10 Important LGBTQ+ Figures From History You Should Definitely Know About!
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4. Marlon Brando
You probably know Marlon Brando for his acting in films like The Godfather, On The Waterfront, and Apocalypse Now, but he is also known for his involvement in activism, as well as his relationships. He was a big part of the civil rights movement and was situated very close to the podium when Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech. Brando believed that celebrities had a responsibility to use their position for good.
Brando definitely wasn’t perfect, being known as an intense womanizer and having a tendency to act aggressively towards those he felt had wronged him, but he was super passionate about helping people. In terms of activism, he is most known for his support of Native Americans. When he won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1973, he wouldn’t accept the award, instead sending the Apache Sacheen Littlefeather on stage to read his speech highlighting the issues faced by American Indians.
Some people might not know, but Brando was a member of the LGBT community. He never labelled himself, but it is well known that he had relationships with men throughout his life, like fellow actor Wally Cox, whose ashes were scattered with his, by his request.
There are many other actors during the same time period known or rumored to have been on the LGBT+ spectrum, but Marlon Brando didn’t hide this fact about himself, stating in a 1976 interview that “Homosexuality is now so much in fashion it no longer makes news. Like a large number of men, I, too, have had homosexual experiences, and I am not ashamed.”