Spanish singer Miguel de Molina was BOTD in 1908. Born in Málaga, Andalucía, to a working-class family, he was bullied for his effeminacy as a child. After being expelled from school for throwing an inkwell at a lecherous priest, he worked as a cleaner in a brothel and began organising flamenco shows. In 1930, he moved to Madrid to pursue a singing career. He became one of Spain’s most popular performers, noted for his mastery of copla (Spanish folk song) and his flamboyant performance style, combining flamenco dancing, spectacular costumes and camp humour. Openly gay and an active supporter of the Spanish Republican cause, he was persecuted and tortured during the Franco dictatorship. He went into exile in Argentina in 1942, befriending and performing for First Lady Eva Perón. The Argentinean government threatened him with expulsion, prompting him to flee to Mexico, until Perón’s intervention allowed him to return. He reignited his singing career, becoming a hugely successful performer, and starred in the 1952 film Ésta es mi vida (This Is My Life), thought to be the first gay-themed Argentinean film. His association with the Peróns made him a hated figure, and he returned to Spain in 1955, starring in the 1958 musical film Luces de candilejas (Footlights). He retired from performance in 1960, moving briefly to New York before settling quietly in Beunos Aires. Rediscovered in the 1980s, his music was featured in Pedro Almodóvar‘s 1984 film ¿Qué he hecho yo para merecer esto? (What Have I Done to Deserve This?), and his life story inspired the successful 1989 film Las cosas del querer starring Manuel Bandera. In 1992, he was awarded the Orden de Isabel la Católica by the Spanish government, in recognition of his contribution to Spanish culture. He died in 1993, aged 84.