Our Missing History

A poem to mark Pride Month

We have always been here.
Both in fact and in fiction.
Scattered in fragments through time.

History is written by the victor
Facts etched in stone by those in power
Is it any wonder that our past is missing?

From The Satyricon’s Encolpius and Giton
To Heartstopper’s Charlie and Nick
Like the Emperor Hadrian or the Emperor Ai
Or Sappho or Turing or Wilde

Across the world we’ve existed
Outside binaries but in our truth
Yet the world denied our humanity
The world’s denied so many our youth

Did you know that the famous book burning
By the Nazis in May 1933
Made a pyre of our history and research
Like a twilight of gods by decree

Did you know of the wæpenwifestre?
The Old English women armed with penis to be seen?
Or the South Asian hijra, the Hawaiian Māhū
Or the Samoan fa’afafine?

We could not marry until the 2000s
Over 60 countries still wish us death
And despite all the bricks thrown at Stonewall
Our history vanishes in breath

But we’re here and we’ll keep on existing
Gathering our fragments and remaining strong
We stand with pride as we challenge the narrative they set
With the truth “we’ve been here all along.”