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THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY
MAY 25
1803 - On this date RALPH WALDO EMERSON the poet & essayist was born. Emerson had a wild crush on a classmate at
Harvard. Martin Gay, the subject of Emerson's growing infatuation, was the
subject of numerous entries in Emerson's journals which modern editors have
been able to reconstruct. As the scholar Martin Greif has written, "they
provide a rare view of the future philosopher in the thrall of same-sex
love." With an unembarrassed frankness he wrote in his journal about the
disturbing power of the glances he and Gay exchanged. Emerson wrote of
Martin Gay in his notebook, “Why do you look after me? I cannot help looking
out as you pass.” Emerson heavily crossed out the Martin Gay journal notes at
some later time. He would later tell Walt
Whitman to cross out the homoerotic portions of the Calamus cluster of poems in
Leaves of Grass. Fortunately for us and
for posterity Whitman did not take the "advice." In Emerson's mature life "his craving for
friendship and love seldom found adequate satisfaction," as his biographer
Stephen Whicher put it.
1895 - On this date the Irish
playwright and poet OSCAR WILDE was convicted of gross indecency and sentenced
to two years of hard labor.
1939 - Today's the birthday
of stage and screen actor and long time Gay Rights advocate and hero SIR IAN McKELLEN. Born in Burnley, England, he studied at St. Catharine's College,
University of Cambridge. McKellen was nominated for an Oscar for his role in
"Gods and Monsters" (playing gay Frankenstein director James Whale) becoming the first openly gay actor to be
nominated. People told him coming out would mean the end of his career. It hasn't.
He is the
recipient of six Laurence Olivier, a Tony Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen
Actors Guild Award, A BIF Award, two Saturn Awards, four Drama Desk Awards and
two Citici’s Choice Awards. He has also received two Academy Award nominations,
five Emmy Award nominations, and four BAFTA nominations.
He's had quite a career with roles in such classic plays (and films
adaptations) of Macbeth, Richard III and Edward II to name
just a few. These are all available
on DVD and well worth the watching. Millions of fans the world over know him as
the bearded wizard Gandalf or the helmeted mutant master of magnetism Magneto. He
may be the best known out gay actor in the world. He's been out for decades
becoming one of the first to do so back in the 1980s.
In 2009 McKellen premiered a one-man show in Washington, DC as a
benefit for the Washington Shakespeare Theater. He held an audience and this
writer spellbound as he performed soliloquy after soliloquy from Shakespearean
roles he's had over the years. He shared stories of the actors he has known and
called friend. Most moving of all was his telling the story of being in South
Africa after the end of apartheid. He was there for a role but was asked by
local gay activists if he'd be willing to speak to Nelson Mandela about the
need for Gay Rights protections in the new country's constitution. He told them
he would only agree if he were accompanied by South African gay activist
leaders. The three of them, all friends, met with Mandela and spoke of the need
for the new country to place Gay Rights protections into the constitution. Mandela
agreed and it was his support that allowed for South Africa to become the first
country to place direct rights for Gay and Lesbian people into its
constitution. McKellen called it the proudest moment of his life.
1965 - On this date the first
openly gay demonstration for gay rights at the White House took place,
organized by FRANK KAMENY and THE MATTACHINE SOCIETY.
1978 - The first "Gay
Day" at Disneyland is held. More than 15,000 people attend and it's the
largest private party ever held at Disneyland. I went. It was amazing at the
time, but I look back on it now with almost bemusement.
1995 - On this date in EGAN
V. CANADA the Supreme Court of
Canada ruled that sexual orientation was a prohibited ground of discrimination
under section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, a part of the
constitution. Section 15 does not explicitly list sexual orientation, but is
designed to permit the addition of new grounds by the courts. The ruling has
had a wide impact since section 15 applies to all laws, including human rights
laws that prohibit discrimination by all employers, landlords, service
providers and governments.
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