The Most Awesome LGBTQ Women In History

Gladys Bentley

During the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s, there were few who were more radical and free with their sexuality as Gladys Bentley. Bentley was a renowned blues singer who appeared on stage openly as a lesbian drag king.

Her act included a chorus line of drag queens and she made up her own raunchy lyrics to popular songs (think of her as a sort of Weird Al, if Weird Al was a controversial lesbian). Gladys was known for her sexy, gravelly voice – which seems pretty hard to resist if you ask us.

Anne Lister

Anne Lister was a very rich landowner and diarist. Her detailed (and pretty scandalous diary) chronicled her lesbian relationships throughout the 1800s. Because of the scandalous nature of being a lesbian – and being a female property owner in the 1800s – Lister wrote her diary in code, which was derived from a mix of algebra and Ancient Greek.

Lister is often described as the first modern lesbian because she had a clear self-knowledge and openly lesbian lifestyle which is evident in the pages of her diary. Because of her open lifestyle, she was consistently harassed about her sexuality (which sadly proves not much has changed since the 1800s).