# Five Famous Women That History Outed as Lesbians



## ejrosetta (Jun 24, 2014)

Everyone loves a rumour, especially surrounding the sexuality of “straight” celebrities (*cough, Kristen Stewart, cough*) and although it's no longer taboo to be gay or bisexual, this has not always been the case.


History is littered with speculation over 	certain famous figures and their sexuality. In order to be gay, even 	30 years ago, involved an incredibly brave and life altering 	declaration. It still does, as we all know, but nowadays we're all 	required to be dignified and polite to each other by law.

 	But you have to feel for our predecessors, in their sexless 	marriages with their clandestine meetings. You have to pity them, 	deeply. Can you imagine not being able to live authentically, out in 	the open?


 	Past generations have been suppressed for years by their peers 	and powers, not permitted to come out and be honest about how they 	wanted to live. They were very simply not allowed to feel the way 	they did, can you imagine how heartbreaking that must have been? We 	have to be grateful for the changes society has made so far, even if 	we have a long way to go.


 	No, being gay isn't a choice, but the choice to live openly is 	one I am glad we now enjoy.


 	Looking back through the sands of time, it's hard to name many 	openly gay women... They just don't seem to exist. But the truth is 	they must have done. Lesbianism isn't something that has just been 	invented over the past 50 years. Attitudes towards it have changed, 	but not the very essence. Truth is, women have been gay/bisexual for 	years. The only difference is that are the first generation that are 	allowed to live openly. (almost) We get to be authentic... lucky us!

But the same cannot be said for those that 	have come before us. And here are a few of my favourite strong women 	of history who have inspired speculation surrounding their 	sexuality. Some are widely recognised as gay, others only rumoured. 	Whispers have swept through the internet after these icons have 	passed on, deliberating over facts and quotes, trying to find an 	answer. But the truth is we'll never know, in some cases. But as 	it's fun to hypothesise, here's my list of rumoured lesbians 	throughout time.


 	Let's start with one we know for sure... 






*1. 	Eleanor Roosevelt*


The infamous American first lady, although 	married, was known to have been permitted a clandestine “Boston 	Marriage” by her straying husband – essentially a permitted 	affair – and chose reporter Lorena “Hick” Hickock


After her death, the speculation 	surrounding the decades-long relationship between these two 	unearthed a series of letters between them. Although most were 	destroyed by the Roosevelt family, the ones that were uncovered 	revealed a tender and indisputably romantic relationship between the 	two women. There are whole books available of the published 	collections. It's undeniable.


 	One reads “I want to put my arms around you & kiss you at 	the corner of your mouth” and another “I can't kiss you, so I 	kiss your _picture_ good night and good morning” and it is 	said that only Hick's sister, Ruby, knew the true content of their 	first years correspondence. Following Hick's death, Ruby decided to 	throw the letters on the fire after reading them, declaring “this 	is nobody's business”. And I say good for her. My twin sister and 	I have a “Clear browser history on death” agreement, and I 	imagine this to be the same sort of gesture.

Eleanor Roosevelt, a strong feminist, was 	the first First Lady to actively engage in political issues and was 	known to have a close group of openly lesbian friends. On 	inauguration day, Roosevelt wore sapphire ring, given to her by 	Hick.

 	In a 1933 letter, Eleanor writes “I want to put my arms around 	you. I ache to hold you close... Your ring is a great comfort to me. 	I look at it and think she does love me, or I wouldn't be wearing 	it.”. Which sort of puts to bed any speculation that end, doesn't 	it?

Before Eleanor, the history books record a 	certain famous Austrian princess whose bisexuality is also fervently 	rumoured...










*2. 	Marie Antoinette*

Arguably the most famous French female 	Royal, “Madame Deficit” endured a life of infamy.


People loved to hate her, blaming her from 	everything from the French Revolution to ruling through the King. 	She is famously misquoted “Let them eat cake!” when, actually, 	she said nothing of the sort. Still, history proves people love to 	hate women born into power, and her reputation doesn't disappoint.


In those days, lesbianism was known as “The German Vice”, and 	the Austrian princess, as she became increasingly unpopular, was 	slandered by the opposition. They accused her aggressively of 	bisexuality and promiscuity, naming her close friends The Princess 	of Lamballe and The Duchess of Polignac as her lovers.


Throughout France, the population was 	convinced of the rumour by the publication of pamphlets picturing 	her in compromising positions with other women. Back then they 	didn't have celebrity magazines, so Royal Gossip was circulated in 	leaflets, usually with a political agenda, and Marie Antoinette was 	a regular feature.


 	And it's understandable how much of France believed the rumours. 	The Queen had fervently remained a virgin for the first seven years 	of her marriage and never addressed publicly the accusations. As is 	the case now, if you didn't deny it, people generally assume it's 	true.
 	Now although we'll never know the answer, it's a sad thought. As 	Queen of a country, you'd be watched at every turn, and even in 	modern times, a member of the Royal Family probably simply wouldn't 	be allowed to be gay. I can't imagine how it must feel to not be 	able to be your true self, just because of who you were born.


