Born on September 6, 1926, in Saskatchewan, Canada, George Everett Klippert would move with his family to Calagry at a young age and would be raised in Alberta. He would become a bus driver in Edmonton, remembered as so friendly and kind that people would miss their bus if it meant getting on his instead. Many would be surprised by the turn his life would take. The last man in Canada to be imprisoned for being gay, Everett would change the shape of a nation through simply being openly himself at a time when any trace of queerness opened up the risk of legal punishment.
After enduring a transient childhood and a youth burdened with struggles surrounding both her gender and Māori identities, Georgina Beyer emerged as both a transformative and trailblazing figure in New Zealand’s political and social arenas. She became the world’s first openly transgender mayor, only to follow up that landmark achievement by being elected a Member of Parliament and becoming the world’s first openly transgender person to hold significant public office. Beyer thus broke new ground for trans visibility on an international level, and paved the way for both greater acceptance and wider representation of LGBTQ+ individuals in politics. Her serpentine path towards said life in government included both time spent as a sex worker as well as a tragic act of sexual violence enacted against her, each of which emboldened her with a sense of resilience, courage, and authenticity. Beyer ultimately weaponized her identities and life experiences in a political career marked by an unwavering commitment to advocate for marginalized communities, fight for human rights, and continuously challenge societal norms.
During an era in which Serbia was dominated by war, nationalism, and widespread violence, Dejan Nebrigić emerged as a stubbornly vocal pacifist and is widely considered to be one of the first publicly gay activists in his country. As one of the earliest leaders of the LGBTQ+ movement in Serbia, Nebrigić was able to make significant strides for queer rights during what would come to be a tragically shortened life, including co-founding his nation’s first ever LGBTQ+ organization. In particular, Nebrigić is remembered for boldly initiating the first legal trial in Serbia that centered on homophobic discrimination. This case would ultimately be a leading cause in his untimely demise.
Known as one of the greatest Navajo medicine men, Hosteen Klah was a master weaver and ceremonial singer. As a nádleehi person, he inhabited the societal role of “one who transforms” or “one who is changed”, combining the traditional masculine and feminine traits. His legacy remains in the many weavings he created, the people whose lives he touched, and the museum he helped form in Santa Fe.
Born perhaps a century too soon, Otake Kōkichi was a defiant and free-spirited feminist, author, painter and activist whose life and legacy offer profound insights into the complexities of gender identity and expression in early twentieth-century Japan. During her lifetime, Kōkichi defied societal norms by dressing in masculine attire, openly discussed her love of women, advocated for sex workers and actively rejected any traditions she deemed oppressive, particularly the long-held ideal that Japanese women should exist simply to be “Good Wives, Wise Mothers.” Much of the literature surrounding Kōkichi focuses on her brief same-sex affair with the more well-known writer, Hiratsuka Raichō, but Kōkichi’s entire being was highly radical for her time, and her courage to live authentically during a period marked by rigid gender roles was altogether groundbreaking. The story of Kōkichi thus highlights the rich–but often overlooked–history of gender diversity in a non-Western context. As a rather unique but vital queer figurehead, Otake Kōkichi deserves far more recognition than she has previously been awarded.
Though he lived and worked as an outspoken, openly gay, Cuban-born man, conceptual artist Félix González-Torres never wanted any singular aspect of his life to box him in or define his craft. He didn’t care for being labeled a “gay artist” or “Latino artist,” despite the fact that much of his work incorporated themes and imagery from these identities. Through his art, González-Torres addressed—albeit abstractly—a variety of urgent political and social issues, particularly when it came to matters regarding discriminatory public policies, censorship of LGBTQ+ artists, and perhaps most importantly, the global impact of the AIDS epidemic.
While the discussion is open for how modern labels can fit historical figures, that discussion should always be the opening of a door rather than the shutting of a box. In the case of Ulrika Eleonora Stålhammar there is value in talking about modern identity labels, but to assign one or even a number would be to flatten the reality of her life. Disguising herself as a man to escape marriage and finding herself falling in love and marrying a woman in her new life, this Swedish queer woman has an extensive list of complications that add to her storied life.
