Emperor Ai of Han was an emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty. He was born in 27 BC and ascended the throne when he was 20. He reigned from 7 to 1 BC. He was considered to be intelligent and articulate at the beginning of his reign. He cut spending and limited the length of involuntary servitude mandating servants over50 be freed. Emperor Ai was also known to have male lovers, most notably with a man named Dong Xian. Their relationship is referred to as "the passion of the cut sleeve”. After falling asleep entwined together, the Emperor would cut off his sleeve when he had to get out of bed, rather than disturb his sleeping Dong Xian. #LGBTQHistory #QTPOCHistory #EmperorAi #Intersectionality