 	Luckily, me and my twin sister being gay 	is a favourite social topic of my mothers... she finds it 	fashionable and boasts at dinner parties about it. How very modern 	and interesting it makes her. She's thrilled! And for that, I count 	myself very, very blessed.


 	But some parents aren't so keen, and I 	imagine the mother of the Queen of France (a Royal herself) wouldn't 	have found it quite so thrilling. But moving swiftly onwards, here's 	a name that most have heard bounced around the lesbian rumour 	mill...






*3. 	Virginia Woolf

*

 	Ms Woolf was every angst-ridden teenage girl's hero when I was 	growing up. If you owned a pair of black cords, a Cranberries CD and 	any novel by Woolf, you were in. Well, not “in” actually. But I 	probably liked you.


 	Virginia Woolf met fellow writer Vita Sackville-West in the early 	1922, and the women began a romantic affair that lasted for a number 	of years. Now I realise you can prove pretty much anything with the 	internet nowadays, and also disprove it, but Virginia Woolf's 	bisexuality is almost impossible to argue with.


 	Vita and her husband were both bisexual, and had an open 	marriage, and once Virginia's own husband gave his blessing to the 	affair, the two woman began a relationship. This remained secret, 	but not because they were ashamed. Virginia's publisher, Bloomsbury, 	held a strong opinion against lesbianism, and so their secrecy can 	be attributed to Virginia's passion for her career and her writing. 	But although they kept their tryst on a strictly “need to know” 	basis, history has proven the affair without doubt.


 	In a letter from Virginia to Vita (Current day celebrity couple 	name...Virgita?) she described coming out to her sister Nessa -


_“I told Nessa the story of our passion in a chemists shop 	the other day. ‘But do you really like going to bed with women’ 	she said – taking her change. ‘And how’d you do it?’ and so 	she bought her pills to take abroad, talking as loud as a parrot.”

_

 	And in another letter between the two, this excerpt -


_“Look here Vita — throw over your man, and we’ll go to 	Hampton Court and dine on the river together and walk in the garden 	in the moonlight and come home late and have a bottle of wine and 	get tipsy, and I’ll tell you all the things I have in my head, 	millions, myriads — They won’t stir by day, only by dark on the 	river. Think of that. Throw over your man, I say, and come.”

_

 	In fact, a quick google search will pull up indisputable proof. 	But as there has never been a documented confession from the 	literary icon, it remains a romantic rumour along with the rest.


 	Speaking of romantic rumours, here's one of the most 	controversial examples of potentially lesbian behaviour by a famous 	icon...





*4. 	Marilyn Monroe

*

 	OK, please don't shout at me/sue me. As possibly the most famous 	sex icon in history, it's inevitable that someone would suggest that 	Ms Monroe experienced both sides of the proverbial coin. With whole 	pockets of the internet dedicated to this debate, and handfuls of 	people set on proving it, Marilyn makes my list on a strictly 	speculative basis. Its also a good excuse to look at pictures of her 	on Google.


 	Marilyn Monroe _(pictured with Jane Russell)_ has been 	rumoured 	to have had sexual encounters with many of history's more famous 	actresses, including Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Crawford, Barbara 	Stanwick, Marlene Dietrich and many more. Betty Grable reported that 	Monroe would pursue her, and is quoted as finding her attention 	“sometimes scary”. The same story is told by Judy Garland, who 	apparently claimed Marilyn had propositioned her on many occsions. 	Which answers the question “If you could be any woman in history, 	who would you be?”. My answer would definitely be any woman that 	Marilyn Monroe hit on. And I'd be very easily persuaded.


 	For those of you that haven't had the time to obsessively stalk 	Marilyn Monroe on the internet, she was well known for her crippling 	insecurities and the most convincing piece of information I have 	seen to prove her bisexuality would be a book written by actress 	Jane Lawrence - “My 	Little Secret” - which alleges her sexual relationship with 	Marilyn Monroe. Of course, it can be argued that these are all lies 	to sell books, but they're pretty descriptive and enjoyable lies. 	Here's my favourite excerpt...


 	Lawrence claims that one evening, Ms Monroe suddenly kissed her 	on her thigh, with a 'mischievous twinkle in her eye'.


 	“...The next few minutes became hazy, surreal and dream-like. 	My pulse leaped as Marilyn kissed my thigh again... she then leaned 	in and kissed me full on the lips, very softly and very slowly. I 	was nearly hyperventilating.”


 	“We moved through the living room into the bedroom,” the 	story continues.


 	“Marilyn used her tongue, lavishly flicking and licking, an 	entirely new sensation for me. With the girls I had enjoyed sex 	with, there was often a shyness and hesitancy, not the hunger and 	confidence Marilyn displayed.”


 	I'll give you a minute to re-read that.
....

 	…...


 	OK, moving on. There is also testimony from Jean Negulesco, 	director of the Monroe film _How To Marry A Millionaire.

_

 	‘She told me once she had never had an orgasm with a man in her 	entire life,’ he said. Notably adding “with a man”.


