King Arthur 'may have been LGBT' because he once wore women's clothing, Welsh council claims

12 October 2024, 15:14

A Welsh council has included King Arthur in their LGBTQ+ history timeline because he was once mentioned to have "wore women's clothing" in folklore.

The Welsh ruler, who is best known for attempting to find the Holy Grail, has featured in the council's LGBTQ+ timeline as a result of his attire.

The timeline, created by Denbighshire council, documents key LGBTQ+ timeline moments throughout history, with the Welsh ruler

It formed part of the council's mission to celebrate "local stories of sexual orientation and genre identity".

The initiative formed part of Welsh Government commissioned training in LGBTQ+ Language and History for local libraries, museums, and archives.

Just last month Welsh librarians were been told to avoid holding meetings in 'racist' buildings as part of a crackdown on Colonialism.

The directions, put in place by decolonisation experts, appear in training guidelines for librarians in Wales.

Now, the LGBTQ+ timeline has come in a bid to raise "awareness and understanding" of the community across wales

Read more: Avoid meetings in ‘racist’ buildings, librarians told, as part of £130,000 'critical witness' training

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The earliest references to King Arthur date back to a time where he was depicted as a successful "dux bellorum" - or warlord.

Mentioned throughout the Welsh mythological book The Mabinogion, King Arthur's sexuality has never knowingly been mentioned in scripture.

It's since been claimed the ruler was included in the timeline because he "wore women's clothing".

The 'Action Plan' aims to tackle inequalities when it comes to LGBTQ+ issues.

It stated that: 'Welsh LGBTQ+ history, culture, and heritage in Wales has contributed to our legacy and experiences as a nation and these stories need to be told.'

It comes as Welsh guidelines released to librarians in Wales stipulated 'racist buildings' that were suitable for meetings.

The previous Welsh guidelines highlighted a host of notable locations - including monuments and statues - which had links to slavery and empire, including Admiral Nelson, Francis Drake and the Duke of Wellington.

It also featured an entire village, Nelson in Caerphilly, which has a population of 4,600 people, alongside Picton Community centre in Haverfordwest.