Abu Nuwas was a classic Arabic, Islamic poet from the 8th century in modern day Iran and Iraq.

His poetry is largely seen as “wine-poetry”, as he wrote fondly and often of wine, so much so that he is seen as a major influence of Khamriyyat (Arabic wine poetry), and he wrote a book under the same name.

His poetry is also known for discussing relationships between men, and his poetry often has gay overtones throughout his life. While we do not know exactly if he himself had relationships with men, his poems heavily suggest so, as well as some of his views on the world.

Little is known about Bieiris De Romans, but we know she was a trobairitz (a Roman composer) from the 13th century. So little is known about her that some have even speculated that she was not a woman. But what we do know about her is her one work she left behind; "Na Maria, pretz e fina valors", which translates to “Lady Maria, in your merit and distinction.”

This work is written in typical tronairitz style, in that it was a story of courtship and love, but of that for a woman. It’s a lesbian poem written for a woman, but because of this some people have speculated that the author must be a mis-identified man, or Bieiris simply wrote it in a platonic manner, despite its very obvious lesbian expression.

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz was a Mexican nun in the mid to late 1600s, and she was an icon of freedom of speech, women's rights, and Mexican nationalism. Her works have been studied around the world and was a very important writer in female Spanish language and Mexican literature.

While little is known about her personal life, from her poetry and other writings, it has been speculated that she may have been bisexual or lesbian, and some scholars have discredited her for this, as they do not see it being moral with her religion. But she wrote love poems about women while still being a devout Catholic.

Andrea Gibson (they/them) was a nonbinary poet, and their poetry focused on gender norms, politics, social justice, LGBTQ topics, life, and mortality. They were the Poet Laureate of Colorado from 2023-2025. They have published over 13 books of poetry, and were memorialized in the documentary film “Come See Me In The Good Light.” Later in life after their cancer diagnosis, they began to also write about mental health, illness, death, mortality, and loss. Gibson was a large influence and contribution to the expansion of spoken word poetry and the importance of performances in this decade.

Richard Siken (he/him) is a gay poet and painter, and his 2005 poetry collection, Crush, won the Yale Series of Younger Poets prize, a Lambda Literary Award, and a Thom Gunn Award. He has 3 published books of poetry, with poems also in other publications. He co-founded the Spork Press, which publishes a quarterly literary magazine out of Tuscan, Arizona, and also publishes chapbooks, novels, and has the Spork Mixtape project. He writes about life, both his own and what he sees around him and that from generations past, and his poetry is often written like prose with no line breaks. 

CJ Suitt (he/they) is a queer and nonbinary poet from Chapel Hill NC, and he served as the first Chapel Hill Poet Laureate from 2020-2022. His poetry is rooted in storytelling and social justice, and he has written pieces about the impact of COVID-19, being Black in America, and more. Suitt has continued a spoken word project called “Poetry in Motion”, and he has acted, directed and produced films, and he is also a musician.