#WomenWeLove: Gay Icon, Mae West

By Stephen Rutledge on August 17, 2022 1:10 pm

1936 Paramount Pictures publicity shot, public domain Mae West (1893 - 1980): “Those who are easily shocked should be shocked more often.” Her career started in 1907 and her last public appearance was in 1978; that's a long run. Gay Icon Mae West worked in … [Read more...]

Alan Cumming’s New One Man Show “Burn” Hits NYC Next Month!

By Paisley Dalton on August 17, 2022 11:58 am

Created by Alan Cumming and Olivier-winning choreographer Steven Hoggett, "Burn" mines the depths of letters from Scotland’s national bard, [Read more...]

#QueerQuote: “I’m Tough, I’m Ambitious, and I Know Exactly What I Want. If That Makes Me a Bitch, Okay.” – Madonna

By Stephen Rutledge on August 16, 2022 10:30 am

Rebel Heart Tour, 2015, photo via Wikimedia Commons In 1978, Madonna Louise Ciccone dropped out of college and moved to New York City. She worked at Dunkin’ Donuts while taking classes at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, and she was soon hired as a company member with … [Read more...]

#WomenWeLove: Actor & Good Witch, Billie Burke

By Stephen Rutledge on August 7, 2022 6:00 am

MGM Publicity Photo, 1933, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain Mary William Ethelbert Appleton Burke (1884 - 1970) used the stage-name Billie Burke when she was a Broadway star back when the 20th century was new. Appearing in Broadway musicals, she stole the hearts of … [Read more...]

#QueerQuote: “I Think the Republican Party Should be Placed in Drydock and Have the Barnacles Scraped Off Its Bottom.” – Tallulah Bankhead

By Stephen Rutledge on August 1, 2022 9:30 am

Today we celebrate the birthday of Miss Tallulah Bankhead (1902-1968). I am a gay man of a certain age, and in my time, in my tribe, telling Tallulah stories and imitating the famed personality was de rigueur at brunches and parties. But, nowadays, do the kids even know who she … [Read more...]

Was George Bernard Shaw an Early Gay Rights Activist?

By Stephen Rutledge on July 26, 2022 1:05 pm

1936, public domain George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950): "If You Want to Tell People the Truth, Make Them Laugh, Otherwise They'll Kill You." Shaw is one of my favorite figures in history. He was a man of Theatre and Film, a vegetarian, a Socialist, and a rabble … [Read more...]

#WomenWeLove: Diana Rigg

By Stephen Rutledge on July 20, 2022 12:20 pm

Screenshot from the Avengers episode A Touch Of Brimstone, 1966 As if the summer 2020 wasn’t bad enough, Diana Rigg left us. She was 83 years old as her final credits rolled, taken by cancer. When fans of the phenomenally popular Game Of Thrones consider Dame Enid … [Read more...]

#BornThisDay: Jean Cocteau

By Stephen Rutledge on July 5, 2022 3:03 pm

1923 portrait, Wikimedia Commons, public domain July 5, 1889 - Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau: "Life is a horizontal fall." He was a poet, writer, designer, playwright, artist and filmmaker. While still in his teens, Cocteau began to date older, well-connected … [Read more...]

#BornThisDay: Cross-Dressing Entertainer, Gladys Bentley

By Stephen Rutledge on June 26, 2022 3:03 am

Photographer unknown, 1940, Smithsonian Institute, public domain June 26, 1907- Gladys Bentley: "From the time I can remember anything, I never wanted a man to touch me. Soon I began to feel more comfortable in boys’ clothes than in dresses." In 1934, King's Terrace, a … [Read more...]

#BornThisDay: Pioneering American Theatrical & Literary Agent, Bessie Marbury

By Stephen Rutledge on June 19, 2022 3:03 am

1922, Library of Congress, public domain June 19, 1856 - Elisabeth "Bessie" Marbury: "There is no intolerance in the world so great as the intolerance of tolerance, and no bigotry so excessive as the bigotry of the image breaker." Marbury is an important cultural figure … [Read more...]