Most gay people find it extremely difficult to accept their true sexuality for so many reasons. First, it is hard to struggle and assert your true colors in a hostile world who has always looked down on homosexuals in general. Second, many are afraid of discrimination. Admit it, no matter how objective people are, sexual orientation still affects the way we judge a person. Prejudice has always been there it will take a while to get rid of it completely, if that is ever possible. Thus, lastly, gays and lesbians are bombarded with a number of awful problems such as low self-esteem, trouble in belonging and lack of opportunities.

If you’re gay or you have a friend or family member who struggles to come out, know that being a homosexual doesn’t necessarily equate to being incapable to accomplish great things in life. In fact, many important figures who have marked their names on the face of the world turned out to be gay. These include Virginia Woolf and Oscar Wilde. But if they aren’t enough for you, here are ten of the greatest people in history who could have been gay.

But first, a DISCLAIMER: I’m not saying these people are gay. Heck, I myself don’t even believe some of these. This is just a compilation of historical figures whom some people think MIGHT have been gay.

10. William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was married and had three children. Given this fact, who would think that England’s greatest writer was actually gay. The only indication that Shakespeare could have been gay was his sonnets, which were not intended for publication. A huge fraction of these sonnets address his love for, they say, a young man. If you read them, you’ll be blown away by the intense romantic feelings in them that would really make anyone easily conclude that the poet was actually involved in a homosexual affair. The sad thing is, there is no way we can verify this for there is only very little information about Shakespeare’s personal life.

9. Lawrence of Arabia

T.E. Lawrence, more popularly known as Lawrence of Arabia, went to the Middle East to do archeology. At the same time, he was a spy for the British, who considered that war was imminent. While in the region, Lawrence met Salim Ahmed, also known as Dahoum, at a dig in southern Turkey. Lawrence made him his assistant and taught him to read and write. Soon, they moved in together. Lawrence even put a nude carving of Dahoum on top of their house.

Several historians claim that many Arabs on the ancient site were scandalized by the friendship that they shared. Many believe that it was just mere friendship and claim that Lawrence only encouraged the scandalous rumors because they appealed to his sense of humor.

When war broke out, Lawrence was forced to move back to England. They never met again because Dahoum died of typhus in 1918. Lawrence was then quoted, “I liked a particular Arab, and thought that freedom for the race would be an acceptable present.” He also wrote a dedicatory poem, “To S.A.” It could have been anyone but it clearly fits his lost “friend” Dahoum.

8. Abraham Lincoln

Believe it or not, there are also speculations that America’s greatest president was actually gay. It is a little difficult to believe because he was married with four kids. But there is also strong evidence claiming otherwise.

Aside from the accounts that Lincoln’s relations with women were either distant or problematic, he shared a special friendship with another man. When Lincoln moved to Springfield, he met Joshua Speed. He became a very close friend to the president. Many biographers say that Speed was the only intimate friend that he ever had. It is documented that Lincoln and Speed shared a double bed for four years.

What is more intriguing than the sleeping arrangement was the tone of their so-called friendship. Lincoln’s letters to his “friend” before and after Speed’s wedding were rather fretful. Many of them were signed “Yours forever.”

7. Sappho

Sappho is an incredibly famous poet in the ancient world, who was loved for her beautiful writing. Her poems were compiled into nine volumes. Unfortunately, today, only one poem survives. However, we can still see bits of her work, which were quoted by later writers.

A 16-line fragment also survives and this clearly shows more than mere friendship towards the same sex. Over the centuries, writers concluded that Sappho was indeed a lesbian. Scholars tried to pass off some of her poems as wedding hymns, used to flatter the bride. Sappho lived on Lebos, an island off the coast of modern-day Turkey. The name of the island was which we get the word “lesbian” from.

6. Sir Francis Bacon

Born in London, Sir Francis Bacon was an essayist, statesman, philosopher and innovative thinker. He was also important in the development of the scientific method because of his application of the inductive method of modern science, contrary to the a priori method used by medieval scholars. It is for this reason that he is dubbed the “Father of Modern Science.” But would you believe that Bacon could actually be gay?

The truth is, it is almost a fact the Bacon was gay. He shared a personal friendship with King James I, aside from many of his homosexual affairs that are already well-established. In fact, he was also called “Queen James.”

