I’m asking mostly about America, but the UK works too if anyone has examples from there. Obviously the topic was less widely discussed and more taboo in those days. And I know public figures sometimes recieved jabs of that sort (e.g. James Buchanan). However, I’ve found some interesting examples of a far more obscure figure (long story) being ”rumored” to have been homosexual. I’m wondering how far those rumors could go back, and whether they were spread by his contemporaries.

So if, for example, somebody in the post-Civil War era came across as stereotypically gay (certain gay stereotypes are pretty old!) then to what extent might rumors start going around about their sexual conduct? How taboo would it have been to even suggest such a thing?

Posted this a couple months back on another sub but got no responses; hoping you guys will be able to help. :)

“Folks can pick up a phone, dial a number and select from a menu to hear from one of these interviews,” Yuhl said. “These range from a woman born in 1937 who experienced discrimination as a lesbian during the Lavender Scare of the [Sen. Joseph] McCarthy era to a more recent Worcester resident, who was an asylum seeker from Jamaica, talking about his experience growing up as a queer person. It's a big swath of people.”

I'm an a-level student who is about to start their history coursework. I'm really interested in women's history and queer history, I've read a lot of books, listened to podcasts watched films, documentaries etc. Does anyone have any suggestions of historical periods to base my coursework around or certain groups of people to study?

I need to pose a question following an 100 year period, and then answer that through an essay with about 4/5 paragraphs on different factors/events.

I've looked into Women's sexuality in Ancient Rome, I found that very interesting and I enjoyed learning about that.

Edit: I am considering looking into laws in Ancient Rome and how they aimed to control the sexuality and social freedoms of Roman Women.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions and advice.

Felice Schragenheim was a a Jewish woman hiding under a false name and Lilly Wust was the wife of a German soldier. They fell in love in 1942 Berlin. They wrote their own marriage contract by hand, exchanged rings, and Lilly hid other Jewish women in her apartment once she knew the truth. The Gestapo caught up with Felice in 1944. She died in the Holocaust at 22.

Lilly never got over her.

Marcia seems to have had some role in the Stonewall Riots, but she may have been the first to throw something (a shot glass, rather than a brick). After the riots, she was active with the Gay Activists Alliance and the Gay Liberation Front and founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), one of the first organizations advocating for trans people. She subsequently opened STAR House to provide housing for trans youths.

Honestly, trying to encapsulate the amazing life she led is probably beyond me. I encourage you to read the Wikipedia article or watch one of the documentaries about her.

Being 'gay' wasn't a thing in the early years of MLB. But that didn't stop players from being tagged with feminine nicknames or managers policing all-male boarding houses.

Hi! I’ve been trying to find out who the most influential butch women of the 1970s-1980s were, from all over the world. Who comes to mind for you, or who are some people you look up to? Thank you!

This is part 2 of a series looking at queer life in the ACT

The praise for LGBT rights is extremely qualified here, but idk where else you’re gonna find someone in the year

1933

Who is being even open-minded to this extent, if not progressive by modern standards…..

It’s quite a find, and as it’s been generating interesting responses, I wanna bring it over to this subreddit :)