Jump to content

List of reportedly LGBTQ heads of state throughout history

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For a list of openly LGBTQ heads of state, see List of openly LGBTQ heads of state and government.
See also: LGBTQ nobility and royalty

The following is a list of heads of state throughout history who were reportedly LGBTQ but lived at a time with different views on sexuality and gender and/or never publicly came out, or were privately closeted. The article is for those who are reported by posthumous sources as being LGBTQ (or a sexual and/or gender minority)[a] and head of a sovereign state. It is difficult to piece together how historical figures would have self-identified, and modern terms and frameworks around sex and gender can be very different from past cultures.[5] Additionally, the criminalization and stigmatization of gender and sexual diversity is common throughout history, which motivated many LGBTQ people to remain closeted,[6][7] and excluded LGBTQ topics and people from historical records.[8] The list is sorted by year of death from oldest to newest.

Before the Common Era

[edit]
  • Alexander the Great (356–323 BCE) – King of Macedon (336–323 BCE). Alexander's sexuality has been the subject of speculation and controversy in modern times, with many[who?] stating he had male lovers.[9][10][11]

In the Common Era, pre-1800

[edit]
Busts of the Roman emperor Hadrian (left) and his partner Antinous.
Painting of King James I
  • Ali of the Eretnids (1353–1380) – Sultan of the Eretnids (1366–1380). Reported to have been in love with a Mongol boy, causing him to be largely disregarded in political matters from a young age.[22]
  • Xicomecoatl (before 1519 – after 1520) – Ruler of Cempoala during Aztec control of the city. Openly had sexual relationships with other men, with homosexuality being very common in Cempoala.[23][24]
  • King James I (1566–1625) – King of England (1603–1625). Reported to have had a number of male lovers.[25][26][27]
  • William III of England (1650–1702) – King of England, Ireland, and Scotland (1689–1702). During the 1690s, rumors grew of William's alleged homosexual inclinations and led to the publication of many satirical pamphlets by his Jacobite detractors.[28] He did have several close male associates, including two Dutch courtiers to whom he granted English titles: Hans Willem Bentinck became Earl of Portland, and Arnold Joost van Keppel was created Earl of Albemarle. These relationships with male friends, and his apparent lack of mistresses, led William's enemies to suggest that he might prefer homosexual relationships. William's modern biographers disagree on the veracity of these allegations, but some believe there may have been truth to the rumors.[29][30]
  • Frederick the Great (1712–1786) – King of Prussia (1740–1786). Was officially married to Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern, but he is considered to have been homosexual by most historians. He had many[who?] suspected relationships with men and wrote homoerotic poetry. He never came out, although he did not do much to hide it.[31] After his death, many historians tried to pass off his homosexuality as a rumor, but it is now widely accepted.

