There are countless movies, thrillers, and stories of mysterious figures leading a double life in the midst of a chaotic society. As entertaining as these fictitious stories are, the real tales of spies from the 20th century are even better. Especially when they’re about LGBTQ+ spies.
Spies have always been an essential part to intelligence operations during wartime or politically tense moments in history. Unfortunately, despite their importance and high status in top-secret projects, LGBTQ+ spies were often alienated and forced to hide their sexual identity.
Despite the repression of queer agents, they are remembered today as intelligent servants dedicated to their cause. Here are five LGBTQ+ spies from the 20th century who left an impact on their community.
Guy Burgess
A British citizen who defected to the Soviet Union during World War II, Burgess is remembered mainly for his involvement in the Cambridge Five. The group consisted of five British nationals who worked in important government and bureaucratic positions, but were secretly passing over intel to the Soviet Union.
Burgess was openly queer and is remembered as an infamous LGBTQ+ spy. After escaping to the Soviet Union in 1951, he lived with his partner Tolya Chisekov.
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Josephine Baker
Known more formally as one of the most popular performers in 20th-century Europe, Baker was also a queer double agent using her fame and fortune to defeat the Nazis. She was recruited by the French military in 1939 to aid with intelligence operations and gather intel from enemy forces.
Her fame successfully kept her cover over the years. Beyond just gathering information from high-status members of the Axis Powers, Baker housed allies and refugees in her home in the South of France.
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Anthony Blunt
Another member of the Cambridge Five and a close companion of Guy Burgess, Blunt was responsible for the transfer of a massive amount of British intelligence information during World War II.
His sexuality was confirmed in the files released by the UK’s intelligence service after the war. He is remembered as a queer spy, as well as a traitor in British history.
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John Vassall
Vassall was working for the British embassy in Moscow when he was coerced and blackmailed into spying for the Soviet Union. He sent over hundreds of documents detailing British operations to the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
The Soviet Union used Vassall’s sexuality to blackmail him into becoming a Soviet spy. During a time when homosexuality was illegal in the UK, Vassall was left with no option but to comply.
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Alfred Redl
A top-ranking officer in the Austro-Hungarian military, Redl became a spy for Russia in 1902. He is credited with developing some of the earliest tools of espionage and counterintelligence in wartime.
Redl was a LGBTQ+ spy, and there are theories that he was being blackmailed by Russian officials to hand over Austro-Hungarian information.
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These figures are remembered as agents living a double life in their professional and personal environments. During a time when homosexuality was illegal in many countries, these brave spies stood up for what they believed in despite the risks involved.
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