James Merrill, One of the Most Famous LGBT Poets In History

Poetry brings love to life and these incredible poets immortalized their love in their writings. Though many were afraid of persecution and hid their sexual orientation, others boldly came out in a time when homosexuality was completely condemned. Here we take a look at 10 of the greatest gay or bisexual figures in classic literature.

James Merrill

James Merrill was born in 1926. He was an award-winning poet and received the esteemed Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his work Divine Comedies. In 1953, after a performance of Merrill’s play, The Bait, he met David Jackson, a writer and artist. Together, they moved to Connecticut, and stayed in a relationship for more than four decades. In 1983, he entered into a relationship with actor Peter Hooten. He stayed with Hooten till his death in 1995, aged 68.

Source: http://www.bidnessetc.com/entertainment/poetry-knows-sexual-preference-10-famous-lgbt-poets-history/

Quotes By Famous People

9 Badass Quotes By Famous People

Julian Assange

If wars can be started by lies, they can be stopped by truth.

 

Mahatma Gandhi

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

 

Ray Charles

I never wanted to be famous. I only wanted to be great.

 

George Bernard Shaw

All great truth begin as blasphemies.

 

Frank Zappa

If you end up with a boring miserable life because you listened to your mom, your dad, your teacher, your priest, or some guy on television telling you how to do your shit, then you deserve it.

 

George S. Patton

Though I may walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for I am the meanest mother ****er in the valley.

 

 Captain John Parker

Don’t fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here.

 

Albert Camus

The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.

 

Bruce Lee

Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup; you put water into a bottle it becomes the bottle; you put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.

 

source:  topyaps

Adrienne Rich, One of the Most Famous LGBT Poets In History

Poetry brings love to life and these incredible poets immortalized their love in their writings. Though many were afraid of persecution and hid their sexual orientation, others boldly came out in a time when homosexuality was completely condemned. Here we take a look at 10 of the greatest gay or bisexual figures in classic literature.

Adrienne Rich

Born in 1929, she was one of the most influential and widely-read poets of the 20^th century. As an undergraduate at Harvard, she met Alfred Haskell Conrad, an economics professor, and they wed in 1953. Later, Rich said she only married him to get away from her family and to experience what she had thought would be a full life. The marriage was very strained and Conrad feared that his wife had lost her mind. They separated in 1970, and shortly after the split, Conrad shot himself. In 1976, she entered into a relationship with Michelle Cliff, who was to become her lifelong partner. It was after this relationship that she really began to address “lesbianism” in her work, and took a leader’s role for sexual equality. In The Guardian, she was credited with bringing “the oppression of women and lesbians to the forefront of poetic discourse.”.


Source: http://www.bidnessetc.com/entertainment/poetry-knows-sexual-preference-10-famous-lgbt-poets-history/

Walt Whitman, One of the Most Famous LGBT Poets In History

Poetry brings love to life and these incredible poets immortalized their love in their writings. Though many were afraid of persecution and hid their sexual orientation, others boldly came out in a time when homosexuality was completely condemned. Here we take a look at 10 of the greatest gay or bisexual figures in classic literature.

Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman was born in 1819, and was well-known for his essays and his poetry, especially Leaves of Grass which was one of his most controversial pieces for its overt sexuality. Based on his poetry, it is generally assumed that Whitman was either gay or bisexual. He often talked about his romantic affairs with women, but he also had very deep relationships with men. Some biographers claim that this does not prove anything, while others have cited letters and journals as proof of his sexual relations with men. Peter Doyle, a bus conductor who met Whitman in 1866, is the most likely candidate for Whitman’s lover. Oscar Wilde once met Whitman, and declared with the utmost confidence that Whitman was definitely gay. When asked if his poems contained elements of homoeroticism, Whitman refused to respond.

 Source: http://www.bidnessetc.com/entertainment/poetry-knows-sexual-preference-10-famous-lgbt-poets-history/

Paul Goodman, One of the Most Famous LGBT Poets In History

Poetry brings love to life and these incredible poets immortalized their love in their writings. Though many were afraid of persecution and hid their sexual orientation, others boldly came out in a time when homosexuality was completely condemned. Here we take a look at 10 of the greatest gay or bisexual figures in classic literature.

Paul Goodman

Paul Goodman was born in 1911, and though he was a poet, novelist, and playwright, he is best known for his work as a social critic and psychotherapist. He was very open about his romantic and sexual interactions with both men and women, and declared that it was society that should be condemned for making people feel like they have to hide their sexuality or be ashamed for who they are. His essay, Being Queer, greatly encouraged the start of the gay liberation movement in the 1970s.
 

Source: http://www.bidnessetc.com/entertainment/poetry-knows-sexual-preference-10-famous-lgbt-poets-history/

Wystan Hugh Auden, One of the Most Famous LGBT Poets In History

Poetry brings love to life and these incredible poets immortalized their love in their writings. Though many were afraid of persecution and hid their sexual orientation, others boldly came out in a time when homosexuality was completely condemned. Here we take a look at 10 of the greatest gay or bisexual figures in classic literature.

W. H. Auden

Wystan Hugh Auden was born in 1907, and is regarded as one of the greatest writers of the 20^th century. His poetry focuses on love, religion and relationships between humans and nature. As a child, he attended St. Edmunds School where he first met Christopher Isherwood. He was reintroduced to Isherwood in 1925, who then became Auden’s literary mentor. In the 1930s, the two fell in love and maintained a sexual relationship in intervals, along with having relationships with other people. In 1939, Isherwood moved away and Auden rarely saw him. After that, Auden met Chester Kallman who was his lover for the next two years, and according to Auden, they were married.

