This can sometimes be a murky topic, since changing definitions of and attitudes towards sexuality throughout history can make exactly what "gay" means historically confusing, and also sometimes make it difficult to separate fact from fiction. Be it as that may, famous historical figures who are either reputed to be or known to be gay or bi include:Michelangelo
Gertrude Stein
Alice B. Toklas
Oscar Wilde
Alfred, Lord Douglas
A. E. Houseman
Emily Dickinson
Walt Whitman
Joe Orton
Jean Genet
Peter Tchaicovksky
Queen Christina of Sweden
King Edward II of England
King Richard II of England
Roy Cohn
J. Edgar Hoover
Pope Julius II
Lizzie Borden
Socrates
Alcibaides
Sappho
Julius Ceasar
William Shakespeare
Alan Turing
. . . that's all I can think of off the top of my head. Sorry it's a little heavy on the writers, but that's my field of interest.
Obviously, there are hundreds more - heck, in some periods of history, it's harder to find historical figures who *weren't* gay to some degree or another. I'd imagine it's pretty easy to find more with a little research.
--- KR
[This message has been edited by kyraroc (edited March 29, 2002).]
[This message has been edited by kyraroc (edited March 29, 2002).]