How many of you knew that legendary comedian and Oscar host Billy Crystal portrayed one of the first regular gay characters on television. He did so in the television sit-com Soap
From the youtube video description:
In this clip, Jodie -portrayed here by a 29 year old Billy Crystal (Hail Billy Crystal)has a heart to heart with brother Danny (Ted Wass), who has been in denial about his brother's homosexuality. Jodie is not ashamed of his homosexuality. One of the first characters in television history to be out and out gay and not ashamed to admit so to his family. This scene broke barriers.
So despite the often...misrepresentation of gay people by the show, SOAP is one of the FIRST to help with the mainstreaming of homosexuality. To remove the taboo on talking about them, not only as a topic of discussion, but as people with feelings.
Note: In early episodes, Jodie was persuing a sex-change in order to live a "normal life" with his boyfriend. This storyline was dropped, as an LGBT consultant claimed it was too stereotypical and not true to life (though in the 50s- 60s, many gay men did have sex changes to avoid stigmas about their homosexuality. These days we understand that gay men do not wish to be women, and that sexual orientation is separate from the experience of gender- such as in the situation of transgender people).
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The Jeffersons and the transgender community
Maybe I missed it on your long list -- but you seem to have missed America's largest unsolved mass murder -- 32 gay men burned to death on June 24th, 1973 in New Orleans' Upstairs Lounge, which doubled as an MCC Church the day it was torched. I know a few of the survivors, all in their 70s and 80s now.
ReplyDeleteNo investigation was done -- one news report was given -- one pastor came to console the survivors, and he was chastised by his bishop. There's a tiny plaque, size of a desert plate, from the 1990s. Only six or seven websites seem to have an article about it.
Of the 32 gay men, 7 were claimed by their families, the rest buried in a potters field where there's not even a stone --- and several guys were never even identified.
No one gave a damn; seems no one gives a damn today, either.
Seems not to be much known in the LGBT community, either.
and now the Supremes are going to hand down their decisions on us on the 40th Anniversary.
But if you're going to do a history wrap of of gay events - surely this one should make the cut.
After all, as I say: it is America's largest unsolved mass murder.
Jim. If you look at the long list, it is narrowly geared to media and entertainment events in our history. Something I think is overlooked as well.
ReplyDeleteMany of us look forward to this post every week (and were somewhat devastated when Alvin said not long ago that he was considering dropping it).
The Upstairs Lounge tragedy is something that is and has been covered on many sites, and I agree not enough. For more history in that vein I'd suggest a site like Box Turtle, which does a chronology of history every day.