ZeitGAYst

Marilyn Monroe Sings "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to JFK (May 19, 1962)

Marilyn Monroe was one of many well-wishers from the entertainment world who paid tribute to President Kennedy at Madison Square Garden on May 19, 1962 on the occasion of his 45th birthday. (His birthday was actually ten days later.)  However, because of her slinky "va-va-voom" gown and breathy singing of "Happy Birthday", only Marilyn's appearance is remembered.  Curiously, First Lady Jackie Kennedy wasn't among those in attendance that evening.  (Ironically, she died on this very date in 1994).

 

Looking back, this performance was quite audacious for its time.  (And it's been a part of every gay man's repertoire ever since.)  Back then, however, who knows how long it took for Marilyn's performance to be communicated to the general public.  Perhaps her appearance was muted to a degree because she was one of a roster of performers that night, among them Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee and Maria Callas (pictured).   

 

That evening Marilyn was very late for her appearance and in a creepy bit of foreshadowing, master of ceremonies Peter Lawford (one of the president's brother-in-laws) introduced her as the "late" Marilyn Monroe.  Shockingly, less than three months later she would be dead. 

 

 

 

Same-Sex Marriage Begins in Massachusetts (May 17, 2004)

The first same-sex marriages in the U.S. took place in Massachusetts on May 17, 2004.  This was six months after the state's Supreme Court ruled the ban unconstitutional.  Since then Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Washington state and D.C. have also made gay marriage legal.  (The Netherlands was the first country to legalize gay unions in 2001.) 

 

 

For three months in 2008 the state of California also allowed same-sex marriages until voters narrowly voted against them later that year.  However, any marriages that were performed in those months are still valid.  In August 2010 a Federal District Court in San Francisco overturned Proposition 8 but resumption of marriages is on hold pending appeal.   

 

The latest marriage figures for Massachusetts are through 2010 and they show that more than 13,000 same-sex couples had gotten hitched, comprising 7% of all marriages in the state during that period.       

 

Demonstration for Gay Rights Held at White House for First Time (April 17, 1965)

On the afternoon of April 17, 1965 a small group of dedicated and brave gay men and lesbians demonstrated in front of the White House for the first time to protest the unjust treatment of homosexuals by the federal government.  The demonstrators were from the DC branch of the gay rights group called the Mattachine Society.  They held picket signs with slogans such as "First Class Citizenship for Homosexuals" and "Homosexuals Are U.S. Citizens Too".   There was a debate among the participants on how to dress and it was decided that suits and ties for men and blouses, skirts and heels for women were most appropriate in order to show onlookers that homosexuals looked just like everyone else.  (The demonstration was depicted in the 1995 movie Stonewall.)

 

What a debt of gratitude we owe these brave, pioneering individuals who went out in broad daylight not knowing what kind of recepetion they might encounter. (It turns out they were largely ignored.)  Today equally brave LGBT ndividuals are taking their lives in their hands in openly hostile countries such as Uganda, Russia and Jamaica - as well as in "red" states like Oklahoma and Kansas.

 

 

 

A complete report on this demonstration can be found on the website of the Rainbow History Project.

Harvey Milk School Opens, 1st High School for LGBT Students (April 1, 1985)

On April 1, 1985 the Hetrick-Martin Institute, a social services organization for gay youth, opened a high school for LGBT teens who had trouble fitting into New York City's public schools.  It would later be accredited and renamed the Harvey Milk High School.  Located on Astor Place in the East Village its enrollment remains quite small, increasing from about a dozen students when it opened (with just one teacher for its first four years) to a little more than 100 today - a speck of sand in NYC's high school age population of 300,000.  (Enrollment is limited by space and budget).  

 

Not surprisingly the school has ruffled feathers for various reasons.  Some resent NYC's Department of Education for spending taxpayer money to "coddle" gay students; others question the wisdom of segregating these teens from the general population; still others have difficulty with a student body that is comprised largely of girls and boys who are flamboyant and/or don't adhere to standard gender roles.  (And not all critics are anti-gay Republicans or Catholics.)  A number of years ago there was a backlash when some Milk students were involved in a number of robberies/swindles in the neighborhood.   

