June is Pride Month, and the last decade has seen the cause of LGBTQ rights grow in leaps and bounds in terms of acceptance, legal protection, and representation, but in entertainment and in the halls of Congress.

But the journey, much like the Civil Rights Movement, was a long and difficult one and continues to this day. For every Martin Luther King and Harvey Milk that comes along to spearhead the cause, there are 1,000 racist, homophobic flies in the ointment hell-bent on stalling progress and attempting to stifle the granting of the inalienable rights that we ALL deserve and should not have to fight for.

While we’re not The New Yorker and are not usually given to serious political and social stances, we’d be doing a disservice if we were to fail to point out that the world of fashion was built by men and women who for so long were forced to suffer lives of quiet, tortured desperation, only to, years later (and in some case long after they’ve died,) finally receive the accolade and praise they were previously denied.

So as not to get too long-winded or sappy about a seemingly trivial subject such as men who like to dress well for the Hell of it, we give you our favorite style icons of the LGBTQ movement, past and present. If not for them, the world would be a lot less interesting and would give us nothing more to wear than Golf slacks and clunky boots.

Leonardo DaVinci

The O.G. of Renaissance Men, and possibly the greatest all-around genius who ever lived, da Vinci is the embodiment of scientific and artistic brilliance. He also was arrested multiple times for the crime of buggery, which was the catch-all term for “being gay” up until about 1970. His real crime? Being known more for a so-so painting of an Italian noblewoman than he is for inventing the helicopter. Arriverderci, signore.

Oscar Wilde

The fact that Wilde is history’s greatest smartass is mainly the reason we love him, but it didn’t hurt that he exuded Victorian style to go with his writing prowess. He also proved to be something of a prophet, stating “It is a very sad thing that nowadays there is such useless information” years before the days of “fake news.” Wilde was another man who suffered greatly simply for being homosexual, serving a sentence of hard labor for his “crime.”

Truman Capote

One of the mid-twentieth centuries great writers and childhood friend of Harper Lee (betcha didn’t know he was the inspiration for “Jem” in To Kill A Mockingbird,) Capote was quick with wit and even quicker to step out with a killer outfit or onto the dance floor with Marilyn Monroe. We also love the story of Capote being approached by a jealous husband who, after seeing his wife lustily seek an autograph from the writer, whipped out his cock and angrily shouted at Capote to sign it. His response? “Well, I can’t sign it, but maybe I can initial it.” That motherfucker invented shade, gentlemen.

Elton John

Elizabeth may be Queen, but here is the biggest royal bitch on the planet. Elton John is an absolute TITAN of entertainment and one of our favorite figures of the last hundred years. We’d put him in league with four boys from Liverpool in terms of influence and cultural magnitude, and he’s just as much a diva now as he ever was. Fuck Billy Joel…this is the only piano man we wanna hear.

John Waters

Trash. Schlock. Kitsch. Whatever word you apply to him or his work, John Waters is the undisputed king. Waters is the Mozart of garbage B-movie greatness, and he’s become, to us, as iconic for his whip-thin frame and matching mustache as he is for films like Pink Flamingos and Hairspray. He’s also given the world the greatest piece of literary/dating advice: “If you go home with someone and they don’t own any books…don’t fuck them.”

David Bowie

OK…these last two are gonna be tough. Here we go…

There isn’t anything to say about David Bowie that hasn’t been said in The Life Acquatic With Steve Zissou, but the man was , hands down, one of the most interesting human beings (debatable) to ever walk the Earth. He changed his look and his sound more times than Madonna and Sybil combined, and he was always ten thousand steps ahead of the next person. He may not have invented the concepts of androgyny and gender fluidity, but he sure as shit is the patron saint. We cried like hungry babies when he died (or went back to his home planet as we like to think,) mostly because there hasn’t been anybody to come along to at least attempt to pick up and carry the torch where he left off. We’re kinda OK with that, though. Also…we’re still waiting for the Tilda Swinton-David Bowie biopic that has gone criminally un-filmed thus far.

Freddie Mercury

Whew…this is the big one. Be strong, and Long Live The Queen. Arguably (OK, no, not really) the greatest frontman in Rock n’ Roll history, Freddie Mercury remains the gold standard for showmanship, vocal ability, and the embodiment of reaching the peak of greatness against the odds. Cut down at the age of forty-five by AIDS back when it was an all-but-guaranteed death sentence, Mercury never blinked, even when the disease was literally eating him alive. When recording “The Show Must Go On, shortly before his death, those around him were unsure as to whether he could physically record the track. While in the studio, frail, exhausted, and gaunt, a defiant Mercury shouted “I’LL FUCKING DO IT, DARLING,” gobbed down a full glass of vodka, and knocked the track out of the park on the very first take. That’s the stuff of legends, mister. That’s how a legend goes down, even until the bitter in.

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