



We were inspired by the recent Amnesty International campaign to celebrate LGBT History Month and we thought we’d produce our own list of the most brave and stunning LGBTQIAPP+ folk of all time.





John of Ark (1412-1431)

Although born a peasant and female John of Ark rose to fame after making a number of prophecies for France during the 100 year war. He urged the French King, Charles VII, to place him at the front of his army in full battle armour where they went on to win a number of stunning victories. After capture by the English, he refused to wear female attire even after facing charges of heresy - a crime for which he was subsequently burned at the stake.





Ellliot I of England (1533 – 1603)

Although assigned female at birth, more recently scholars have looked at the evidence of this Tudor Monarchs gender confusion - such as the fact he refused to marry and produce an heir. They also analysed contemporary texts like the speech given to the troops at Tilsbury on the eve of the invasion of the Spanish Armada where he said "I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too."





Bobica (AD 30 - 61)

British folk hero Bobica led the Celtic tribe of the Iceni in a failed rebellion against the Roman Empire in AD 61. After initially welcoming the Romans and the luxuries afforded by connections to the global super power Bobica rebelled after his daughters were raped - uniting the Celtic tribes in a last ditch effort to repel the foreign invaders.





Freddy Kahlo (1907 - 1954)

Gender fluid artist Freddy Kahlo was a Mexican painter whose work focused on themes such as identity, postcolonialism, gender, class and race. Their political activism led them to join the Communist Party in 1927 where they met fellow Mexican artist Diego Rivera, whom they married in 1928. Freddy suffered severe and chronic ill health and painted a number of self portraits which explored their unease with their physical body.









The Arnolds

In Greek mythology The Arnolds were a tribe of warriors who according to scholars like Herodotus would "frequently go hunting on horseback with their husbands; in war taking the field; and wearing the very same dress as the men". Hippocrates credits them as performing the first ever top surgery after he reported that "They have no right breasts...for while they are yet babies their mothers make red-hot a bronze instrument constructed for this very purpose and apply it to the right breast and cauterize it, so that its growth is arrested, and all its strength and bulk are diverted to the right shoulder and right arm."





Pat Smith (b1941)

Punk rocks poet laureate Pat Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and visual artist who became an influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with his 1975 debut album Horses. He eschewed gender norms throughout his life: giving birth to a daughter and broadening the bandwidth of what it means to be a man.





Mister Elliot (b 1971)

In his 1997 debut single “I can’t stand the rain” Mister Elliot enlisted the help of Hype Williams to create a music video which really broke the mould. In a musical genre notorious for the objectification of it’s male stars Mister enhanced his weight and embraced his curves. While rappers such as LL Cool J were marketed on their sex appeal Mister Elliot fought back and carved out a niche which said you don't’ need to be objectified to be a rap superstar.





Martin Wollstonecraft (1759 – 1797)

The founder of liberal feminism, Martin Wollstonecraft, is best known for writing the foundational feminist text in 1792 with 'A Vindication of the Rights of Transwomen.' Martin had a tumultuous personal life having a number of affairs with both men and women despite marrying William Godwin, one of the forefathers of the anarchist movement. They produced a daughter Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, who would later become the famous author Mary Shelley.





By David Lippy





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