In honour of LGBT+ History Month’s theme “Politics in Art” and as part of our Pride Podcasts Series we bring you “LGBT+ figures in Art”. With this we are discussing and celebrating individuals who were considered trailblazers in their respective fields despite the challenges each one faced and the way they have furthered the LGBT+ civil movements and conversations.

The three individuals we will be highlighting in this podcast are:

Claude Cahun a French surrealist photographer, sculptor, and writer who explored gender identity and the subconscious mind in her work. In the early 20th Century even though she went by female pronouns she lived life via her famous quote “Masculine? Feminine? It depends on the situation. Neutral is the only gender that always suits me.” Duncan Grant, born in Scotland in January 1885, a very talented painter who graduated from Westminster School of Art before moving to Bloomsbury where he had a very juicy a romance with the famous writer, who also happened to be his cousin. Ducan lived by the belief you should “Never be ashamed” as he spent his life creating and celebrating the joy and beauty of queer sex. April Ashley lived a life of many different personalities as she faced the difficulties living as a transgender woman throughout the mid-late 1900’s. After becoming the second British person to undergo sex reassignment surgery, she landed contracts staring in Hollywood films and modelling in top magazines; non-the wiser that she would later become a historical hero and contributed to the implementation of the Gender Recognition Act (2004) and the Equality Act of (2010).

To anyone who will be listening to this podcast, please be aware that there are mentions of abuse, self-harming behaviour and discriminatory attitudes. We acknowledge that this content may be difficult and we also encourage you to care for your safety and well-being.

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm