She was a musician during The Harlem Renaissance and very very very VERY openly a lesbian. She was known to flirt with women in the audience during her performances. She even claimed to have had a wife (although i cant find any details on that) and was quoted as saying “It seems I was born different. At least, I always thought so….From the time I can remember anything, even as I was toddling, I never wanted a man to touch me.”
Unfortunately as far as I can tell none of her explicitly gay music was ever recorded
Sadly, She eventually had to claim she was no longer attracted to women for her own personal safety, although to quote this article “These desperate attempts to survive do not diminish her previous accomplishments.“
In a world where it feels like the only gay people in media are thin, flat chested, white people, I think we should all take a sec to remember this wonderful lesbian