Meet Natalie Clifford Barney, the lesbian trailblazer who was out and proud in the 1900s

This piece was originally published on 9/19/23 by The Buckeye Flame. It has been updated to celebrate Natalie Clifford Barney’s 150th birthday. The University of Dayton, in partnership with the Dayton Metro Library (DML) and the Dayton LGBT Center, will celebrate the occasion on October 30 with an exhibition of works from the DML library’s Natalie Barney Collection. More information here.Ohio’s first LGBTQ+ Ohio Historical Marker was installed in Dayton’s Cooper Park in 2009. The marker recognizes Natalie Clifford Barney, an affluent and famed expatriate – Parisian feminist, writer, and cultural salon hostess. Born in Dayton in 1876 to a wealthy and prestigious family, Natalie went on to make an international impact for women and LGBTQ+ folks with her writing and organizing.Why, then, have so few queer Ohioans heard of this Ohio heiress’s intercontinental legacy? Although the answer isn’t clear, pre-Stonewall LGBTQ+ history is frequently more difficult to interpret, as historical actors were rarely able to be direct and unequivocal about their sexuality and gender identity. Natalie, however, leaves us no room for misinterpretation – she was an unapologetic, proud lesbian.According to Natalie’s writings, she first became aware that she was a lesbian at age 12. She spent her childhood and adolescence growing up in Dayton, Cincinnati, Paris and Washington D.C. and was educated according to her means, attending the prestigious French boarding school Les Ruches as a youth. The school and Paris in general during the turn of the century proved to be a hospitable place for Natalie to explore her budding sexuality. In fact, during her time at Les Ruches, Natalie frequently cross-dressed as a page and even played at being a “husband” to other girls. Natalie enthusiastically donned a page outfit for multiple portraits. Her mother agreed to the wardrobe selection, arguing that the page outfit was immune to turns in fashion.Emile Auguste Carolus-Duran, Nata