6 bisexual icons who made a difference throughout history

To mark Bisexual Visibility Week, we take a look at some famous bisexual icons throughout history.

Community . Written by Sarah Creighton Keogh.

This article is about bisexual Visibility week. Pictured are three bisexual icons, bessie smith, basqiuet and Fridha Kahlo.
Image: bi.org

Bisexual Visibility Week is an opportunity to celebrate and highlight the contributions of bisexual individuals throughout history. Many influential figures have identified as bisexual or had relationships with people of multiple genders, yet their stories often remain underrepresented in mainstream narratives. From groundbreaking writers to renowned artists, here are six historical bisexual icons who have left an indelible mark on culture, art, and social change.

Virginia Woolf
Adeline Virginia Woolf, one of the most important modernist writers of the 20th century, was a central figure of the Bloomsbury Group, a collective of artists and intellectuals known for their progressive views on sexuality. Woolf’s work, including the novels Mrs. Dalloway and Orlando, reflects her nuanced understanding of gender and identity, with bisexual characters and themes. 

Woolf’s personal life was just as complex. She shared a deep bond with her husband, Leonard Woolf, but her romantic relationships were not confined to men. In 1922, she is believed to have begun a passionate affair with fellow writer Vita Sackville-West, which profoundly influenced her novel Orlando: A Biography.

Sackville-West famously wrote that their relationship was consummated only twice, but it evolved into a lifelong friendship. Their love letters are celebrated for their poetic, tender expressions of love and longing, as Woolf wrote;

“I always have such need to
merely talk to you.
Even when I have nothing to talk
about – with you I just seem to go
right ahead and sort of invent it.
I invent it for you.
Because I never seem to run out
of tenderness for you and because
I need to feel you near.
Excuse the bad writing and excuse
the emotional overflow. What I mean
to say, perhaps, is that, in a way,
I am never empty of you; not
for a moment, an instant,
a single second.”

 

Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo, one of Mexico’s most famous artists, used her paintings to explore themes of identity, gender, and postcolonialism. Known for her bold self-portraits and her unique blend of realism and fantasy, Kahlo’s work often drew upon her personal life, including her bisexuality.

Kahlo’s marriage to Diego Rivera was notoriously tumultuous, with both having multiple affairs. Kahlo had romantic relationships with both men and women, including high-profile figures like revolutionary Leon Trotsky and singer Chavela Vargas.

She also had intimate relationships with American entertainer Josephine Baker and artist Georgia O’Keeffe. Kahlo’s unapologetic exploration of her sexuality and identity continues to inspire artists and activists worldwide, giving her a well-deserved spot on our Bisexual Visibility Week icon list.

 

Bessie Smith
Known as the ‘Empress of the Blues’, Bessie Smith was one of the most influential blues singers of the 1920s and 1930s. Smith’s powerful voice and raw emotional delivery brought blues music into the mainstream. Beyond her groundbreaking career, Smith was also open about her bisexuality, a topic she addressed in some of her lyrics. 

In her 1930 song ‘The Boy in the Boat’, Smith sings about same-sex relationships, offering a rare glimpse into the LGBTQ+ community of her time:

“When you see two women walking hand in hand,
Just look ’em over and try to understand:
They’ll go to those parties–have the lights down low–”

Her personal life, much like her music, was bold and defiant, with affairs with both men and women, breaking social norms of the era. Tragically, Smith’s life was cut short after a car accident in 1937, but her legacy as a blues pioneer and LGBTQ+ trailblazer lives on.

 

Jean-Michel Basquiat
Jean-Michel Basquiat, the pioneering New York artist, is best known for his raw and powerful work that combined street art with neo-expressionism. His graffiti-inspired paintings were a bold commentary on race, identity, and culture, often incorporating social critique. Basquiat’s bisexuality was part of his complex personal life, though it wasn’t widely discussed during his career.

As an Afro-Caribbean artist navigating the 1980s New York art scene, Basquiat’s work was deeply intertwined with his experiences of marginalisation and fame. He had relationships with both men and women, including a well-known affair with musician Madonna. Despite his tragic early death at the age of 27, Basquiat’s artistic legacy endures, with his work continuing to influence contemporary art and culture. 

 

Simone de Beauvoir
French existentialist philosopher and feminist icon Simone de Beauvoir was a pioneer of feminist thought, most notably with her groundbreaking work The Second Sex, which examined the treatment of women throughout history. De Beauvoir openly identified as bisexual and was involved in several polyamorous relationships, often alongside her lifelong partner, philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre.

In addition to her relationship with Sartre, de Beauvoir had romantic entanglements with both men and women. Her life and work remain central to feminist theory and existentialism, cementing her legacy as a revolutionary thinker.

 

Cecil Beaton
Last on our list of bisexual icons is Cecil Beaton – a renowned British photographer, designer, and diarist, whose work spanned fashion photography, war photography, and stage design. Beaton is perhaps best known for his portraits of celebrities and royalty, as well as his Oscar-winning costume designs for films like My Fair Lady. 

Though he never publicly identified as bisexual, Beaton’s diaries and personal life reveal intimate relationships with both men and women. His circle of lovers included aristocrats, artists, and socialites, and his openness about his desires challenged the conservative norms of his time. Beaton’s work continues to be celebrated for its style and elegance, and his personal life serves as a reminder of the hidden queer history within the arts.

 

These individuals, through their artistry, philosophy, and personal lives, represent the rich and diverse history of bisexuality. Their courage to live authentically, often in defiance of societal norms, continues to inspire the LGBTQ+ community today. As we celebrate Bisexual Visibility Week, we honour these icons and their lasting contributions to both culture and queer history.

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