Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki—three of the world’s happiest cities, also the most progressive, and the most gay-friendly. But did you know they also have a lot of fascinating LGBTQ+ history?
Here are a few of the famous LGBTQ+ people from these cities’ past.
Hans Christian Andersen is a great example. The picture we get from his diaries and letters is that he was bisexual but also asexual, i.e. that he had crushes on both men and women but did not act or preferred not to act on them sexually.
In what culture did the king of the gods, the greatest heroes, and the greatest general all have boyfriends? Ancient Greece, of course. Many cultures have viewed same-sex relations more positively than America traditionally did—but no-one tops the ancient Greeks. Male-male relations occupied a key role in their culture: they were thought of as the way that young men learned the best and most masculine virtues and skills from older men. Especially courage in battle!
People think of Paris as a romantic city, but what they don’t always realize is that it has a long history as a specifically LGBTQ+ city. First of all, France made homosexuality *legal* in 1791: all sodomy laws were eliminated from the law code during the Revolution, 212 years before the Supreme Court did that in the USA.
That doesn’t mean it was a paradise of LGBTQ+ freedom, of course. Cross-dressing remained illegal until the 1970s, for instance. But it was much freer than anywhere else!
In today’s business environment, attracting and retaining talent is a significant challenge, and it is ever more essential to have an inclusive workplace where every employee can be themselves. As a result, business leaders often ask, “How do I promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in my team? What are some team—building activities for DEI?” And often, given today’s workplace conditions, “what are some DEI activities for remote teams?”
Create an inclusive workplace by showcasing LGBTQ+ history, art and culture
In our experience, programming on LGBTQ+ history and art is an effective strategy for DEI team-building. By showcasing the hidden histories of LGBTQ+ people—their massive contributions to culture, their persecution, and the bravery they have often demonstrated—such programming provides diverse employees with new sources of Pride and their colleagues with new sources of understanding and openness. By jumpstarting conversations and breaking down unconscious bias, it helps to create an inclusive workplace and boost collaboration, innovation, and success.
A tour on LGBTQ+ Secrets at several famous monuments
I highly recommend four options. Two are tour focused on the “LGBTQ+ Secrets” of famous monuments: the Metropolitan Museum and Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. A tour of “The Secrets of the Met” takes you from ancient Greek statues (showing that same-sex love has been part of the human experience throughout history) to Picasso’s portrait of Gertrude Stein, which opens the subject of lesbian, queer, and trans identities. The secrets of Père Lachaise takes you to the tombs of such “residents” as Oscar Wilde—both a fantastic example of LGBTQ+
Pere Lachaise Cemetery Paris Colette’s tomb
creativity and, sadly, a vital example of the persecution of LGBTQ+ people—and a series of so-called gay icons, such as Maria Callas and Edith Piaf, women with outsize talents who overcame the great difficulties of their early lives to achieve success, with whom LGBTQ+ people naturally identify but who can also serve as models of persistence and creativity for everyone in the workplace.
A virtual tour on LGBTQ+ Heroes
Two other engaging options focus on “LGBTQ+ Heroes”: a virtual tour of Greenwich Village and a presentation on LGBTQ+ resistance heroes of Nazi Europe. A Greenwich Village tour shows how the neighborhood’s tradition of diversity and inclusion led to the Stonewall riots and, thus, to many victories in the fight for LGBTQ+ equality. The WWII presentation showcases the extraordinary heroism of several LGBTQ+ people in Nazi Europe, including a Jewish gym teacher who managed to protect hundreds of Jewish children even in a death camp, and also movie star Marlene Dietrich, whose work against the Nazis won the US Medal of Honor, the French Legion d’honneur, and the Israeli Medal of Valor. By directly contradicting the traditional prejudice about LGBTQ+ people’s supposed cowardice,
First Pride March Greenwich Village 1970
this presentation helps to eliminate unconscious bias.
A highly visual activity that confronts bias to create a positive work place
Programming like this is highly visual; it contains both moments of drama and moments of humor. It confronts bias directly but (perhaps more importantly) also indirectly, by giving people memorable images and stories that contradict prejudice, reinforcing LGBTQ+ employees’ positive self-images, and opening the minds of their colleagues to the LGBTQ+ experience. By starting a conversation, it helps companies foster team bonding, create an inclusive workplace, and retain diverse talents.
Isn’t it time you saw Michelangelo’s David for yourself? Come and see 3 of Italy’s magnificent cities—Rome, Florence, and Naples—with their incredible art, their fascinating history, and of course their wonderful cuisine—and learn about their rich LGBTQ+ history that no-one else will tell you from Professor Andrew Lear and his team of specially trained guides!
Père Lachaise is Paris’ great monumental cemetery, with fabulous tombs and many famous “residents” along its charmingly shady, hilly paths (with great views of Paris!). The famous include Chopin, Bizet, and Jim Morrison—who died in Paris, probably of an overdose—but also many women and LGBTQ people. Oscar Wilde’s controversial tomb (frequently covered in lipstick kisses) is the most visited in the cemetery, but there is plenty more to see, including the tombs of Proust, Sarah Bernhardt, Isadora Duncan, Gertrude Stein and Alice Toklas, Colette, Maria Callas and Edith Piaf.
LGBTQ+ people have been enormously important in New York City’s history—especially its cultural history. And New York City has been enormously important in LGBTQ+ history. This is probably largely due to the fact that, although New York was terribly repressive about issues of gender and sexuality through its history, it was generally less so than most other parts of the USA, so New York City served as a gathering place for LGBTQ+ people from all around the country, and to a lesser extent the world. And within New York City, there was one neighborhood known for relative freedom for LGBTQ+ people, and that was Greenwich Village, which was America’s first gayborhood, starting perhaps as early as the 1920s.
Gay artists have faced a daunting dilemma since the beginning of time: keeping their sexuality hidden or being out with their art and lives and, in doing so, risking rejection and even prosecution. This is why many gay artists, who couldn’t express themselves openly, were forced to live double lives. They created mainstream work, which they showed openly, as well as homoerotic work, which they hid, circulated just among a circle of friends, or destroyed.
You might not think there have been many LGBTQ rulers in world history. But you would be wrong! From Alexander the Great’s Macedonia to Mad Ludwig’s Bavaria and beyond, there have been rulers (and members of ruling families) with many different sexualities and gender identities throughout world history. And a number of them, unsurprisingly, have left behind fantastic palaces and castles.
At the end of this very real annus terribilis, I want to say a few words to you, our loyal readers and attendees. Above all, thanks! Thanks for keeping Oscar Wilde Tours alive by reading our blog, attending our Zoom tours, watching our YouTube videos, contributing to our fundraisers—in short, for being a fabulously loyal community. When the pandemic hit the US, in March, it seemed likely to kill the company completely. Who would have thought that 9 months later, as the pandemic continued to rage, we would be putting on our 28th Zoom tour, with audiences regularly over 100, and have gathered over 28,000 views for our videos? It’s been a hard year, but ours is a tiny, flourishing corner. And we have a lot more coming after the holidays! Want to find out more?
Hans Christian Andersen is a great example. The picture we get from his diaries and letters is that he was bisexual but also asexual, i.e. that he had crushes on both men and women but did not act or preferred not to act on them sexually.
