King Arthur may have been a member of the so-called LGBTQ+ community according to a council in Wales because he is said to have once worn women’s clothes.
The legendary figure, portrayed as a leader of Britons in their fight against the Anglo-Saxons following the collapse of Roman control, is the subject of numerous tales in Welsh mythology detailing his likely apocryphal exploits, including his search for the Holy Grail as well as his battles with both human and supernatural foes.
Despite questions over whether King Arthur even actually existed — or at the very least, doubts about the veracity of the fantastical tales of his life recorded hundreds of years after he supposedly reigned — the left-wing council in Denbighshire, Wales has included the mythological ruler in their LGBTQ+ history timeline, the Daily Telegraph reports.
The decision to classify King Arthur as LGBTQ+ was reportedly sparked by a local tale of the leader using women’s clothing as a disguise to get closer to a woman in Ruthin in Denbighshire whom he was romantically interested in.
His rouse was foiled by a rival named Hueil mab Caw, who had spotted Arthur by his lame knee which he had injured in an earlier fight. For mocking his injured knee, Hueil was put to death by Aurthur.
Other than the story of King Arthur using women’s clothing as a disguise to pursue a heterosexual relationship, there are no other indications that he was portrayed as being LGBTQ+. Indeed, the accounts say that the legendary King eventually married another woman, Guinevere.
The move by the Welsh council comes amid a broader effort from the devolved Labour-run government in Cardiff to promote “Welsh LGBTQ+ history, culture, and heritage” in local archives, libraries and museums.
The bid sought to raise “awareness and understanding” about the supposedly diverse population of Wales.
Casting King Arthur as LGBTQ+ also comes amid attempts to recast historical British and European figures to conform to modern woke sensibilities.
Last year, for example, an Isle of Wight history tour for schoolchildren about LGBTQ+ historical figures claimed — without evidence — that 19th Century British poet laureate Alfred, Lord Tennyson was among those who had their sexual identity hidden by “cis/heteronormative narratives”.
Another recent example saw the patron saint of France, Joan of Arc, portrayed in a play by Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London as a gender-neutral character with “they/them” pronouns.
The theatre troupe admitted that there was no evidence to back up such a portrayal but defended the decision as merely “offering the possibility of another point of view.”