LGBT heroes - John Maynard Keynes

A hero is someone admired for their achievements and/or qualities. An LGBT hero can be:

1. A hero who's achievements and/or qualities relate to the LGBT community
2. A hero who is also lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered (LGBT)
3. Both of the above

Most lists of LGBT heroes tend to be US-based or based on the first category. The list of UK heroes who are also LGBT normally just consists of Alan Turing. I want to expand that list as much as i can, starting with...

John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946)

John Maynard Keynes was a British economist, who's ideas shaped most of the 20th century. He developed Keynesian economics, the theory that governments should stimulate the economy during recessions by reducing interest rates and investing in infrastructure. This approach was implemented by Western governments after World War II but went out of favour in the late 1970s. However the financial crisis of 2007/8 led to resurgence of interest in his thinking. He was also part of the Bloomsbury Group (of writers, philosophers and artists).

He has been called a hero by many people (including Joan Bakewell).

However, he is rarely thought of as an LGBT hero. It is always hard to apply modern labels to people in the past, however Keynes was known to have kept a diary of his same-sex encounters and had relationships with Dilly Knox (a Bletchley Park codebreaker) and Duncan Grant (an artist). However in 1921 he met and then married Lydia Lopokova (a Russian ballerina).

Some of his famous quotes include:

• "When my information changes, I alter my conclusions. What do you do, sir?"
• "The long run is a misleading guide to current affairs. In the long run we are all dead."
• "The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones."
• "Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone."

I believe that Keynes' achievements had an international impact, made the world a better place and that he wasn't straight - an LGBT hero.