King Arthur could have been LGBT – British council

A Welsh county has included the mythical ruler in a local educational base, citing a tale in which he wore women’s clothing

A Welsh council has included King Arthur in a timeline of ‘LGBTQ history’, citing a legend that the fabled ruler once wore women’s clothing, local media have reported. 

The legendary monarch – who is said to have ascended the throne by pulling his sword, Excalibur, out of a stone and then ruling Britain with the help of knights of the round table and the wizard Merlin – was included in a local educational resource in Denbighshire that documents ‘key moments’ in LGBTQ history.

The timeline, which tells “stories of sexual orientation and gender identity,” is based on the work of LGBT-focused historian Norena Shopland, whose research is backed by Swansea University. The initiative forms part of the training in ‘LGBTQ+ Language and History’ for local libraries, museums, and archives, and was commissioned by the Welsh government.

LGBTQ is an acronym used to describe lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning people. Russia outlawed ‘LGBT propaganda’ to minors in 2022, and later extended the measure to a complete ban. Lawmakers said that the legislation is intended to protect Russia’s traditional values. The LGBT movement was recently added to blacklist of extremist and terrorist organizations.

There is no indication in the legends surrounding King Arthur that he was homosexual, bisexual, or transgender. One of the most popular medieval stories about the ruler focuses on his marriage to Guinevere, including the story of her affair with Sir Lancelot, one of Arthur’s knights and his close companion.

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Explaining its reasoning for including the ruler in the timeline, Denbighshire council cited a Welsh legend that “on a subsequent occasion Arthur dressed himself in woman’s clothes in order to visit a girl at Rhuthun.” 

Legend has it that Rhuthun, or Ruthin, in Denbighshire was where Arthur executed a rival called Hueil mab Caw. According to the tale, Hueil had seen the king using women’s attire to sneak into a dance to get closer to a woman he was interested in. Arthur killed Hueil for mocking his injured knee.