Significant people

A brief and random selection of significant people with local connections, who are LGBT or who have influenced our lives.

• Burchill, Julie (1959- )
  Controversial journalist and writer
• Dillon, Michael (born Laura) (1915-62)
  The world’s first person to complete gender reassignment surgery; lived in Bristol at the time surgery began.
• Fanthorpe, UA (1929-2009)
  Poet and academic
• Hamilton, Mary (1721 – ? )
  18th century lesbian who married several women while posing as a man
• Hayward, Rob (1949 – )
  Gay activist and former Bristol MP
• Kenney, Annie (1879–1953)
  Leading Suffragette, Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) organiser in Bristol 1907-11.
• Lucas, Matt (1974- )
  TV comedian, co-writer and performer of Little Britain
• Needham, Angela (c. 1945- )
  Minister to the first gay Christian church in Bristol
• Pollard, Vicky (1993- )
  Single mother and TV personality
• Ravenhill, Mark (1966- )
  Playwright and journalist who studied at Bristol
• Redgrave, Michael (1908–1985)
  Bisexual actor, father of the Redgrave acting dynasty
• Renault, Mary (1905-1983)
  Novelist whose works had a large gay following
• Richards, Aled (1956/7–1985)
  One of the first people in Bristol to die of AIDS-related illness; Bristol’s main support organisation for people with AIDS/HIV was named in his memory.
• Sjöö, Monica (1938-2005)
  Swedish-born artist, writer and feminist who became one of the visionaries of the Goddess movement.
• Symonds, John Addington (1840-93)
  Bristol writer, art historian and forerunner of the 20th century liberation movements. His pioneering work to free homosexuality from religious and moral distortions are of world significance.
• Wakefield, Dale (1941-2020)
  The founder of Bristol Gay Switchboard in 1975
• Williams, Stephen (1966- )
  Bristol’s first openly gay MP

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