1800s

[edit]
Photo of Ludwig II

1900s

[edit]
1890 photo of a young Max von Baden. He was listed as a known homosexual by law enforcement of the time[40]
  • Kārlis Ulmanis (1877–1942) – Leader of Latvia (1934–1940). Unmarried and his possible sexual orientation was actively discussed both during his reign and after the restoration of Latvia's independence.[43][44][45]
  • Canaan Banana (1936–2003) – First President of Zimbabwe (1980–1987). Reported to be either gay or bisexual in 1997, despite his denial. After a highly publicized trial, he was convicted in 1998 of 11 counts of sodomy and "unnatural acts", for which he was imprisoned for six months.[46][47][48][49][50]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ LGBTQ is an initialism for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning which functions as an umbrella term broadly referring to all sexualities, romantic orientations, sex characteristics, and gender identities that are not heterosexual, heteroromantic, cisgender, or endosex.[1][2][3][4]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Shankle, Michael D. (2006). The Handbook of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Public Health: A Practitioner's Guide To Service. Haworth Press. ISBN 978-1-56023-496-8. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  2. ^ Miller, Sam J.; et al. (3 July 2018). Uncanny Magazine Issue 23: July/August 2018. Uncanny Magazine.
  3. ^ Parent, Mike C.; et al. (June 2013). "Approaches to Research on Intersectionality: Perspectives on Gender, LGBT, and Racial/Ethnic Identities". Sex Roles. 68 (11–12): 639–645. doi:10.1007/s11199-013-0283-2. S2CID 144285021.
  4. ^ Davis, Chloe O. (2024). The Queens' English: The Young Readers' LGBTQIA+ Dictionary of Lingo and Colloquial Phrases (1st ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers. p. 259. ISBN 978-1-6659-2686-7.
  5. ^ Kelleher, Patrick (3 February 2023). "Why are we so obsessed with debating whether famous historical figures were LGBTQ+?". PinkNews.
  6. ^ Armstrong, Catherine (4 February 2021). "LGBT+ history month: forgotten figures who challenged gender expression and identity centuries ago". The Conversation. Loughborough University.
  7. ^ Streitmatter, Rodger. "The Ethics of Historical Outing". Beacon Press. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  8. ^ Brightbill, Gregory A. "America: The Great 'Straightening' of Our History". University of Maryland, Baltimore.
  9. ^ Ogden, Daniel (2009). "Alexander's Sex Life". In Heckel, Alice; Heckel, Waldemar; Tritle, Lawrence A (eds.). Alexander the Great: A New History. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 204. ISBN 978-1-4051-3082-0.
  10. ^ Thomas K. Hubbard, ed. (2003). Homosexuality in Greece and Rome: A Sourcebook of Basic Documents. University of California Press. p. 79. ISBN 978-0-520-23430-7.
  11. ^ Sacks, David (1995). A Dictionary of the Ancient Greek World. Oxford University Press. pp. 15–16. ISBN 9780195112061.
  12. ^ Hinsch, Bret, ed. (1992). Passions of the Cut Sleeve: The Male Homosexual Tradition in China. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-520-91265-6.
  13. ^ Birley, A. R. (2000). "Hadrian to the Antonines". In Alan K. Bowman; Peter Garnsey; Dominic Rathbone (eds.). The Cambridge Ancient History: The High Empire, A.D. 70–192. Cambridge University Press. p. 144. ISBN 9780521263351.
  14. ^ Danziger, Danny; Purcell, Nicholas (2006). Hadrian's Empire. Hodder & Stoughton Canada. p. 215. ISBN 0340833610.
  15. ^ Speller, Elizabeth (2003). Following Hadrian: A Second-Century Journey through the Roman Empire. Oxford University Press. p. 282. ISBN 0195165764.
  16. ^ Scott, Andrew G. (2018). Emperors and Usurpers: An Historical Commentary on Cassius Dio's Roman History. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 129–130, 135–137. ISBN 978-01-90-87960-0.
  17. ^ Zanghellini, Aleardo (2015). The Sexual Constitution of Political Authority. Abingdon-on-Thames: Routledge. p. 59. ISBN 978-1-134-06706-0.
  18. ^ Campanile, Domitilla; Carlà-Uhink, Filippo; Facella, Margherita, eds. (2017). TransAntiquity: Cross-Dressing and Transgender Dynamics in the Ancient World. Abingdon-on-Thames: Routledge. p. 113. ISBN 978-1-317-37737-5.
  19. ^ Betancourt, Roland. “Transgender Lives.” Byzantine Intersectionality: Sexuality, Gender, and Race in the Middle Ages, Princeton University Press, 2020, pp. 89–120. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv104t9rq.7. Accessed 1 June 2025.
