Poet Alfred Lord Tennyson has been included in a school’s list of ‘notable LGBT people’, despite the fact he was married with children.
Tennyson, who lived on the Isle of Wight, is included in a tour of the island’s sights about LGBT figures who have been obscured by ‘heteronormative narratives’.
According to Out On An Island – who are behind the trail – the historical figure was included due to his close relationship with fellow poet Arthur Henry Hallam, but there is no definitive evidence the writer was homosexual.
Tennyson’s love for Hallam has been debated. The poet was married to his wife Emily for 42 years and had two children. As for Hallam, he was engaged to Tennyson’s sister Emilia, before he died in 1833.
The Tennyson family lived at Farringford House, which is a stop on the trail, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Poet Alfred Lord Tennyson has been included in a school’s list of ‘notable LGBT people’
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A school on the Isle of Wight has included Alfred Lord Tennyson in a tour of the island’s sights about LGBT figures
The trail guide states: ‘To acknowledge LGBTQ+ stories from the past builds a fuller, more fascinating picture of how our society and historical places have been used and shaped by their owners and occupants.
‘These unexpected and unpredictable stories are a great tool to enhance a school’s inclusive curriculum.’
Out On An Island states it is ‘queering’, meaning embracing the parts of historical figures’ lives which aren’t so clear-cut.
Historian Dr Zareer Masani has branded the addition of Tennyson to the LGBT list as ‘absurd’.
Dr Masani, who has previously written about his own experience growing up as homosexual in India, said ‘romantic friendships’ with the same sex could be entirely platonic in the 19th century.
