#QueerQuote: “Love is a Striking Example of How Little Reality Means to Us.” – Marcel Proust

By Stephen Rutledge on July 10, 2022 11:00 am

Photograph by Otto Wegener, 1882, public domain via Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust's (1871- 1922) quote is better in French, but then most things are: "L'amour est un exemple frappant de la façon dont la petite réalité nous paraît." I have often thought of … [Read more...]

#BornThisDay: Actor / Writer, Rupert Everett

By Stephen Rutledge on May 29, 2022 3:03 am

In 2015, via Wikimedia Commons May 29, 1959 – Rupert James Hector Everett: “It’s amazing the clarity that comes with psychotic jealousy.” We were already big fans of his good-looks and his talent when, in spring of 1984, The Husband (then the boyfriend) was a waiter when … [Read more...]

#BornThisDay: Sir Ian McKellen

By Stephen Rutledge on May 25, 2022 3:03 am

On The Graham Norton Show via YouTube May 25, 1939 – Sir Ian McKellen: "Everything gets better when you come out because you get self-confidence. So, you get better in terms of relationships, friends of all sorts, family, if you're lucky. And in my case, I think in every … [Read more...]

#ArtDept: The Male Nudes of English Painter, Brian Hatton

By Stephen Rutledge on May 22, 2022 4:05 am

Brian Hatton, Seated Nude; Hereford Museum and Art Gallery, public domain In his very short life, his works showed considerable promise and included local landscapes, family portraits, figure studies, and book illustrations. Brian Hatton was born in 1887 in Hereford, … [Read more...]

#QueerQuote: ”Coming Out is the Most Political Thing You Can Do.” – Harvey Milk

By Stephen Rutledge on May 22, 2022 4:04 am

According to people who knew him, some of whom are friends of mine; Harvey Milk (1930-1978) was no saint and not an easy man. He had a temper and a stubborn streak. But his sense of independence freed him from compromising party politics, allowing him to be controlled by his … [Read more...]

#BornThisDay: Poet / Songwriter, Rod McKuen

By Stephen Rutledge on April 29, 2022 3:03 am

1970, Wikimedia Commons Rod McKuen: "It doesn't matter who you love, or how you love, but that you love." He was a singer-songwriter musician. He was also one of the bestselling poets of the 1960s. McKuen was born at the Salvation Army hostel in Oakland, California, … [Read more...]

#BornThisDay: Writer, Glenway Wescott

By Stephen Rutledge on April 11, 2022 3:03 am

Wescott by George Platt Lynes, Yale Library Digital Archives April 11, 1901 - Glenway Wescott: "I am an aging genius, with an insufficient talent, now pregnant with certain books that I have been gradually laboring at for years; in extremely unhappy circumstances in some … [Read more...]

#BornThisDay: Vincent van Gogh

By Stephen Rutledge on March 30, 2022 3:03 am

Self Portrait 1887, Chicago Art Institute, via Wikimedia Commons March 30, 1883– Vincent van Gogh: "I dream my painting and I paint my dream." He has been widely celebrated (to say the least) since his death in 1880 at 37 years old. I counted at least 15 films … [Read more...]

#BornThisDay: The B-52s’ Ricky Wilson

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

Photo via YouTube March 19, 1953– Ricky Wilson What do they put in the water in Athens, Georgia? Each member of the greatest party band The B-52s deserves their own #BornThisDay treatment, but together, as a band, they remain true Gay Icons. From the band's … [Read more...]

#StPatricksDay: Remembering Gay Irish Revolutionary, Roger Casement

By Stephen Rutledge on March 17, 2022 4:04 am

Roger Casement (1864 - 1916) ''If charity begins at home, empire begins in other men's homes.'' Roger Casement led a queer life (in more ways than one). If you have never heard of Casement, who was executed by the British for treason, the reason is as simple as it is sad: … [Read more...]