Five LGBT+ Love Stories from History

Five epic LGBT+ love stories from history.

1. Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas

Bosie was the real-life inspiration for The Picture of Dorian Grey, but Bosie’s father deeply disapproved of his son’s relationship with Wilde (who was 16 years his senior) and started a campaign which lead to his arrest. Wilde was sentenced to two years in prison, for the crime he called “the love that dear not speak its name.”

2. Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West

Woolf and Vita met at a party, both excited by their writerly talents. The two soon became close friends and eventually, lovers. Their husbands knew about the affair but did nothing about it. Vita and her husband had an open marriage, while Virginia’s husband Leonard didn’t object because he wanted his wife to be happy.

3. Michelangelo and Tommaso de Cavalieri

In 1523, artistic genius Michelangelo fell madly in love with Tommaso de Cavalieri, whom he dedicated several poems to. The two wrote many love letters to each other before Cavalieri married in 1548.

4. Tennessee Williams and Frank Merlo

Williams and Merlo had a love a love affair that spanned 14 years. Merlo aSicilian-American actor, and Williams, who wrote such classic plays as “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” and “A Streetcar Named Desire”. Williams sunk into a deep depression when Merlo died in 1963, never fully recovering from losing the love of his life.

5. W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman

W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman met at a reading at the Keynote club in Manhattan in 1939. Auden was soon seen wearing a wedding ring and bought one for Kallman as well. They stayed together until Kallman’s death in 1973.

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