SAPPHIC STARLETS
The sapphic stage: (left to right) Marlene Dietrich, Tallulah Bankhead and Maud Allan
PHOTOS YOUTUBE, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
I’ve always felt an affinity with the stars of yesteryear and it turns out we have a lot more in common than a mutual love of make-up, mirrors and showing off. Yep, you guessed it. Some of the most legendary glamazons of stage and screen were gob-smackingly gay and bodaciously bi. From music hall male impersonators frantically tipping each other’s velvet to Old Hollywood’s secret gay girl gang known as the “sewing circle” (*cough* scissoring circle), the arts have long been a safe space for women to express themselves, caress each other and bump beautifuls backstage.