Published on: 10/23/2015IST

Homosexual relationships aren't exactly something that surprises people anymore. The fact that more and more people are starting to come to terms with the fact that sexuality is a fluid concept doesn't detract from the fact that our government refuses to accept it, and continues to consider it a criminal act. If couples have to hide even in 2015, what must it have been like a few years ago, when the LGBT community didn't understand their sexuality themselves? The LGBT community owes a lot to the men and women who came before them, knew how society felt about them, and yet, chose to love a member of the same sex openly.

In honour of LGBT history month, we've compiled a list of some of the most famous lesbians in history.

Sappho

Source: Wordpress

The word “lesbian” is literally derived from the Greek island of Lesbos, where Sappho was born. Her poems spoke of the infatuations and love, both requited and unrequited, she felt for other women.

Queen Christina of Sweden

Source: Wikipedia

The only surviving legitimate child of King Gustav II Adolph, she succeeded the throne at the age of six, and began ruling at 18. Given the kind of education that only princes were provided at her time, Queen Christina rejected the role of a woman, which was simply to provide an heir, by announcing that she did not intend to marry, and then went further on to abdicate her throne in 1654. Modern biographers generally consider her to have been a lesbian, with many affairs with women noted during her life. Sources have found passionate letters to Ebba Sparre, and she was supposed to have had relationships with Gabrielle de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Rachel, a niece of Diego Teixeira and the singer Angelina Giorgino.

Jane Addams

Source: Pinterest

One of the pioneers of the women's suffrage movement, Addams helped to turn America to women's issues, along with the needs of children, public health, and world peace. She co-founded Hull House in 1889 with her first romantic partner Ellen Gates Starr. Addams was later in a relationship with Mary Rozet Smith, who was financially sound, and supported Addams's work at Hull House. Addams' work wasn't limited to Hull House, and she set up the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom in 1915, was co-founder of the ACLU in 1920, and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931.

Rita Mae Brown

Source: Npr

Best known for her first novel, Rubyfruit Jungle, Rita Mae Brown is a American writer and activist. Published in 1973, Rubyfruit Jungle had lesbian themes and was quite explicit, something that was unusual for its time. She was part of the National Organization for Women, but resigned in 1970 over the organization's attempts at distancing itself from lesbian organizations.

Gladys Bentley

Source: Queermusicheritage

Popularly known as a blues singer during the Harlem Renaissance, Bentley became famous performing at Harry Hansberry's Clam House, one of New York's most notorious gay speakeasies. She performed openly as a lesbian cross dressing performer, and even headlined at Harlem's Ubangi Club, where her backup was a chorus line of drag queens. Bentley has spoken about her first marriage, which she claims was to a white woman in New York.

Barbara Gittings

Source: LGBT50

One of the most fearless activists the LGBT community has known, Gittings served as the President of the New York chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, picketed the White House in the 1960s to let the world know how easily homosexuals could be fired simply on the basis of their sexual orientation.

Audre Lorde

Source: Flavorwire

Lorde described herself as a “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet,” and was known for her activist work with Afro-German women in the 1980s. Her literary work was both applauded and criticised, because it revolved around themes of social liberalism and sexuality, and focused on revolution and change.

Patricia Highsmith

Source: Wordpress

Readers know of the upcoming film Carol, starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, which details the life of a photographer and her relationship with an older married woman. The film is based on the novel The Price of Salt, written by Patricia Highsmith, whose works also include Strangers on a Train, and The Talented Mr. Ripley.

Barbara Jordan

Source: Houstonmatters

Barbara Jordan was a prolific name when it came to the Civil Rights Movement. She was a Democrat, and was the first African American to be elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction, the first southern black female to be elected to the United States House of Representatives, and the first African-American woman to deliver the keynote address at a Democratic National Convention. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and was a member of the Peabody Awards Board of Jurors from 1978 to 1980. She never came out publicly, but her relationship with Nancy Earl was quite well documented.

Willa Cather

Source: Afterimagegallery

Although Cather's sexuality is still debated upon by critics, her relationships with Isabelle McClung and Edith Lewis are quite well known. Her writing too, explored gender dynamics, with Tommy, the Unsentimental being touted as one of her works that “demonstrate the speciousness of rigid gender roles and give favorable treatment to characters who undermine conventions.”

Virginia Woolf

Source: Wikipedia

One of the prominent modernists and feminists of the 20th century, Woolf had a passionate relationship with Vita Sackville-West. This relationship inspired one of Woolf's most famous novels, Orlando, featuring the life of a poet who changes sex from man to woman over centuries, meeting the key figures of English literary history.

Josephine Baker

Source: Jawbreaker

An American-born French dancer, singer, and actor, Baker was known by many monikers, such as the “Black Pearl,” “Bronze Venus,” and “Creole Goddess.” She was the first black woman to star in a major film, Zouzou, and notably refused to perform for segregated audiences in the United States. She married four times, and her adopted son Jean-Claude Baker describes his mother as a bisexual, and recalled his mother as having many “lady lovers.”

Frida Kahlo

Source: Wordpress

Much has been written about Kahlo, with her works being celebrated by feminists for its depiction of the female experience and form. Her marriage with Diego Rivera was troubled, and the bisexual Kahlo had several extramarital affairs, which aparently included Josephine Baker, and Georgia O'Keeffe.

Billie Jean King

Source: Wholeheartedleaders

Billie Jean King is an American former World No. 1 professional tennis player. She was the first prominent female athlete to reveal her sexuality, when details of her affair with her secretary, Marilyn Barnett, was made public.

Amrita Sher-Gill

Source: Mid-day

Often known as India's Frida Kahlo, Amrita Sher-Gill is one of India's most eminent artists, with her legacy being at par with the Masters of Bengal Renaissance. Her affairs with men and women were quite well known, with her using some of them as models for her work. In fact, her work Two Women is considered to be a painting of herself with her lover Marie Louise.

10/23/2015 | | Permalink