Horny History: Barbette

It’s real history, as told by some dude in my inbox and me

This post contains sensitive content on suicide and homophobia. Reader discretion is advised.

This next guy popped into my inbox asking for a tribute. If you don’t know what a tribute is, it involves his penis and is in no way related to what was about to happen to him.

A tribute to the legendary Barbette (1899-1973).

It turns out this man does indeed know that forcing women to see his penis is a punishment.

By the way, I’m using the pronouns used by those that wrote about Barbette, including what Jean Cocteau referred to him as. They didn’t discuss gender identity in the way we do now and there’s no way to really say what he would have preferred. Barbette did use she/her during the performances.

Barbette was injured in 1931 and was no longer able to perform. This was devastating for him. Eventually, he committed suicide. His time alive should be preserved to more than just the horny men in my inbox. This gay pride month spread the word about Barbette.