Gay icon a prototypical portrait of a tortured closet case." Due to Saint Sebastian's status as a gay icon, Tennessee Williams chose to use the saint's name for the martyred character Sebastian in his play, "Suddenly, Last Summer". The name was also used by Oscar Wilde—as Sebastian Melmoth—when in exile after his release from prison. Wilde, an Irish writer and poet, was about as "out of the closet" as was possible for the late 19th century, and is himself considered to be a gay icon. Marie Antoinette was an early lesbian icon. Rumors about her relationships with women circulated in pornographic detail
Sebastian (name) name of Saint Sebastian, a third-century Christian martyr. The name has been increasing in popularity in different countries. In the United States, it was the 98th most popular name for boys born in 2008. It was the 86th most popular name for boys born in England and Wales in 2007, the 38th most popular name for boys born in Sweden in 2007, the 13th most popular name for boys born in Norway in 2007, the fifth most popular name for boys born in Chile in 2006, and was the 59th most popular name for boys born in New South Wales,