 	Then there's Natasha Lytess, her acting coach. Marilyn was 	famously very close with Lytess, and the rumour of their affair was 	enthusiastically circulated once she moved into Lytess's apartment 	in 1950.


 	Anyway, there are hundreds of stories like this, which are 	possibly fictional but I, personally, am hoping they're true. And if 	you need any more proof, go look it up yourself. What am I, an 	article writer or something?


 	Last on the list, the least credible and my personal favourite 	possible lesbian from history.





*5. 	Florence Nightingale

*

 	Florence Nightingale grew up at Embley Park, a manor house in 	Romsey, Hampshire which was later converted in to a school. The 	school which I attended.


 	So you can imagine the amount of time I spent learning about Ms 	Nightingale's life, family and her incredible devotion to nursing 	and selfless care for others. However, alongside the ghost stories 	(it's a boarding school) that we used to tell each other about her 	past patients haunting the halls, there was also a strong belief 	that Florence Nightingale lived and died a secret lesbian.


 	Now, let me be very clear – Florence Nightingale was deeply 	religious and took a vow of celibacy which lasted her whole life. I 	am not suggesting that this woman engaged in lesbian activity (my 	favourite kind of activity)... only that there is evidence that, had 	she not committed herself to God, she may have preferred the company 	of women. And who can blame her? Plus, remember, you don't have to 	have sex to be gay... but it probably helps.


 	As the story goes, Florence was very close to her aunt, with 	Florence describing their relationship as “Like two lovers”. OK, 	so let's ignore the obvious incest vibe, for arguments sake. We all 	know that back then, it was common to marry a cousin and so I guess 	they looked at things a little differently. Although her aunt 	married, she returned to Embley Park when Florence became an invalid 	later in life to nurse her, leaving her own husband and children 	behind.


 	Earlier in life, Florence also wrote of her cousin -


 	“I have never loved but one person with with passion in my 	life, and that was her...”


 	And then there's her own memoir, in which she wrote -


 	"I have lived and slept in the same beds with English 	Countesses and Prussian farm women. No woman has excited passions 	among women more than I have".


 	Which sort of paints her as the alpha-lesbian of her time.


 	The truth, however, can never be certain. In her Victorian era, 	it would have been unheard of for her to live her life as a gay 	woman, and so I suppose it is believed this is why she chose a life 	of celibacy, refusing four marriage proposals. I think it's tragic 	almost, that one of the most remarkable and progressive women of 	history was denied the happiness and freedom of living openly. If 	ever I decided anything growing up at Embley Park, in the home of 	the “Lady of the Lamp”, it was to count myself lucky that I get 	to be who I am. Openly. Especially since her accomplishments were 	vast and incredibly noble, whereas the most I've achieved so far to 	help mankind is promising to stop posting daily pictures of my cat 	on Facebook.


 	*********


 	Finally, the stigma around lesbianism/bisexuality is fading into 	history, as this generation fights tooth and (neatly trimmed) nail 	to banish homophobia for good. We may be the last generation in 	history to have to suffer through it, as “Gay/Lesbian” becomes 	as important to equal rights as being black, or a woman. As in, it's 	not even relevant who/what you are, how you feel or choose to live 	your life. All human beings are equal.


 	Future generations are predicted to not even blink an eye when 	confronted with the question of ones sexuality. It will become just 	another fact about a person, a part of the building blocks that 	makes them uniquely and deliciously them. Homophobia will be a story 	of history, like “Did you know that our ancestors once made black 	people sit at the back of buses?”. Our story will be “Can you 	believe it, at one time you weren't allowed to get married if you 	were the same sex?! How bizarre!”.


 	So as we wave goodbye to prejudice and the closed minds that have 	now (almost) been silenced, it's worth taking a minute to offer a 	respectful nod to the gay women that have come before us. To those 	who weren't allowed to be gay, to those who continued to do so 	regardless, and to those who fought so that lesbians today can live 	openly. With as many cats as we want.


----------



## ejrosetta (Jun 24, 2014)

Now published! - http://www.whensallymetsally.co.uk/...monroe-nightingale-roosevelt-woolf-antoinette


----------



## escorial (Jun 24, 2014)

interesting read


----------



## Gumby (Jun 24, 2014)

I enjoyed the read, ej, very interesting. The tone and down to earth quality was refreshing, I hate being preached to for any purpose and you informed me without beating me over the head. I like. 

Congratulations on being published, too. Awesome!


----------



## Pidgeon84 (Jun 24, 2014)

What a funny little read. I really enjoyed it. Congrats on the publication as well. Well deserved!


----------



## DannyMullen (Jul 6, 2014)

Informative. Thank you for sharing.


----------



## dither (Jul 7, 2014)

How sad that it mattered.


----------



## Shaudawn (Jul 17, 2014)

For one, I can only echo what Gumby wrote: interesting and refreshing.  I greatly appreciated the joyful and celebratory tone, and to combine that with some interesting history that made me pause.  Congratulations on getting published! (suppressing envy... erg... whew! )  You also interlaced the history with personal references, which made me smile.  I love an earthy person.  Keep up the good work.  And thank you for this!


----------

