Gay Icons

[CSonBroadway]

Posted: 9/4/10 at 10:53pm

Who do you think are some of the best Gay icons of all time? Why? State your opinions.

[Q]

Posted: 9/4/10 at 11:06pm

Martina Navratilova is one of them, for me.

She came out early in her career - one of the few public personages to have done so at that time, actually (1981.) Even though she paid a high price in lost endorsements, she never backed down and just kept being who she was.

She has continued that through the years, and has given her time, energy, and money to help the cause of civil rights all along.

[madbrian]

Posted: 9/4/10 at 11:06pm

Papa

[CSonBroadway]

Posted: 9/4/10 at 11:11pm

I know this is cliche, but I consider Lady Gaga a gay icon to me because she helped me come out. I'm 16.

To me, she is the queen of liberation. While Madonna is the queen of sexuality.

[Q]

Posted: 9/4/10 at 11:32pm

Ian McKellen.

Coming out in 1988 to protest possible anti-gay legislation in Britain, he has since been a vocal and important supporter of civil rights around the globe.

[toanythingtaboo 2]

Posted: 9/5/10 at 10:24am

CSonBroadway, I don't think considering Lady Gaga as a gay icon is cliche at all. Perhaps a touch premature, but she's definitely well on her way to becoming one...if not THE one of this generation.

If her flamboyance and pop music wasn't enough for candidacy, then her vocal support for the gay community, equality and liberation in general surely is.

[twinbelters]

Posted: 9/5/10 at 2:21pm

I don't know if I'd say "gay" icon, perhaps "queer" icon, but I think David Bowie is a brilliant composer, writer, and visionary. He helped break down gender stereotypes and did so with class. He was and continues to be a touchstone for many musicians and artists. He also has had relationships with both men and women while never appearing anything but confident about who he is. Amazing man. Not my type, but amazing.

[Q]

Posted: 9/5/10 at 2:31pm

Quentin Quisp.

Always was exactly who he was, with no apologies. I suppose some might argue that he really didn't have a choice - he was pretty 'obvious' - but how he responded was a choice. And it was always with his head held high and a sly remark on his lips.

And all in a time that was . . . well, dangerous, really.

[Q]

Posted: 9/5/10 at 2:38pm

Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon.

These women, to me, are the epitome of honoring who you are and being truthful to that awareness. Integrity and hope marked everything they did, and they did it together. And they never, never, NEVER gave up! It is one of my happiest thoughts that they got to experience their wedding before death seperated them. We know what happened right after, and the struggle continues, but at least they had that day - one of our greatest and most joyful occasions, I think.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 9/5/10 at 2:52pm

Joan Jett--Written off as a gimmick only to fire up her own label, become hugely successful and one of the best ladies to ever grace rock n roll. Plus, she's a total butch with a tip of the hat to femme beauty. Class.

[Hulmeman]

Posted: 9/7/10 at 4:08pm

I was going to say Harvey Milk, but he's an iconic gay isn't he.

If a gay Icon is regarded as someone gay people identify with, then call me Shirley Bassey!

[Almira]

Posted: 9/7/10 at 4:19pm

HARRY HAY! HARRY HAY! HARRY HAY!


Henry "Harry" Hay, Jr. (April 7, 1912 – October 24, 2002) was a teacher, labor advocate, and early leader in the American LGBT rights movement. Drawing on his background in the Communist Party USA, Hay co-founded the Mattachine Society, the first enduring LGBT rights organization in the United States, in 1950. Following his ouster from Mattachine leadership in 1953, Hay largely withdrew from organized LGBT activism until the late 1970s, although he continued to participate in the movement informally and following the 1969 Stonewall riots, became involved in a local Gay Liberation Front chapter. In 1979, Hay and his longtime companion, inventor John Burnside, founded the Radical Faeries. Hay and Burnside remained together for almost 40 years, from 1963 until Hay's death.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/7/10 at 5:27pm

Sir Patrick

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 9/7/10 at 6:21pm

Just curious, Q, what was your take on this situation?

http://www.queerty.com/is-martina-navratilova-actually-bad-for-gay-rights-20090630/

[tazber]

Posted: 9/7/10 at 6:26pm

Jordan Catalano is my gay icon.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 9/7/10 at 6:47pm

Greg Louganis, then...













...and now...








...and forever...

Updated On: 9/7/10 at 06:47 PM

[Almira]

Posted: 9/7/10 at 6:53pm

Hope Along the Wind: The Life of Harry Hay - trailer

I had no idea who Harry Hay was until I saw this documentary.

We owe him so much.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzielJYQiwY


EDIT:

So I'm just now discovering the whole Harry Hay/NAMBLA connection. Yes, I'm uncomfortable with it.

But I still argue that he is an important gay icon who was willing to take the early courageous steps that started the movement we continue today.

Updated On: 9/7/10 at 06:53 PM

[Q]

Posted: 9/8/10 at 2:33am

Mr. M - I had to think about this for awhile.

I guess, in the end, I see it as a private personal choice that is only made public because of her celebrity. A little disclosure - I had the chance to see Martina in her personal life when I lived in Aspen. It was right after the ugly split from Judy Nelson, and she was seeing a ski instructor. Frankly, she wasn't very pleasant. And there are many tales of her that paint a less than flattering picture.

Much like John Denver, another Aspen resident, the private and public persona diverged so much at times to be almost irreconcilable. Does that make the public persona nothing but a lie? What about the work they do under that 'guise'?

I tend to look at what they present to the world, and let their private selves remain just that. In the end, I don't think we can ever really know exactly what's going on with people and their actions - especially if all we see is filtered through the media.

I guess, when things are made public, their reaction to that and how it's dealt with become part of the public persona. But in our celebrity mad times, that kind of distinction has become almost a moot point.
Updated On: 9/8/10 at 02:33 AM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 9/8/10 at 10:40am

Not to particularly defend Martina,but we have to acknowledge that with gay marriage will come gay divorce.

And it will be just as ugly and brutal and vicious and hateful as straight divorce, with attack-dog lawyers and money-grubbing.

[Q]

Posted: 9/8/10 at 10:46am

Oddly, it makes the unfairness and inequity more visible by showcasing the 'loophole'.