On September 23rd, we honor Celebrate Bisexuality Day! Otherwise known as Bisexual Pride Day or Bi Visibility Day, Celebrate Bisexuality Day aims to shed light on the unique struggles of the bisexual community while celebrating its rich, unique history. In honor of Celebrate Bisexuality Day, we’ve compiled a list of iconic historical figures who have either self-identified as, or are widely considered to be, bisexual.
1. Brenda Howard
Known lovingly as the “Mother of Pride,” Brenda Howard was a prominent bisexual activist who played a major role in the creation of LGBTQIA+ Pride as we know it today. Not only did she organize a Stonewall memorial rally in the summer of 1969, but she also worked with a committee to plan and execute the Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade, which eventually evolved into the modern-day Pride parade. In addition to being a queer activist, Howard was a driving force in sex-positive feminist and anti-war movements during the latter half of the twentieth century.
2. Josephine Baker
Professional dancer, civil rights activist, bisexual icon, AND a World War II French Resistance spy? Josephine Baker had it all. Seriously, we can’t think of anyone cooler. Born in Missouri in 1906, Baker moved abroad and became the most influential and highest-paid American-born entertainer in 1920s Europe. Her pet cheetah, Chiquita, often accompanied her on stage, too! During the second World War, Baker used her influential status to harbor refugees and collect information on German troops. She had four husbands over the course of her lifetime, but she is also known for having romantic relationships with women…including esteemed Mexican painter, Frida Kahlo!
3. Freddie Mercury
What list of famous bisexuals would be complete without Freddie Mercury? While Mercury discouraged public speculation of his sexuality, his androgynous fashion, flamboyant performance styles, and open relationships with both men and women led him to be widely recognized as a queer pop-culture icon. (Let’s be real, how many queer teens DIDN’T have a Queen phase in high school?) Not only did Mercury inspire generations of musicians and queer individuals through his thrilling, show-stopping performances, but he also contributed to an array of AIDs-related charities up until his death in 1991.
4. Stephen “Donny the Punk” Donaldson
Like Brenda Howard, Donny the Punk was an American bisexual activist who advocated for social reform during the latter half of the twentieth century. While he was an open advocate for queer rights and prison reform, he is best known for founding the Student Homophile League at Columbia University and New York University, which was the first known officially-recognized LGBTQIA+ student movement in the United States. He was also a well-respected writer within punk and anti-racist subcultures, and by the mid-1980s he became the chief organizer of the Alternative Press & Radio Council.
5. Roxane Gay
We can’t help but geek out over Roxane Gay…and if you’ve read her essay collection Bad Feminist, you would, too! Gay is a bisexual activist who is known for her work as an editor, social commentator, professor, and writer. Her work focuses on topics like feminism, race, gender identity, sexuality, and the experience of living in a plus-size body. Not only was she listed among 50 LGBTQIA+ heroes in 2020, but her 2018 memoir Hunger was awarded the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Literature, too!
6. Billie Holiday
It goes without saying that Billie Holiday was a jazz legend and an anti-racist activist (if you haven’t listened to her sing “Strange Fruit” already, it’s an absolute must), but did you know that she was a bisexual icon, too? Holiday was openly bisexual at a time when queerness was considered a serious taboo, having been romantically involved with both men and women throughout her musical career. She and her contemporaries were trailblazers of the Harlem Renaissance, a cultural movement that is widely recognized as a revolutionary period for black and queer artists like Langston Hughes, Gladys Bentley, and Claude McKay.
7. Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo’s artistic career was marked by her unapologetic embrace of everything that mainstream culture considered taboo. Her art focused on female sexuality, death, suffering, and various feminist themes. To this day, Kahlo’s work is among the most easily recognized in art history. Not only was she an artist, but she was also a political activist who is now recognized as a symbol of human resilience. Though she was married to Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, she had a series of relationships with both men and women, including Leon Trotsky and Josephine Baker.
8. Aleister Crowley
Dubbed the “Wickedest Man in the World,” renowned occultist Aleister Crowley’s life was marked by decadence and scandal. Throughout his life, Crowley immersed himself in a variety of pastimes, including mountaineering, poetry, occultism, painting, novel writing, and ceremonial magic. He had an array of relationships with both men and women and openly expressed his bisexuality in his early poetry. While Crowley is far more controversial than the other notable bisexuals listed here, his cultural impact is profound, as he is still considered a cult-like figure to this day.
9. Eleanor Roosevelt
Known as a legendary human rights activist and outspoken civil rights advocate in her time, Eleanor Roosevelt revolutionized what it meant to be the First Lady of the United States. To this day, she remains one of the most widely admired historical figures of the 20th century. After all, it’s hard not to love her. While she was famously married to former president Franklin D. Roosevelt, letters exchanged between the First Lady and openly queer reporter Lorena Hickock contain romantic content that prompts many to view her as a bisexual figure.
10. Walt Whitman
Considered one of the greatest writers within the American literary canon, Walt Whitman was an influential nineteenth-century poet, journalist, and essayist. While he is best known for giving the common people a voice through his work, Whitman’s sexuality also played a large role in his writing; in 1855, he published Leaves of Grass, a poetry anthology that touches on themes of universal love and queer relationships. Whitman was known for having relationships with both men and women and is largely recognized as a bisexual icon; however, it is unclear whether or not Whitman identified himself as such.
With this list in mind, we hope that you’ll be able to enjoy Celebrate Bisexuality Day with a greater appreciation for the bisexual community and its impact on the world as we know it today. This year, celebrate bi pride with a newfound passion. Read some bisexual literature. Show your bisexual friends some extra love. If you identify as bi, gift yourself a little treat of your choosing. Most of all, be mindful of the struggles that your community has faced and take pride in its resilience…and celebrate your resilience, too!
