Gay Men, Queer Women, and the Cultural History of the Mustache

The Walrus. The Captain. The Chevron. The Pyramid. The Fu Manchu. Call it what you want but know that gay, bi, and trans men and even a few queer women have helped popularize the mustache over the years. Now Allan Peterkin's new book, One Thousand Mustaches: The Cultural History of the Mo (Arsenal Pulp) offers a lighthearted cultural history of the 'stache — and its many incarnations— through the ages. He includes a handful of gay or bi men, some in multiple categories (Freddie Mercury fits in "gay mustaches" and "mustaches that rock," for example) and since he's a doctor, male grooming expert, and writer (check out One Thousand Beards for even harrier boys), you can bet he knows what he's talking about.

In honor of Peterkin's work, and the Movember movement (in which men around the globe sprout mustaches in November to help raise money and awareness about prostate and testicular cancer), we've come up with our LGBT slideshow of the 'stache through the ages from Bayard Rustin and Rock Hudson to Marcel Proust and Jennifer Miller. 

On the following pages, see our gay gallery of most-famous mustaches.