Now that gay actors like Nathan Lane, Jim Parsons, Victor Garber, Jonathan Groff, and Neil Patrick Harris are &#;out of the closet&#; and on the rise, it&#;s hard to imagine just how different things were in the relatively recent past. Not only was the notion of being openly gay and having a viable career unimaginable, but gayness itself was also a concept polite society couldn&#;t countenance. &#;Homosexuals&#; subsisted on society’s margins, mentioned only in whispered gossip, fearsome psychiatric studies, and Conservative diatribes decrying perversion.
Hiding In Plain Sight
Still, in spite of it all, gay men managed to build their way to very top of the acting profession in the gilded closets of Hollywood. In this covert context, bigtime careers and personal lives proceeded with a calculated risk that can fascinate us today. Here are five of the most noteworthy examples of gay actors in mid-Century Hollywood.
LIBERACE
Liberace was an utterly unique entertainer. A pianist whose act consisted of an abbreviated ar
It's been an ~interesting~ journey for queer people in the movie and television industry. Once upon a time, gay and lesbian actors, specifically, had to remain in the closet, and there were next-to-no gay parts on screen.
The idea that openly gay actors can play het characters is a relatively new phenomenon. Previously, out gay actors could only really work when roles for them a) existed, and b) weren't being given to heterosexual actors.
Now it seems much more acceptable for an openly gay actor play a straight character. In fact, here are 18 times an actor has played a straight character on screen, despite being openly gay or queer in real life
Scott as The Priest in Fleabag
a Stenberg as Ruby Daly in The Darkest Minds
an Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton in Bridgerton
7.B.D. Wong as Wally Lin in Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens
de Rossi as Lindsay Bluth Funke in Arrested Development
Platt as Evan Hansen in the Dear Evan Hansen movie
Justice Smith as Simon Aumar in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Luke Evans as Gaston in Beauty
For many, June represents the month of pride; a time to celebrate, educate and communicate all that is queer, gay and fabulous. Although today being gay isn&#;t much of a deal, back in the 50&#;s it was a dangerous label to have. Throughout history, thousands include lost their lives because they were labeled as &#;gay&#; or &#;queer&#; and many lived out their true sexual preferences in secrecy. As it&#;s almost the end of Pride month, I wanted to have a glance at some celebrities from the golden age of Hollywood who were gay, or at least thats what the rumours said. It&#;s difficult to know if all these celebrities, and of course many more, were truly gay, but I wanted to share a few stories just so see how far we&#;ve come. Happy pride everyone.
*Disclaimer: Please note that some of the following stories may depict graphic descriptions and behaviours which some readers may find disturbing. Discretion is advised.
Katherine Hepburn
Iconic Hollywood actress and Academy Award-winning performer in films such as Guess Who&#;s Coming to Dinner, The Lion in Winter, and O
When Hollywood Studios Married Off Gay Stars to Keep Their Sexuality a Secret
Valentino also married costume designer Natacha Rambova in , at a time when his career was starting to hold off and the roles he played were seen as less typically masculine, such as in the film “Monsieur Beaucaire” in His marriage to Rambova ended in , which left some speculating that the marriages of the “pink powder puff” (a nickname Valentino acquired after playing effeminate roles on screen) were coverups to keep the sex symbol’s reputation intact.
Identifying how many Hollywood couples tied the knot to cloak their sexuality is, of course problematic since it’s primarily based on speculation_._
“I reflect the hardest thing for a historian is to kind of sift through what the rumor [is] and what is actually factual," says Tropiano.
One commonly cited source for speculation is the memoir of Scotty Bowers, Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of the Stars. Bowers’ account details sexual encounters, gay and straight, that he claims he both arranged and took pa