Mario Mieli (21 May 1952, Milan – 12 March 1983) was a big figure in the 1970s Italian gay movement. He combined a theoretical perspective with a provocative public persona. His outrageous public behavior made him controversial, but he was still respected as one of the movement's important intellectuals. He's known among English speakers for Towards a Gay Communism, a political pamphlet from his major theoretical work Homosexuality and Liberation: Elements of a Gay Critique.