17 Iconic Same-Sex Couples Throughout History

Author: Advocate.com Editors

Mercedes de Acosta, a successful poet, playwright, and screenwriter, was an out and proud lesbian who bragged that she could have any woman she wanted. After meeting Hollywood icon Greta Garbo in 1931, she knew exactly what woman that was.

The two began a relationship shortly after their introduction, but it was never smooth sailing. At times, Garbo opened her arms and heart to de Acosta, only to pull away. They drew inspiration from each other, with de Acosta penning a screenplay for Garbo to portray Joan of Arc, but it was never filmed. But their romance was never dead even when it was over; Garbo wrote de Acosta 181 letters, cards, and telegrams. In 1959, when de Acosta was destitute, she sold them to the Rosenbach Museum & Library in Philadelphia. 

“I would not have had the heart or courage to have burned these letters,” de Acosta wrote to William McCarthy, curator of the museum. “Greta’s and Marlene’s who were lovers …. I only hope … they will be respected and protected from the eyes of vulgar people.”

Convinced de Acosta was bad luck and upset that she was open about her queer relationships in memoirs, Garbo decided to erase their romance from her life completely. When de Acosta was dying, a friend asked Garbo to write her a goodbye, but out of pain and fear, Garbo refused.

Original Article on The Advocate
Author: Advocate.com Editors