Being a member of the LGBT community can be as overwhelming as it is inspiring. Being gay connects you to people of all walks of life and backgrounds. You have a shared experience together that seems to transcend most traditional societal barriers. Even though LGBT individuals have become much more accepted recently, there’s still a lack of proper education on several topics. For one, history books rarely cover important gay moments. To rectify this, it can be fun to explore some of the more interesting moments from LGBT history.

Together Forever

Homosexuality has been around for as long as recorded history goes back. Observable behavior in most animal species suggests that homosexuality is present throughout a vast majority of the creatures out there. Still, it can be hard to know exactly when gay and lesbian couples were even recognized by their societies, if they were at all.

The first recorded case of a gay couple comes from Ancient Egypt. During excavations of the ruins in Egypt, archaeologists began to notice that married couples were always buried in a specific manner and with messages of love within their tombs. During one excavation, a tomb was discovered housing the remains of two royal servants, both male. The men are buried in the same fashion as any married couple, with a message of love nearby, stating that the two are “joined in life as in death.” This may be the oldest gay couple on record in LGBT history.

Sacred Warriors

There are plenty of instances of homosexuality in ancient cultures like the Greeks and Romans. Many popular myths include gods from the pantheon taking lovers of the same gender the way that they would take lovers of the opposite gender. One of the most interesting stories is about the Sacred Band of Thebes. This was a band of over 150 gay men who were fierce warriors. They remained completely undefeated against some of the world’s most vicious armies for nearly three decades.

Non-Western LGBT History

A lot of emphasis is placed on gay couples throughout history that appear in Western art, literature and historical texts. While there are plenty of instances to be found there, it is also important to look at other corners of the globe and the representation that can be found within these areas. For example, in 1884, King Mwanga II of Uganda took the throne. Mwanga II has the distinction of being Uganda’s first openly gay king, having several male lovers amongst his servants. Though Mwanga only ruled for four years, his legacy is one to look back on with interest.

American Personalities of LGBT History

Nowadays, American celebrities seem to come out of the closet every other month. While it is less of “breaking news” than it had been a decade or so ago, it is still important to see men and women step up and be proud of who they are. It is also interesting to know that the first celebrity to ever officially come out to the public as gay was actor Billy Haines. Unfortunately, Haines did not come out willingly; he was caught with another man in public before . The backlash after this revelation caused Haines to never work as an actor again.

The world has come a long way in regard to accepting gay individuals. Still, it can be hard to understand just how far some marginalized groups have come without taking a look at what has transpired before. Members of the LGBT community have been living in silence for most of human history. Exploring the stories of the people who came before can be a wonderful way to feel pride in your life, in the love you share with your partner, and in the future that needs to be made for generations yet to come.