5. Richard the Lionhearted

Richard I was king of England from 1189 to 1199. The third son of Eleanor of Aquitane and Henry II, Richard outstripped his father and his brothers to obtain the crown. His greatest ambition was to lead the Crusade in order to capture Jerusalem. Although there was no sign of being effeminate and was, in fact, loved for his knightly manner, it is believed today that he was a homo.

Although he was forced to marry Queen Berengaria, he had no children with her. Historian Marion Meade relates Richard’s mother view of his homosexuality in the book “Eleanor of Aquitaine.” Stated in the book is, “Richard’s unconventional sexual habits did not negate his primary duty as king: to marry and sire a male heir.”

4. Paul the Apostle

Who would ever think that St. Paul, writer of Epistles, which was used by many Christians to condemn homosexuality, might himself be gay? Paul was torn apart by many of his inner conflicts, that only he and God could be aware of.

But one intriguing conflict was described as “a thorn in the flesh.” Paul considered it a disability of which he asked God three times to relieve him. Some people think he was referring to sexual desire. Others claim it was more than that — sexual desire towards other men. If it was indeed the case, he knew very well that he stood condemned and that he lived under a “death sentence.” Could it really be the torn in the flesh he repeatedly mentioned?

Here are some verses from the Bible. “And to help me keep from being too elated by the abundance of revelation, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I sought the Lord about this, that it should leave me; but he said to me ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’ ” (2 Corinthians 12: 7-9).

Not convinced? Welcome to the club. Too vague and very open to interpretations for me.

3. Leonardo da Vinci

When Leonardo da Vinci was 24 years old, he was arrested on the charge of sodomy. That could be a strong evidence that he’s a homosexual but no witnesses appeared against him and the charges were dropped eventually. Even so, there is also no record whatsoever that da Vinci had any relationship with women. He was never married and had no children.

Moreover, he was constantly surrounded by beautiful men and raised several young protégés, including “Salai,” which literally means “offspring of Satan.” His name seemed to suit him well for he was a young student to always break and steal things and lie. If he were just a mere student, he would have been sacked early but the guy stayed with da Vinci for more than 20 years. In fact, he appeared in many of da Vinci’s sketchbooks. Aside from that, there are plenty of indications in his sketches and writings that he was indeed attracted to males.

2. King David of Israel

Everyone knows who David was. Both Jews and Christians look up to David, the second king of Israel and the ancestor of Jesus Christ. Today, his stories are very popular to kids and adults alike. But the highlights of his life include the moment he beat Goliath and his friendship with Jonathan. Or was it just really friendship?

You may have heard of the story of David and Jonathan, which many consider the best example of “brotherly love.” Others insist that there were some romantic elements in it that were clearly disregarded by most people. After David defeated Goliath, according to the Bible, Jonathan already “loved him as his own soul.” He even made covenant with David and stripped himself and gave his robe, armor, sword, bow and bely to David (1 Samuel 18: 1-4).

If that’s not gay enough for you, know that after Jonathan learned of his father’s plan to kill David, he went to David and they kissed each other (1 Samuel 20: 41-42). When Jonathan died, David even stated at his funeral that the love he and Jonathan shared was greater than what he had with women (2 Samuel 1: 26-27).

Personally, though, I can’t see anything gay in it.

1. Alexander the Great

Many people say that Alexander the Great was also Alexander the Gay. Yes, this Macedonian king and conqueror of the world who is often dubbed the “greatest warrior ever lived,” could have been gay all his life. Although you can easily claim that the concept of homosexuality did not exist in Ancient Greece because men really had affairs with other men, that’s exactly the point. Men in Ancient Greece had lovers of either gender and Alexander wasn’t an exception.

He married several times but it won’t erase the fact that he shared something more than friendship with his boyhood friend, Haphaestion. They grew up, fought and conquered the world together. When Haphaestion died of typhus all of a sudden, many witnessed the monumental grief of Alexander. Within eight months of Haphaestion’s passing, Alexander died. He was only 32 years old.

…

If there’s one thing that these important people in history have proven, it is the idea that gender or sexuality is not a hindrance to achieve great things. Given the right attitude, knowledge and talent, a person can change the world regardless of who he or she chooses to love. And accepting this fact is great in itself.

If you liked this post, you might want to check out: