King Arthur wore women's attire so may have been LGBTQ, council claim

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 frequently mentioned in the Welsh mythological book - The Mabinogion - is most renowned for his bid to find the Holy Grail. 

However in a recent LGBTQ+ timeline as part of work to celebrate 'local stories of sexual orientation and gender identity', Denbighshire council included the folk hero because 'he wore women's clothing'.

There are no stories to suggest King Arthur was LGBTQ+, with his most famed stories centering around his marriage to Guinevere. 

Referencing the legend, the timeline's first entry says that Arthur had dressed in women's clothes in order to visit a woman in the market town of Ruthin. 

But the ruler was recognized by his rival Huail ap Caw, who mocked Arthur's injured knee as he danced in women's attire in a bid to get close to a love interest. 

Following Huail's lack of tact, Arthur summoned him to court where he bitterly sentenced him to death. 

The King took his arch nemesis back to Ruthin, where he mercilessly cut off his head on a stone now known in the market town as Maen Huail. 

The earliest references to King Arthur say he was a successful 'dux bellorum', or warlord. 

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Despite no definitive mention of Arthur's sexual persuasion, he has still been included in Denbighshire council's LGBTQ+ timeline.

The timeline was created as a result of Welsh Government commissioned training in LGBTQ+ Language and History for local libraries, museums, and archives. 

The training was done in a bid to raise 'awareness and understanding' on Wales' diverse population. 

The Action Plan created by the Welsh government hopes to tackle inequalities experienced by LGBTQ+ peoples and challenge discrimination.

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.'

An outcome of this training has also meant that every county in Wales is to create a timeline on their respective LGBTQ+ history. 

It comes after a town hit out at a Labour councillors for deciding to spend public money hiring a controversial drag queen for children's story time. 

More than 1,100 residents signed a petition protesting about Aida H Dee's Drag Queen Story Hour, due to take place during Pride celebrations in 2023.

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Locals in Brecon, South Wales, were angered at a decision by the town council to spend £300 hiring Aida, played by Sab Samuel, 28 .

The performer and children's author had been accused of being friends with late paedophile drag queen Darren Moore, who was sentenced to three years' imprisonment in 1999 after being convicted of raping a boy under 16, while himself a teenager.

Mr Samuel said he is friends with Moore's husband, also called Darren Moore, and raised money to help him following Moore's death, aged 39, in January 2023.

Brecon Town Council said at the time: 'Drag Queen Story Hour has been hosted across the UK and has received very positive feedback from both parents and children.

'The performer has provided four years' worth of DBS (disclosure and barring service) history, has completed a risk assessment in relation to their performance and has insurance in place.'

Denbighshire council has been contacted for comment.