Paramount Publicity Still, 1954, via Wikimedia Commons October 19, 1921 - George Nader: "We lived in fear of an exposé, or even one small remark, a veiled suggestion that someone was homosexual. Such a remark would have caused an earthquake at the studio. Every month, when … [Read more...]
#BornThisDay: Singer / Songwriter, Laura Nyro
October 18, 1947 - Laura Nyro: "They say a woman's place is to wait and serve under the veil, submissive and dear. But I think my place is in a ship from space to carry me the hell out of here…" It would never have happened to me when I was young. I was a fearless performer as … [Read more...]
#MustSee: 1948’s “The More The Merrier” & the Insecurities & Stage Fright of Star, Jean Arthur
The More The Merrier (1943), Columbia Studios via YouTube "I am not an adult, that’s my explanation of myself. Except when I am working on a set, I have all the inhibitions and shyness of the bashful, backward child, unless I have something very much in common with a person, … [Read more...]
#BornThisDay: Blacklisted Actor, Marsha Hunt
In 1940, Paramount publicity still, via Wikimedia Commons October 17, 1917 - Marsha Hunt: "Be fearless. When injustice occurs, go on with your convictions. Giving in and being silent is what they want you to do." Hunt is an actor, model, and activist, with a career that … [Read more...]
In Honor of Oscar Wilde’s 167th Birthday: Films Inspired by the Life and Works of the Greatest Gay Icon
Helmut Berger (left) and Richard Todd in Massimo Dallamano's Dorian Gray (1970). Photograph via YouTube Oscar Wilde’s literary legacy is too often reduced to reciting his pithy witticisms, but Wilde’s works have inspired many film adaptations (and plays, musicals, operas … [Read more...]
#BornThisDay: Ultimate Gay Icon, Oscar Wilde
Photograph by Napoleon Sarony, public domain October 16, 1854– Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde: "Give a man a mask and he will tell you the truth." Do we need a #BornThisDay post about the Gay Icon, Oscar Wilde? Is there anything that I could share with all of … [Read more...]
#BornThisDay: Poet, Virgil
October 15, 70 BC– Virgil: "Even virtue is fairer when it appears in a beautiful person." I am not much of a classicist, but I have long planned to adopt a pitbull and name him Virgil. Publius Vergilius Maro, or Virgil, as he was referred to in my Roman Classics … [Read more...]
#BornThisDay: Actor, Lillian Gish
1921, public domain October 14, 1896 – Lillian Gish: ''I'm so glad I didn't ruin a man's life by marrying him.'' According to director Lindsay Anderson, while filming The Whales Of August (1987) he said to Lillian Gish: "Miss Gish, you have just given me a perfect … [Read more...]
#BornThisDay: Actor / Chanteur, Yves Montand
October 13, 1921 – Yves Montand: "I think a man can have two, maybe three, affairs while he is married. But three is the absolute maximum. After that, you're cheating." I will shamefully admit, I had no idea who he was until as a 16-year-old musical theatre queer, … [Read more...]
#BornThisDay, Bangladeshi LGBTQ Rights Activist, Xulhaz Mannan
Via U.S. Bangladesh Embassy page on The Facebook October 12, 1976 - Xulhaz Mannan In Bangladesh, Xulhaz Mannan was one of those people who only needed a first name, like Cher or Madonna. On April 25, 2016, Mannan was hacked to death in his Dhaka apartment. His best … [Read more...]
