List of reportedly LGBTQ heads of state throughout history

For a list of openly LGBTQ heads of state, see List of openly LGBTQ heads of state and government.

See also: LGBTQ nobility and royalty

The following is a list of heads of state throughout history who were reportedly LGBTQ but lived at a time with different views on sexuality and gender and/or never publicly came out, or were privately closeted. The article is for those who are reported by posthumous sources as being LGBTQ (or a sexual and/or gender minority) ^[a] and head of a sovereign state. It is difficult to piece together how historical figures would have self-identified, and modern terms and frameworks around sex and gender can be very different from past cultures. ^[5] Additionally, the criminalization and stigmatization of gender and sexual diversity is common throughout history, which motivated many LGBTQ people to remain closeted, ^{[6] [7]} and excluded LGBTQ topics and people from historical records. ^[8] The list is sorted by year of death from oldest to newest.

Before Christ

• Alexander the Great (356–323 BCE) – King of Macedon (336–323 BCE). Alexander's sexuality has been the subject of speculation and controversy in modern times, with many^{[ who? ]} stating he had male lovers. ^{[9] [10] [11]}

• Emperor Ai of Han (25–1 BCE) – Emperor of China's Han dynasty (7–1 BCE). He is reported to have had at least one male lover. ^[12]

After Christ, pre-1800

• Hadrian (76–138) – Roman emperor (117–138). Had a male lover Antinous. ^{[13] [14] [15]}
• Elagabalus (c. 204–222) – Roman emperor (218–222). He had male courtiers sources suggest were his lovers. ^{[16] [17] [18]} Some historians also state that Elagabalus identified as a woman and sought sex reassignment surgery, ^[19] though other experts warn that such claims originate in accounts that are hostile to the emperor and may be untrustworthy. ^{[20] [21]}

Busts of the Roman emperor Hadrian (left) and his partner Antinous.

Painting of King James I

• Ali of the Eretnids (1353–1380) – Sultan of the Eretnids (1366–1380). Reported to have been in love with a Mongol boy, causing him to be largely disregarded in political matters from a young age. ^[22]
• Xicomecoatl (before 1519 – after 1520) – Ruler of Cempoala during Aztec control of the city. Openly had sexual relationships with other men, with homosexuality being very common in Cempoala. ^{[23] [24]}
• King James I (1566–1625) – King of England (1603–1625). Reported to have had a number of male lovers. ^{[25] [26] [27]}

• William III of England (1650–1702) – King of England, Ireland, and Scotland (1689–1702). During the 1690s, rumors grew of William's alleged homosexual inclinations and led to the publication of many satirical pamphlets by his Jacobite detractors. ^[28] He did have several close male associates, including two Dutch courtiers to whom he granted English titles: Hans Willem Bentinck became Earl of Portland, and Arnold Joost van Keppel was created Earl of Albemarle. These relationships with male friends, and his apparent lack of mistresses, led William's enemies to suggest that he might prefer homosexual relationships. William's modern biographers disagree on the veracity of these allegations, but some believe there may have been truth to the rumors. ^{[29] [30]}

• Frederick the Great (1712–1786) – King of Prussia (1740–1786). Was officially married to Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern, but he is considered to have been homosexual by most historians. He had many^{[ who? ]} suspected relationships with men and wrote homoerotic poetry. He never came out, although he did not do much to hide it. ^[31] After his death, many historians tried to pass off his homosexuality as a rumor, but it is now widely accepted.

1800s

• William II (1792–1849) – King of the Netherlands (1840–1849). Was either gay or bisexual; he had been blackmailed because of his sexual orientation. ^{[32] [33]}

• James Buchanan (1791–1868) – President of the United States (1857–1861). Never married. Reported to have had a longtime male romantic partner. ^[34]

Photo of Ludwig II

• Ludwig II (1845–1886) – King of Bavaria (1864–1886). Ludwig never married nor had any known mistresses. His diary, private letters, and other documents reveal his strong homosexual desires, ^{[35] : 153–159} which he struggled to suppress to remain true to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. ^{[35] : 155–158} Throughout his reign, Ludwig had a succession of close friendships with men, including his aide-de-camp Bavarian Prince Paul von Thurn und Taxis, his chief equerry and master of the horse, Richard Hornig, Hungarian theater actor Josef Kainz, and courtier Alfons Weber. ^{[35] : 153–159  [36]} Letters from Ludwig reveal that the quartermaster of the royal stables, Karl Hesselschwerdt, acted as his male procurer. ^{[37] [38] [39]}