  20. ^ Addley, Esther (24 November 2023). "Was Roman emperor Elagabalus really trans – and does it really matter?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  21. ^ Burga, Solcyre (22 November 2023). "U.K. Museum Says Roman Emperor Was a Trans Woman". Time. Archived from the original on 22 November 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  22. ^ Uzunçarşılı, İsmail Hakkı (20 April 1968). "Sivas - Kayseri ve Dolaylarında Eretna Devleti" [State of Eretna in Sivas - Kayseri and Around]. Belleten (in Turkish). 32 (126). Turkish Historical Association: 182. ISSN 2791-6472. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  23. ^ Crespo Mendoza, José Antonio (2015). Antes de la conquista: anécdotas, sucesos y relatos [Before the conquest: anecdotes, events and tales] (in Spanish). México, D.F.: Litográfica Ingramex. ISBN 978-607-00-8623-6.
  24. ^ del Castillo, Bernal Díaz (1632). Historia verdadera de la conquista de la Nueva España [True history of the conquest of New Spain] (PDF) (in Spanish). Madrid: Imprenta del Reyno. pp. 87, 89.
  25. ^ "Filled with 'a number of male lovelies': the surprising court of King James VI and I". BBC. 27 September 2017. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  26. ^ Painter, Sean T. (2015). "Rex Fuit Elizabeth: Nunc Est Regina Jacobus (Elizabeth Was King Now James Is Queen)" (PDF). The Chico Historian. 25. California State University, Chico: 16.
  27. ^ Perry, Curtis (2000). "The Politics of Access and Representations of the Sodomite King in Early Modern England". Renaissance Quarterly. 53 (4): 1054–1083. doi:10.2307/2901456. ISSN 0034-4338. JSTOR 2901456.
  28. ^ Black, Jeremy, ed. (1997). Culture and Society in Britain, 1660-1800. Manchester: University of Manchester Press. p. 97. ISBN 978-0-7190-4947-7.
  29. ^ Troost, Wout (2005). William III, The Stadholder-king: A Political Biography. Translated by J. C. Grayson. Ashgate Publishing. pp. 25–26. ISBN 0-7546-5071-5.
  30. ^ Van der Zee, Henri; Van der Zee, Barbara (1973). William and Mary. Knopf. pp. 421–423. ISBN 0-3944-8092-9.
  31. ^ Blanning, T. C. W. (2016). Frederick the Great: King of Prussia. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-1-4000-6812-8. OCLC 918986371.
  32. ^ Jaeger, Toef (29 November 2013). "Koning Willem II gechanteerd wegens homoseksualiteit". NRC.
  33. ^ Hermans, Dorine and Hooghiemstra, Daniela: Voor de troon wordt men niet ongestrafd geboren, ooggetuigen van de koningen van Nederland 1830–1890, ISBN 978-90-351-3114-9, 2007.
  34. ^ Balcerski, Thomas. "The 175-Year History of Speculating About President James Buchanan's Bachelorhood". Smithsonian. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution.
  35. ^ a b c McIntosh, Christopher (1982). The Swan King: Ludwig II of Bavaria. I. B. Tauris. ISBN 1-86064-892-4.
  36. ^ Oliver Hilmes, Ludwig II.: Der Unzeitgemäße König, Siedler Verlag, 2013, passim.
  37. ^ Holzschuh, Robert, Das Paradies verlorene Ludwigs II': Die persönliche Tragödie des Märchenkönigs, Eichborn 2001, passim
  38. ^ Przybilla, Olaf 'Auf vermintem Terrain', Welt, 9.11. 2001
  39. ^ 31. Antiquaria Peregrina, Antiquariatsmesse Ludwigsburg, 2017, p62
  40. ^ a b Storkmann, Klaus P. (2025). Homosexuality in the German Armed Forces: A History of Taboo and Tolerance (PDF). De Gruyter Studies in Military History, Vol. 6. Translated by Harley, Noah. De Gruyter. p. 19. ISBN 978-3-11-108269-1 – via OAPEN Library.
  41. ^ Machtan, Lothar (2013). Prinz Max von Baden der letzte Kanzler des Kaisers ; eine Biographie [Prince Max of Baden, The last Chancellor of the Emperors: A Biography] (in German) (1st ed.). Berlin: Suhrkamp Verlag. pp. 154, 233, 440–445. ISBN 978-3-518-42407-0. OCLC 862796444.
  42. ^ Buse, Dieter K. (December 2014). "Book Review: 'Prinz Max von Baden. Der letzte Kanzler des Kaisers. Eine Biographie.'". Central European History. 47 (4). Cambridge University Press: 870. doi:10.1017/S0008938914002052. ISSN 0008-9389. JSTOR 43965098.
  43. ^ "News.lv: 'Delfi' atklātais dokuments par Ulmani: aizdomas par 'vadoņa' homoseksualitāti nav dzēstas 08.09.2022 Delfi Plus". news.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  44. ^ mango.lv. "Pētījums: Kārlis Ulmanis esot bijis gejs". www.delfi.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  45. ^ "Kārlis Ulmanis bijis gejs un šodien būtu piedalījies praidā, saka zibakcijas rīkotāji". tv3.lv (in Latvian). 20 June 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  46. ^ Mark Steyn (17 November 2003). "Zimbabwe's Banana left legacy of disgrace". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  47. ^ Essays in Honor of Bernth Lindfors, Volume 2, Barbara Harlow, Africa World Press, 2002, page 210
  48. ^ Zim's presidential rape scandal, Mail and Guardian, 28 February 1997
  49. ^ Taylor, Rebecca. 'They say that power corrupts – and it does'. The Guardian. 23 January 2002.
  50. ^ McNeil Jr, Donald G. (27 November 1998). "Zimbabwe's Ex-President Convicted of Sodomy". The New York Times (Archives). Retrieved 8 July 2007.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_reportedly_LGBTQ_heads_of_state_throughout_history&oldid=1293469034"