He was named ‘The Greatest Person of the 20th Century’ following a public vote on the BBC last year. The French author and legend Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, better known as Colette, lived openly as a bisexual woman and had relationships with many prominent queer ladies including Napoleon’s niece Mathilde ‘Missy’ de Morny. Police were called to the Moulin Rouge back in 1907 when Colette and Missy shared a kiss on the iconic stage.īest known for her novel ‘Gigi’, Colette also wrote the ‘Claudine’ series, which follows the titular character who ends up despising her husband and has an affair with another woman. Touko Laaksonen (Tom of Finland) (1920-1991)ĭubbed the 'most influential creator of gay pornographic images', Touko Laaksonen - better known by his pseudonym Tom of Finland - was a Finnish artist known for his highly masculinised homoerotic fetish art, and for his influence on late twentieth century gay culture. Over the course of four decades, he produced some 3,500 illustrations, mostly featuring men with exaggerated primary and secondary sex traits, wearing tight or partially removed clothing.
