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Writer's pictureMatt Pipes

A moment in LGBTQ+ history: Our time is now!

Although cave painting images like the San people in Zimbabwe (8000 BCE) and the writhing male figures in the Grotta dell'Addura cave painting (11,000 BCE) appear to depict same sex coupling in the earliest form of the human record, our history has been suppressed and denied almost continually through out the history of the dominant culture.


same sex couple depicted in cave painting
Cave paintings of the San people near Guruve in Zimbabwe give evidence suggesting same sex sexual relations dating back to the time of Bushmen.

There is evidence that people who were either same sex oriented or sexually and or gender non binary were celebrated and accepted in some cultures during some periods of history, but this evidence has been largely wiped out by waves of colonization from The Romans, Moorish and Christian empires.


The result of this suppression of history meant that until relatively recently LGBTQ+ people existed in obscurity; isolated and disconnected from each other. We were told that we are unnatural, depraved, sick individuals who's very existence is a diabolical corruption. There are still people who have a vested interest in trying to propagate this illusion to maintain their authority, but fortunately we have the ability now to come forward and connect with each other in a way that was never possible before: Global media.


Everything from this humble blog, to Ru Paul, to film, research and literature into LGBTQ+ history being archived and readily available on line has made it harder to suppress our identities. Even though repressive regimes still target LGBTQ+ communities, our communities have grown to become internationally aware. In the past we were demonized but now for the first time ever we have positive role models who represent the full spectrum of our existence. This unprecedented global awareness has led to LGBTQ+ rights being unrecognized to being seen as a global human rights issue just in my lifetime.


It is vitally important to keep up this momentum: to share stories, histories and art. Although we have always existed, we must remain visible to remain viable in the human record.

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