October is LGBT History Month and chances are you have no idea how deep your gay/bi/trans heritage goes. Guys have been into guys for all time and they have some pretty fascinating stories to show for it.
The free Quist app delivers a daily dose of LGBTQ history to the palm of your hand. Some of the stories include:
- Jack Baker and Mike McConnell attempt to legally marry each other in Minneapolis in 1970, making them considered to be the first same-sex couple to request a marriage license in the U.S, as well as the first to sue for being denied it.
- A 1799 letter to George Washington from the Marquis de Lafayette saying “happy in our union, in the pleasure of living near to you, in the pleasing satisfaction of partaking every sentiment of your heart, every event of your life, I have taken such a habit of being inseparable from you, that I cannot now accustom myself to your absence.”
- Al-Hakam II (915-976) rules in Al-Andalus (now Spain) as an open homosexual. He keeps a male harem, a problem since it is essential for the Caliph to produce an heir. A resolution is reached by having the female concubine and sultana Subh dress in boys’ clothes and use the masculine name of Jafar. They have a son, Hisham II, who succeeds Al-Hakam and who also keeps a male harem.
- Frederick the Great and his presumed lover Hans Hermann von Katte attempt to flee Prussia together in 1730 but are caught.
- Willem Arondeus (pictured top right) was an anti-Nazi activist for the Dutch Resistance who was openly gay while carrying out his heroic acts. His last words when he was about to be executed in 1943 were “Let it be known that homosexuals are not cowards.”
- Mwanga II (1868-1903, pictured bottom right), King of Buganda (now Uganda), keeps a harem of males along with his 16 wives.
- Elagabalus (203-222) was a Roman Emperor who married 5 women and 2 men during his 18-year life. He would wear make-up and wigs, seduce men, and wished to be called “queen” instead of emperor.
There are 1,000 more of these plus a world map with 700 LGBT sites pinned waiting for you in the free Quist app for iOS, Android, and Windows. Download here and learn your heritage:
3 comments on “7 Stories from LGBT History You Never Heard”