 

Source: http://www.bidnessetc.com/entertainment/poetry-knows-sexual-preference-10-famous-lgbt-poets-history/

Charlotte Mew, One of the Most Famous LGBT Poets In History

Poetry brings love to life and these incredible poets immortalized their love in their writings. Though many were afraid of persecution and hid their sexual orientation, others boldly came out in a time when homosexuality was completely condemned. Here we take a look at 10 of the greatest gay or bisexual figures in classic literature.

Charlotte Mew

Charlotte Mew’s poetry is very varied in terms of themes. Born in 1869, some of her works talk about faith, questioning the existence of God, while others are dramatic monologues often told from a male perspective. Two of her poems are about mental illness, which is not surprising since she lost two siblings to it. She and her remaining sister made a pact to never marry for fear of passing along the “insanity.” Through most of her adult life, Mew kept her hair short and dressed in men’s clothing. Though celibate, she is considered by many authors to almost certainly have been a lesbian.

 

Source: http://www.bidnessetc.com/entertainment/poetry-knows-sexual-preference-10-famous-lgbt-poets-history/

Lord Byron, One of the Most Famous LGBT Poets In History

Poetry brings love to life and these incredible poets immortalized their love in their writings. Though many were afraid of persecution and hid their sexual orientation, others boldly came out in a time when homosexuality was completely condemned. Here we take a look at 10 of the greatest gay or bisexual figures in classic literature.

Lord Byron

George Gordon Byron was born in 1788, and is considered a leader of the Romantic era of literature. He is well known for his lyrical style, and his best loved poem is She Walks in Beauty. In 1803, Byron fell in love with Mary Chaworth, but 1804 saw him forge emotional involvements with a number of Harrow boys, the most prominent of which was with John FitzGibbon. Byron was sure that the growing hostility towards homosexuality would make it difficult for him to stay in England. In 1825 he went to Greece and contracted a fatal fever.

Source: http://www.bidnessetc.com/entertainment/poetry-knows-sexual-preference-10-famous-lgbt-poets-history/

Wilfred Owen, One of the Most Famous LGBT Poets In History

Poetry brings love to life and these incredible poets immortalized their love in their writings. Though many were afraid of persecution and hid their sexual orientation, others boldly came out in a time when homosexuality was completely condemned. Here we take a look at 10 of the greatest gay or bisexual figures in classic literature.

Wilfred Owen

Wilfred Owen was born in 1893, and was considered a leading poet of the First World War. He was a soldier, and most of his poetry went against the general glorified perceptions of war, and highlighted the dark realities of gas warfare. His writing was heavily influenced by poet Siegfried Sassoon, his friend and mentor. Through Sassoon, Owen was introduced to a sophisticated circle of gay writers, and he became more comfortable incorporating homoeroticism into his work. It was confirmed after his death by those who knew him that he was, indeed, gay. Historians also debate over whether or not Owen had an affair with C.K. Scott Moncrieff, who was also a part of Sassoon’s circle.

Source: http://www.bidnessetc.com/entertainment/poetry-knows-sexual-preference-10-famous-lgbt-poets-history/

Alfred Edward Housman, One of the Most Famous LGBT Poets In History

Poetry brings love to life and these incredible poets immortalized their love in their writings. Though many were afraid of persecution and hid their sexual orientation, others boldly came out in a time when homosexuality was completely condemned. Here we take a look at 10 of the greatest gay or bisexual figures in classic literature.

A. E. Housman

Alfred Edward Housman was born in 1859; and in 1877, he attended St. John’s College where he forged a strong friendship with Moses Jackson. Housman loved him deeply, but it was not reciprocated as Jackson was heterosexual. The latter was uncomfortable with his friend’s declaration and their relationship became strained. Housman’s feelings never diminished, but to save their friendship, he buried his love for Jackson into his poems, immortalizing his affections. The times did not allow Housman to openly come out, so he channelled all his feelings into his poetry, namely A Shropshire Lad and Because I Liked You Better.

 

Source: http://www.bidnessetc.com/entertainment/poetry-knows-sexual-preference-10-famous-lgbt-poets-history/

Oscar Wilde, One of the Most Famous LGBT Poets In History

Poetry brings love to life and these incredible poets immortalized their love in their writings. Though many were afraid of persecution and hid their sexual orientation, others boldly came out in a time when homosexuality was completely condemned. Here we take a look at 10 of the greatest gay or bisexual figures in classic literature.

Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde was born in 1854; and in the 1890s, he was one of London’s most celebrated playwrights and poets. His plays were known and celebrated for their wit, humor, and attention to detail. Wilde’s greatest work, The Importance of Being Earnest, was still up on stage when he accused John Douglas 9^th Marquess of Queensberry of libel in 1895. The Marquess’ son was none other than Lord Alfred Douglas, Wilde’s lover. The trial unearthed evidence of Wilde’s relationship and he faced his own arrest. He spent two years in prison where he continued to write. After his sentence was complete, he fled to France and died in 1900.

Source: http://www.bidnessetc.com/entertainment/poetry-knows-sexual-preference-10-famous-lgbt-poets-history/