By “homosexual,” are you specifically excluding bisexuals? That would be difficult for interpreting historical figures who were silent on their orientation. Is there evidence that Leonardo da Vinci and Sappho were never in any sort of heterosexual relationship?
Well, Sappho had a daughter, so she must have had at least one heterosexual relationship. The thing with Sappho is, we don’t know that she had any homosexual relationships. All we know for sure is that some of her poetry were romantic odes to women. As for Leonardo, there’s not really any evidence that he had any romantic or sexual relationships at all. It was a subject that, if he had them, he kept quiet about.
Worldwide? Does it have to be gay-gay, or does 90%gay count?
If 90/10 works, then Freddie, of course.
And sorry, but many of the people named in this thread aren’t household names outside of a few countries (Liberace, for example).
Liberace came to mind first for me. Then Elton John. Then Oscar Wilde.
I still think Elton wins this thread, but Oscar Wilde is an excellent choice in play. How about tennis pro Bill Tilden? Scientist Alan Turing?
I think Ellen is the most famous lesbian in America, but worldwide it’s hard to say. Maybe Rosie O’Donnell is also in the running.
Lesbians of old… the best I can come up with is Gertrude Stein.
I think this is hard because of historical prejudice vs. LGBTQ folks. Most of the old school folks are “rumored” or “suspected” to be homosexual. There are tons of folks who are famous for any number of things and happened to be gay, but we didn’t (or don’t) know it.
We’d probably find them in the creative arts, where it seems that there is a more accepting attitude about homosexuality. I’ll peek through the Gay Book of Lists when I get home, if I remember…
If bisexuals count, what about Frida Kahlo?
(Meanwhile, Electric Warrior makes the brilliant observation of who Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz’s characters were based on in Vicky Cristina Barcelona.)
I think people should list where they’re from and live when answering to this thread.
Listen guys, nobody knows who Liberace is in most of the world, and Elton John isn’t anywhere near as famous in countries where English is not the official language as Mick Jagger, David Bowie or Freddie Mercury. For most people, Elton John is “that guy who sang the Lady Di song.”
Of course, if in “worldwide” you’re using the same definition as in “world series,” go ahead.
The reason I wrote “even at my most pedantic” was that the artist best known for the Mona Lisa has no surname; he is properly referred to as Leonoardo, as you note. Modern usage is to treat da Vinci as his surname, which is rather, um, ethnocentric, but I was not going to bitch about it. I was however bitching at the idea of smushing the da and Vinci into a single word.
I didn’t comment on the capitalization of the da because the usage patterns demands it. That is, if you’re going to use act as if da Vinci is a contemporary-style surname, the d must be capitalized.
Ha, I was just trying to out-pedant you 
Adam Lambert isn’t a household name in my household. At least, I haven’t a clue who he is. Anybody want to fight my ignorance?
At the risk of turning this thread into a conversation, he was second place on American Idol and made waves for potentially being the first gay American Idol winner.
Maybe in English, but not in Italian. I’ve had Italian coworkers whose lastnames had that kind of structure and no initial capital. Of course they may have been spelling snobs, but they didn’t generally strike me as that kind of person.
Agree with you on Liberace. I’m a fairly cultured American and I barely know who he is/was.
I don’t agree with your other observations. First, are we looking at lesbian and gay people, or anyone who doesn’t identify strictly as heterosexual? Because I don’t think either Jagger or Bowie are homosexual - in fact, I think they are straight guys who experimented a little. (On reference, Bowie seems to have given conflicting interviews about his bisexuality, and I don’t find anything about Jagger… he’s had lots of straight sex, though :))
Freddie Mercury is a good nominee. But I think his death and the fact that Queen’s prominence was two decades, as compared to Elton being famous for four, means that he isn’t as famous as Elton.
Even if Elton is known only to some as the Lady Di song-singer… that’s a pretty famous song.
Does Mick Jagger really count as homosexual, though?
Alexander the Great.
You may have noticed that the SDMB is in English.
Not digging your “we’re such silly English-centric folks” attitude. Can you offer some support for your claims, oh Citizen of the World?
I picked Liberace due to his being around longer than the other names and therefore would be more well-known to a wider demographic. I assure you my parents / grandparents would have no idea who Freddie Mercury is, but would certainly know Liberace.
Seems like a few non-English folks from that Demographic probably caught a glimpse of him during his World Tours, specifically the famous ones to Cuba, his tour of Europe, the time he met the Pope, and the time he performed the first televised command performance for the Queen:
Is this true? Sir Elton’s profile in places such as Japan and Brazil is lower than Mick/David/Freddie’s? Surely Elton John has performed numerous times in scores of non-English speaking countries? Or hasn’t he?
EDIT: I thought Liberace was a worldwide performer, as well.
“We will rock you” and “We are the champions” are performed so often at sports events that it’s taken for granted that they will.
If any of the Beatles was homo or bisexual, I would put that one at the top of the ranking. Madonna, who has at least flirted with homoeroticism, is on a par with Mercury. But very few more people.
Oscar Wilde?