The Brontë sisters have been included in LGBT events because the androgynous pen names they used suggest they were “genderqueer” figures exploring “gender identity”.
Feminists have reacted angrily to Emily, Charlotte and Anne’s inclusion in Pride Month material discussing “the Brontës and gender identity” because of their alter egos.
Charlotte published her works under the name Currer, Emily under the moniker Ellis and Anne adopted “Acton”. All three went by the same surname, Bell.
At the time, it was common for female writers to adopt male pseudonyms when writing and publishing their works in order to be taken seriously by the establishment – a practice still employed today by some authors.
Material posted online by the Brontë Parsonage Museum, the one-time Yorkshire home of the authors, states that “gender is explored” in their novels, some of which exhibit “gender queerness”.
The inclusion of the Brontës in LGBT material has been met with criticism by those concerned that gender ideology is being imposed on historical figures.
Joan Smith, the author of Misogynies, told The Telegraph: “What next, the Brontë brothers?
“The sisters didn’t use androgynous pseudonyms because they were non-binary or wanted to be men. It was because of the prejudice against female authors and the obstacles facing women who wanted to get published.
“Imposing modern nonsense about gender identity on 19th-century women writers is an insult to what they managed to achieve.”
Neither Charlotte nor her younger sisters Emily or Anne were ever known to have had same-sex relationships. The younger pair both died in their late 20s without having any recorded romances at all.
Charlotte married the curate Arthur Bell Nicholls.
The “Pride at the Parsonage” material about “The Brontës and Gender Identity” was posted by the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth, West Yorkshire.
This was the home of the famed novelists, who gave the world Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey.
The Parsonage has said that Charlotte created an entire persona for her alias, Currer, and that she was more “assertive” when using it in correspondence.
Charlotte’s 1853 novel Villette is held up as an example of “gender queerness” in one post, which quotes an obscure academic paper.
The quote from the paper states that Charlotte’s character Lucy taking part in a play dressed as a man “adds masculinity on top of her femininity to perform gender queerness” and finds “delight and joy in this genderqueer performance”.
Posts from the Parsonage state that the Brontës managed to defy the gender expectations of their day by using their pseudonyms, adding that many potential female novelists may have been silenced by the societal norms of their day.
The inclusion of the sisters in LGBT-themed material has prompted an online backlash, with more than 170 comments.
One comment said: “The Brontës adopted male pseudonyms because at that time women weren’t allowed or accepted to be writers or to earn a living for themselves outside of professions deemed to be suitable for women (governesses, servants, etc) based on stereotypes.
“They were not ‘queer’ in the modern sense, or considered themselves to have a male or non-binary identity.
“They did it out of necessity due to the restrictive gender stereotypes that people had to conform to at that time.
“Recent trends and movements citing the relevance and importance of ‘gender identity’ mystify me.”
Another person said: “Ugh, this is a woeful stretch. The barriers they faced were all about being female. Not much has changed.”
And another wrote: “Stop pushing a regressive ideology. And Charlotte Brontë died as a result of her female biology. You are doing the Brontës a major [disservice].”
The Parsonage Museum responded by adding their own comment, stating: “We remain committed to our Pride at the Parsonage campaign and stand beside all those we seek to include and celebrate.”
The public statement on Facebook added: “As well as a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, the Brontë Society has a policy of respect and a duty of care to its staff.
“While courteous discussion is welcomed, we will not allow our thoughtful and hardworking staff to be subjected to hatred or bullying behaviour.”
The Brontës are not the first writers to be controversially included in Pride events.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson, the poet laureate, was named as an LGBT historical figure on a tour for schools, despite a lack of evidence that the poet had any hom*osexual relationships.
While there is no clear evidence Tennyson was hom*osexual, the Isle of Wight home where he lived with his wife of 42 years was included in a tour of sights linked to LGBT figures whose stories may have been obscured by “cis/heteronormative narratives”.
The Parsonage Museum has been contacted for comment.