1900s

1890 photo of a young Max von Baden. He was listed as a known homosexual by law enforcement of the time ^[40]

• Max von Baden (1867–1929) – German Chancellor and Prime Minister of Prussia (1918). He was gay, and was listed as such in a document by the Baden criminal police when he was young, ^[40] but entered an arranged marriage with Princess Marie Louise of Hanover. He is said to have been in a relationship with geologist Wilhelm Paulcke  [ de ] from at least 1912. He attempted to change his attractions by the efforts of Swedish psychiatrist Axel Munthe, and was blackmailed by Augusta Schleswig-Holstein with the threat of being publicly outed. ^{[41] [42]}

• Kārlis Ulmanis (1877–1942) – Leader of Latvia (1934–1940). Unmarried and his possible sexual orientation was actively discussed both during his reign and after the restoration of Latvia's independence. ^{[43] [44] [45]}

• Canaan Banana (1936–2003) – First President of Zimbabwe (1980–1987). Reported to be either gay or bisexual in 1997, despite his denial. After a highly publicized trial, he was convicted in 1998 of 11 counts of sodomy and "unnatural acts", for which he was imprisoned for six months. ^{[46] [47] [48] [49] [50]}
• Qaboos bin Said (1940–2020) – Sultan of Oman (1970–2020). Qaboos, who was divorced from a marriage to Nawwal bint Tariq and had no children, was widely believed by Omanis and Gulf Arabs to be homosexual. ^{[51] [52] [53] [54]} His obituary in The Times described rumors throughout his life of "liaisons with elegant young European men". ^[55]

See also

• LGBTQ portal
• Politics portal

• List of openly LGBTQ heads of state and government
• List of current heads of state and government
• List of elected and appointed female heads of state and government
• Lists of LGBTQ people
  • Lists of LGBTQ politicians
  • LGBTQ nobility and royalty

Notes

1. LGBTQ is an initialism for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning which functions as an umbrella term broadly referring to all sexualities, romantic orientations, sex characteristics, and gender identities that are not heterosexual, heteroromantic, cisgender, or endosex. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

References

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2. Miller, Sam J.; et al. (3 July 2018). Uncanny Magazine Issue 23: July/August 2018. Uncanny Magazine.
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4. Davis, Chloe O. (2024). The Queens' English: The Young Readers' LGBTQIA+ Dictionary of Lingo and Colloquial Phrases (1st ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers. p. 259. ISBN   978-1-6659-2686-7.
5. Kelleher, Patrick (3 February 2023). "Why are we so obsessed with debating whether famous historical figures were LGBTQ+?". PinkNews .
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8. Brightbill, Gregory A. "America: The Great 'Straightening' of Our History". University of Maryland, Baltimore.
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50. McNeil Jr, Donald G. (27 November 1998). "Zimbabwe's Ex-President Convicted of Sodomy". The New York Times (Archives). Retrieved 8 July 2007.
51. Christopher Ling (18 March 2011). "6 (Salacious Scandals)". Sultan In Arabia: A Private Life. Random House. ISBN   9781845968311. Indeed, virtually since his accession to the throne of Oman, the assumption of homosexuality has pursued Sultan Qaboos relentlessly...
52. Brian Whitaker (2006). Unspeakable Love: Gay and Lesbian Life in the Middle East. University of California Press. pp. 76–78. ISBN   9780520250178. ...only three Omanis have discussed this subject with me openly...All three agreed that the sultan is generally believed to be homosexual by Omanis...
53. John Newsinger (2016). British Counterinsurgency (2, illustrated, revised ed.). Springer. p. 154. ISBN   9781137316868. The successful dressing up of the counterinsurgency campaign in Islamic garb is all the more impressive given that Qaboos was generally believed to be gay, consorting with long-haired youths 'of exquisite countenance'...
54. Tennent, James (28 November 2015). "Who will take over from Sultan Qaboos, the Arab world's longest serving ruler?". International Business Times UK. Retrieved 12 October 2025. Qaboos has no children, he married his cousin in 1976 but they divorced soon after and he has never remarried - the rumour persists that he is homosexual, a crime under Omani law.
55. "Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman obituary". The Times. 13 January 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2022. There were no other known relationships with women and despite rumours of liaisons with elegant young European men, the sultan's private life remained firmly private.