Famous gay actors of the past
For many, June represents the month of pride; a period to celebrate, train and communicate all that is gay, gay and fabulous. Although today existence gay isn’t much of a deal, back in the 50’s it was a dangerous label to have. Throughout history, thousands possess 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 contain a look at some celebrities from the golden age of Hollywood who were gay, or at least thats what the rumours said. It’s hard to know if all these celebrities, and of course many more, were truly gay, but I wanted to share a several stories just so see how far we’ve come. Glad 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 On Golden Pond, Katherine Hepburn reportedly had an insatiab
Our roundup of some of the most famous gay actors of all day who are proudly flying the flag for our incredible LGBTQ community.
Representation, whether plain as a bad eyebrow position or as subtle as a carefully coordinated outfit, is slowly but surely growing for the LGBTQ+ community in Hollywood.
More and more actors are coming out and opening up about their gender, emboldened by the lesser potential for backlash aimed in their direction. While some prefer to maintain their privacy – not out of fear but out of “God, the paparazzi are getting on my nerves about this!” – others proudly proclaim engagements, display breakups for all the world to spot , and post their vacation snaps featuring their beloved partners – and sometimes kids too!
We still aren't where we need to be when it comes to equal treatment and opportunity for a lot of folks in Present Business but with the list of openly famous homosexual stars growing each year and the support for them following suit, it's only a matter of time before the score evens out.
1. Sir Ian McKellen
We dare you to come across someone who doesn’t adore Ian McKellen. Go on… we’ll wait.
Even the fo
5. Stars from a Bi-Gone Era
Most of the stories that we discussed came from one guy: Scotty Bowers, a Hollywood pimp of the queer silver screen actors of the 1940s and beyond. He was also related with Alfred Kinsey in his famous study of human sexuality in the 1950s by providing many of the interview subjects.
A former marine, Bowers kept peaceful for many years about these stories, as he did not want to adversely affect the lives of any of the actors who were still around. Many of the stories were actively hushed up using fixers paid by the studios at the time, and several of the actors were in "lavender marriages"---marriages arranged by the studio, frequently with another queer thespian. At the time, studios especially would not have wanted the queer attractions of their headlining actors to be widely established, as that would have damaged the 'wholesome family image' of many of the films they wanted to market.
After all of the actors died, Bowers finally decided that his experiences and stories couldn't harm their image or beloved status---plus the nature was a more open place to queer attraction---so he wrote about it. His memoir, Full Service, records many of the t
When Hollywood Studios Married Off Gay Stars to Store Their Sexuality a Secret
Valentino also married costume creator Natacha Rambova in 1923, at a time when his career was starting to take off and the roles he played were seen as less typically masculine, such as in the film “Monsieur Beaucaire” in 1924. His marriage to Rambova ended in 1925, 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 preserve 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 think the hardest thing for a historian is to thoughtful 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 part in, beginning in 1946.
Bowers wrote that he had been sexually involved with lead