6 Historic LGBTQ+ Couples
February 14, 2023Recorded evidence of diverse forms of love has had a firm presence in human history for thousands of years. From ancient Egyptian lovers to trans trailblazers, art and literature provides proof that queer love stories are not a recent development. Here are six prominent LGBTQ+ romances from history to look back on this Valentine’s Day.
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Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum
Often cited as the first recorded same-sex couple, Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum were ancient Egyptian royal servants, working in the Palace of King Nyuserre Ini. Buried together during the second half of the 25th Century BC, archeologists have inferred their romantic relationship from the positioning of their bodies and the way ancient artwork depicts them (frequently embracing, nose-to-nose).
For many years, Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum were inferred to be brothers, but many historians now dispute this due to their artistic portrayal being similar in nature to heterosexual couples.
Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West
Celebrated writer Virgina Woolf is considered as one of the pioneers for British literature and storytelling. Her most famous works include Mrs. Dalloway and Orlando, and she became a figurehead in feminist movements in later years. Many critics cite the best years of Woolf’s work to have been produced during her romantic relationship with Vita Sackville-West, author and garden designer.
The relationship sparked a number of renowned pieces, including prolific essays by Woolf such as ‘Mr. Bennett and Mrs. Brown’, and ‘A Letter to a Young Poet’. After the relationship came to an end, the two women remained friends until Woolf’s death in 1941.
Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas
One of the most prolific LGBTQ+ figures in history, Oscar Wilde is famed for his immense range of iconic poems, plays and novels. Homosexuality is frequently referred to in these works, with prominent early representation in his most renowned novel The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Wilde had a romantic relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas, son of the Marquess of Queensbury, for which he was arrested and imprisoned for two years due to what was referred to as ‘gross indecency’. Upon his release, he left the United Kingdom and never returned, spending his final years in France.
Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears
English conductor, pianist and composer Benjamin Britten created many of the UK’s most famous operas and musical compositions. The main muse for these stories was based on his relationship with professional and personal partner Peter Pears.
Pears was a tenor who frequently collaborated with Britten, providing vocals on his own works and covering various classical artists, too. In 2017, various heartfelt love letters between the couple went on display at the Red House in Aldeburgh, indicating their strong affection for one another.
Barbara Jordan and Nancy Earl
Politician and lawyer Barbara Jordan broke boundaries in more ways than one. Not only was she the first Southern African-American woman to be elected to the United States House of Representatives, but she has also been described as the first LGBTQ+ in Congress.
Jordan met Nancy Earl during a camping trip in the 1960s. Earl was primarily an educational psychologist, but also later provided the written material for many of Jordan’s speeches. In Barbara Jordan’s later years when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Earl spent many years as her carer.
Lili Elbe and Gerda Gottlieb
Gaining recent recognition for being portrayed in the movie The Danish Girl, Lili Elbe was a Danish artist and painter. As a trans woman in the late 19th and early 20th century, she became one of the first people to receive gender-affirming surgery.
Elbe met fellow artist Gerda Gottlieb at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, where both fell in love with one another. The two later married. In 1931, Elbe became the first known recipient of a uterus transplant, but sadly due to complications she passed away as a result.