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
The Sun in Exile The Sun in Exile The Sun in Exile (1955) is a novel by Australian writer Dymphna Cusack. The narrator of the story, Alexandra Pendlebury, is a middle-aged spinster who writes travel books. On a sea voyage from Australia to England she shares a cabin with Vicky, a young Australian artist. All is well on the voyage until the ship docks in Jamaica and picks up a number of passengers. The West Indians bring out the inherent racism in a number of the white Australian travellers though Vicky becomes rather attached to Lance Olumide. In England Alexandra and Vicky maintain their