obscenity trial and literary immortality.
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P. L. Travers has been in the news quite a bit recently due to the release of Saving Mr. Banks, a Disney movie about the film adaptation of Mary Poppins. In real life Travers was not the lonely woman portrayed on screen: she had relationships with both men and women and adopted a son.
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Sir Francis Bacon is the only fellow on this list to have lived before the 19th century, and his accomplishments are staggering. His work in law and philosophy formed the bases of the Napoleonic Code and Empiricism, respectively, and his published works fill and entire Wikipedia page. His sexuality is still a matter of some debate, but his affection for his serving boys was noticeable enough for one rival to pen a rude poem on the subject.
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And last, but (he would no doubt insist) not least, José Sarria (also known as Her Royal Majesty, Empress of San Francisco, José I, The Widow Norton)! He was a San Francisco drag queen, singer, activist, and politician, who had the fortitude to become the first openly gay person to run for public office in the United States. His creative anti-police brutality tactics helped pave the way for San Francisco’s status as an LGBT safe zone.
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Tune in next month for more queer history highlights, or just follow the blog for regular updates.
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Art Credit: Claire Quigley
Also by Tobias: