Digging into History: The Quest for Who Was the First Gay Person in History
As the world becomes more accepting, people are turning to history to see if there were any examples of famous or influential people who identified as being part of the LGBTQ+ community. With no records or representation in history books, it has become a topic of discussion to dig deeper into history to find the first gay person in history.
What Do We Know About History?
The concept of homosexuality is not a new phenomenon. It has been documented throughout history, from ancient civilizations such as Greece and Rome to indigenous communities across the globe. However, there are no records of people identifying themselves explicitly as gay before the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
It is common to see artistic depictions of homosexual acts and relationships throughout history in various forms like sculptures, paintings, and literary works. Many also speculate that notable figures like Alexander the Great, Leonardo da Vinci, and Shakespeare may have been gay or bisexual, but nothing has ever been conclusively proven.
Getting Closer to The First Gay Person in History
One of the most common pieces of evidence used to identify LGBTQ+ individuals in history are love letters, such as those of Sappho, a poet from ancient Greece wrote. Inscriptions on tombstones like those discovered in the Roman city of Pompeii and dedications on vases and other artwork also offer clues to potential homosexual relationships in the past.
These small moments of confirmation need further investigation to draw conclusions as they were never written to be significant. Without a clear voice from the past, it is challenging to prove that any of the people mentioned were explicitly gay or bisexual.
Evolution of Identification of LGBTQ
It wasn’t until the late 1800s that homosexuality began to be recognized as a distinct sexual orientation. An Austrian writer, Karl-Maria Kertbeny, coined the term homosexual in a letter to German jurist Karl-Heinrich Ulrichs, who was an early advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.
By the early 1900s, homosexuality became classified as a mental disorder in medical literature, and it wasn’t until 1973 that the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses.
A Conclusion to The Search
In conclusion, the quest to identify the first gay person in history may never be conclusive because of historical records’ lack. Historical figures have been suggested only by interpretation of mores, artistic representation, or records that merely hint at potential same-sex attractions or relationships. To ensure that history is comprehensive, there are movements that advocate for including detailed research and acknowledgement of LGBTQ+ figures and their impact on history, especially in academia. This awareness offers guidance for LGBTQ+ youth and also makes it easy to document the journey of pride and community inclusiveness over the years.
