The Bloomsbury Group was a group of writers and artists that came together to share their creative ideas and give each other support. Along with their shared passion for art, they formed close bonds over their shared political and philosophical views including views on feminism, sexuality, and relationships. These beliefs were considered very modern, progressive, and liberal. 

 Although the Bloomsbury Group was founded in 1905 although it didn’t become known as “The Bloomsbury Group” until 1912. The 10 key members of the Bloomsbury Group include: Venessa Bell (painter), Clive Bell (art critic), Virginia Woolf (writer), Leonard Woolf (writer, publisher, political theorist), John Maynard Keynes (economist, art lover), Roger Fry (painter, art critic), E.M. Forster (writer), Lytton Stachey (writer, critic), Sir Desmond MacCarthy (writer), and Duncan Grant (artist, designer). They would meet at the home of Vanessa Bell and her sister Virginia Woolf at 46 Gordon Square, Bloomsbury, London. On Thursdays, the group's writers would meet at the house, and on Fridays, the group's artists would meet at the house.  

Aside from the fact that all the members of the Bloomsbury Group were remarkable individuals that had a great impact on modern culture within their respective fields, they were also famous for their progressive and liberal lifestyle that infuriated people. Many of the group members were homosexual or bisexual, and they had open romantic and sexual relationships with each other. It's important to remember that the group was founded in 1905 and being gay wasn’t decriminalized in England until the 1967 Sexual Offenses Act.  

The known queer Bloomsbury Group Members: 

-Vanessa Bell: Bi 

-Virginia Woolf: Bi 

-John Maynard Keynes: Bi 

-Lytton Stachey: Gay 

-Duncan Grant: Gay 

The Bloomsbury Group members were decades ahead of their time, in art, philosophy, feminism, and sexuality. They paved the way for modern artistic, literary, and philosophical movements and are important icons in both feminist and LGBT history.  

Sources:

“Lifestyle and Legacy of the Bloomsbury Group.” Tate, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/b/bloomsbury/lifestyle-lives-and-legacy-bloomsbury-group

Berry, Elizabeth. “Who Are the 10 Key Members of the Bloomsbury Group?” ETheCollector, 7 Apr. 2023, https://www.thecollector.com/who-are-the-major-members-of-the-bloomsbury-group/

“A Timeline of LGBT Communities in the UK.” British Library, British Library Board, https://www.bl.uk/LGBTQ-histories/lgbtq-timeline#Sexual-Offences-Act

Whitaker, Amy. “'Living in Squares, Loving in Triangles': The Literary Legacy of the Bloomsbury Group.” The Bubble, 10 Apr. 2023, https://www.thebubble.org.uk/culture/literature/living-in-squares-loving-in-triangles-the-literary-legacy-of-the-bloomsbury-group/