THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY JULY 22

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THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY

JULY 22

1860 - FREDERICK ROLFE, British novelist, born (d: 1913); Attention Boys and Girls! How many of you have read A.J.A Symon's The Quest for Corvo? Raise your right hands. Mmmhmmmmm...Just as we thought. Since Symon's book is one of the great works of literary detection and should not be left gathering dust on library shelves, here's enough basic information on Rolfe to get your juices flowing: Rolfe, who liked to call himself Frederick Baron Corvo, also calling himself 'Frederick William Serafino Austin Lewis Mary Rolfe,' although these were only two of his aliases, was a novelist, more than a bit of a crook, a terribly sweet fellow, and the self-styled head of the Roman Catholic Church. Have we got your attention now?

His most famous work is Hadrian the Seventh, a fantasy about himself as Pope. In reality, Rolfe's near-surreal life is much more interesting and funny than his writing. Read The Quest for Corvo and find out why. The book was very successfully adapted by Peter Luke as a stage production in London in 1968, in which the part of Hadrian/Rolfe was played by Alec McCowen. Further productions with Barry Morse played in Australia, on Broadway, and in a short U.S. national tour. Director Terry Hands produced a stage version adapted by Peter Luke, starring Derek Jacobi in the title role in 1995.

1893 – JAMES WHALE, English film director born (d. 1957) A ground-breaking Hollywood film director, best known for his work in the horror movie genre, making such pictures as Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, and The Invisible Man. Whale was openly gay during his time in Hollywood. The fictionalized film Gods and Monsters was about Whale, with Ian McKellen as Whale, along with the always yummy Brendan Fraser, Lynn Redgrave, Lolita Davidovitch and David Dukes. The movie was adapted from the novel Father of Frankenstein by Christopher Bram.

1924 – MARGARET WHITING, singer, born. Her late-life marriage to younger gay porn star Jack Wrangler raised many eyebrows. When they first began dating, he protested, "But I'm gay!" to which she replied, "Only around the edges, dear."

1973 – RUFUS WAINWRIGHT, Canadian singer, born. The out gay son of folk music luminaries Loudon Wainwright III and the late Kate McGarrigle. In addition to many albums, in 2006, Wainwright reproduced Judy Garland's famous Judy Live At Carnegie Hall concert, released as a two-disc CD set in December 2007. Discography: Rufus Wainwright [1998]; Poses [2001]; Want One [2003]; Want Two [2004]; Release the Stars [2007]; Rufus Live At Carnegie Hall [2007].

2011 – "DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL" was officially ended. President Obama, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, formally issued their certification to the Armed Services committees of both houses of Congress, signifying that the military is ready for the end of Don't Ask, Don't tell which is being called the "transition."  The act expired in 60 days, as prescribed (for no reason that can be determined other than spitefulness) in the law passed by Congress and signed by the President December 2012. 

2011 - The 2011 NORWAY ATTACKS were a pair of Christian terrorist against the civilian population, the government, and a political summer camp in Norway on 22 July 2011. The first was a car bomb explosion in Regjeringskvartalet, the executive government quarter of Oslo, in the evening rush hour, about 6:30 p.m, outside the office of the Prime Minister and other government buildings. The explosion killed eight people and wounded several others, with more than 10 people critically injured.

The second was an armed assault on a youth summer camp on Utoya Island. A gunman disguised as a policeman opened fire at the campers, killing 68, including personal friends of Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and the stepbrother of Norway's crown princess Mette-Marit.

Lesbians HEGE DALEN and her partner TORIL HANSEN were eating supper in the camping area opposite Utoya island the site of the summer camp when they started hearing gunshots and screaming.

Dalen and Hansen drove their boat to the island, and fished out of the water people who were in shock and young people who were injured and transported them ashore. Every now and then bullets almost hit the boat. Since they couldn't fit everyone into the boat all at once, they returned to the island four times. It is believed they may have saved as much as forty people from the killer.

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