Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein and More in Paris' Père Lachaise Cemetery: Liberté, Sexualité, Eternité

The famous include Chopin, Rossini, and Jim Morrison—who died in Paris, probably of an overdose—but also many LGBTQ people. Oscar Wilde’s controversial (and much-kissed) tomb is the most visited in the cemetery, but there is plenty more to see, including the tombs of Proust, Sarah Bernhardt, Gertrude Stein and Alice Toklas, Colette, and great allies and icons, such as Maria Callas and Edith Piaf.

In this talk Professor Lear will show you around the cemetery and tell you their stories. He will also show you some of the other sights of the cemetery: the tomb of Victor Noir (a 19th century journalist killed in a duel by Napoleon’s nephew, who was portrayed realistically with a death erection—which Parisian women have rubbed shiny while praying for fertility), the mysterious joint tomb of two unmarried Napoleonic generals—a couple?—and the monument to 19th century lesbian painter Rosa Bonheur and her 2 life partners!

Come spend an hour with Professor Lear in this charming place, soaking in Paris’ rich and surprising LGBTQ history!