In 1990, the term Two-Spirit (also two spirit, 2S or two spirited) was devised as a modern umbrella to describe Indigenous people who fulfilled gender-variant roles in their cultures. Perhaps the most notable Lhamana in history–now also recognized as a significant Two-Spirited figurehead–was We’wha, who as a ceremonial leader, cultural ambassador and expert craftsperson helped preserve the Zuni way of life, and who in 1886 made a lasting impression in Washington, D.C. when they met personally with President Grover Cleveland.
Within queer history is a long legacy of love letters and scandals. What are considered to be the earliest queer love letters yet discovered are letters between the sexton Francisco Correa Netto and his lover, the musician Manuel Viegas. Within these letters and further records are a queer history of devastation, drama, and secret sexual love notes.
Though she was frequently a target of both political and social persecution, Eve Adams showed a tenacity and fighting spirit at every turning point during her radical, audacious life. As a visibly queer Jewish woman, Adams was unafraid to challenge societal norms and live unabashedly as herself, choosing to pursue whatever felt deeply normal to her, even if everyone else surrounding her challenged those pursuits. Though her life came to an untimely and tragic end, Adams’ complex and multifaceted story has been unearthed in more recent years thanks to the efforts of several thorough historians, and she is now remembered as a pioneering figure in the LGBTQ+ community. As an advocate for sexual freedom, a subversive anarchist, a trailblazer in the establishment of queer spaces for women, and the author of one of the earliest lesbian ethnographies in the U.S., Adams' work highlights the intersectionality of LGBTQ+ rights, radical politics, and the fight against antisemitism and fascism, while her life story survives as a poignant reminder of the courage and resilience of those who fought for the right to live and love openly.
Remembered as an iconic name in Kenya’s literary history, Binyavanga Wainaina’s voice remains relevant in his most famous satirical works as well as through his pan-African values. His nonfiction writing captured attention from around the globe as he dug his roots deeper in Kenya. An avid reader, he knew better than many the failings of the wider world in discussions of the wide continent of Africa, and he railed against them. Challenging stereotypes about African cooking, pointing out flaws in the very awards he applied for, and facing the failures of a larger literary world with equal parts humour and scathing heat.
There is a rich queer linguistic history in Germany. Many of the words still used to talk about queerness originated there with people like Magnus Hirschfeld, a man whose contributions to the modern queer community cannot be overstated. A lesser discussed name is Emma Trosse, and with her, the beginnings of asexuality as an identity can be found. Standing on the legacy of Karl Heinrich Ulrichs and possibly writing some of her work defending queer identities before Hirschfeld, her name deserves more discussion.
2023 has been an incredibly difficult year, but as we've written before, there are bright spots that are worth recognizing. As we push for safety, recognition, and support for our community in 2024, we can use this year's victories to guide us. We'd love to hear your highlights for the year too!
Coining the term “Sex is an accident”, Eva Gore-Booth was faced with an uphill climb in her lifetime in the early 20th century. A poet, suffragist, and lifelong activist, her story is sometimes forgotten in the shadow of her more famous sister Countess Markievicz who had many of the same aims of gender and class equality. Eva found her path through her partnership with Esther Roper, her lover and lifelong companion.
Far too frequently and far too easily, we read or hear about the life of an LGBTQ person cut short, often occurring simply because that individual chose to exist as publicly queer. This is particularly true for trans and gender diverse people of color, whose rates of mortality either by suicide or murder continue to be alarmingly high on a global scale. Many of these individuals are just beginning to forge a path for themselves in life or figure out how they want to make an impression in the world, but are barely allowed to even get their foot off the ground. Such is the case with Sumaya Dalmar, who was one of the first people from Somalia to publicly come out as transgender, and one of the earliest individuals from her home country to publicly identify as LGBTQ at all.