 

On the other hand, many of Harvey Milk's students are kids who probably didn't grow-up in nurturing families (some end up in the streets) or have positive role models to look up to. And chances are good they wouldn't have continued their education, so in that respect the school has a very important purpose.

 

Last year a second Harvey Milk School was opened in Newark, NJ.   And although it's not related, San Francisco has a Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy for elementary school children that is located in the city's Castro district.   

 

The Netherlands Becomes 1st Nation to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage (April 1, 2001)

It was no April Fool's joke.  On April 1, 2001 the Netherlands became the first nation to legalize gay unions.  Since then nine other countries have followed suit.  These nations, seven which are in Europe, comprise 3% of the world's population.  The largest are South Africa (49 million), Spain (47 million) and Argentina (41 million).  Additionally, Mexico City and seven U.S. states (and D.C.) have made same-sex marriage legal.  

 

                

So what are the prospects in the U.S.?  For some perspective let's examine the end of the military's noxious "don't ask, don't tell" policy.  By the time President Obama finally did away with it at the end of last year, 40 nations had already opened their armed forces to gay/lesbian soldiers.  With that in mind, since only ten countries presently allow same-sex marriage, it will likely be a while before we see it enacted here on the federal level.  But slow, steady progress continues to be made.

President Bush Speaks Out Against HIV/AIDS Discrimination in the Workplace (March 29, 1990)

On March 29, 1990 President George H. W. Bush addressed the National Leadership Coalition on AIDS and advised businesses not to discriminate against employees with HIV/AIDS.  (However, he never mentioned the word "homosexuals".)  To drive home this message he threw his support behind passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  ADA was signed into law four months later (pictured) and took effect in 1992.  Specifically, here is what the president said that morning about AIDS discrimination: 

 

"Today I call on the House of Representatives to get on with the job of passing a law, as embodied in the Americans With Disability Act, that prohibits discrimination against those with HIV and AIDS.  We're in a fight against a disease, not a fight against people.  And we will not, and must not, in America tolerate discrimination."

 

Of course, in the eyes of the burgeoning community of AIDS activists the federal government's response was due to its realization that AIDS was also aflicting the general public (personfied by high school student Ryan White who died a few weeks after Bush's address) - and not because it cared for the plight of AIDS sufferers who were gay or minoirty intravenous drug users. 

 

Gay Activists Meet in White House for First Time (March 26, 1977)

In April 1965 gay protesters picketed in front of the White House for the first time.  Twelve years later on March 26, 1977 more history was made when a group of fourteen community leaders was invited to meet inside the White House for the first time.  At this meeting they aired their grievances over various forms of discrimination practiced by the federal government.  The group met with the director of President Carter's Office of Public Liaison. 

 

At the same time other gay issues were also gaining national attention thanks to Harvey Milk's election to San Franciso's board of supervisors; Anita Bryant's spearheading of an anti-gay ballot initiative in Florida; and actor Billy Crystal's portrayal as TV's first recurring gay character on ABC's sitcom Soap.   

 

Then in June 1995 the Clinton administration created the post of White House liaison to the gay and lesbian community.  Two years later Bill Clinton became the first president to speak before a gay & lesbian organization when he delivered the keynote address at the Human Rights Campaign Dinner.

 

 

And in 2011 the White House named Jeremy Bernard as the first openly gay Social Sectretary for the White House.  Presently, there are more than 150 openly gay and lesbian staffers working in the Obama administration, 1/3 of whom are in senior/director level positions.

Paris Elects a Gay Mayor (March 18, 2001)

10 years ago, in the space of just three months, two openly gay candidates were elected mayors of "world class" European cities.  First, Bertrand Delanoe (pictured, near right) was elected mayor of Paris on March 18.  This made Paris (with a population of 2.1 million) the largest city in the world with a gay mayor. 

 

Then in June voters in Berlin (population 3.4 million) took that distinction away from Paris when it elected its very own gay mayor, 47-year old Klaus Wowereit (far right).  Both Delanoe and Wowereit are presently serving second terms.  (Coincidentally, the German city of Hamburg also elected a gay mayor that very same year.)

 

18 months after his election Delanoe was stabbed in the stomach as he walked through a street festival by a Muslim immigrant with homophobic views.  After surgery he remained in the hospital nearly two weeks.  (This happened a week before I arrived in Paris for my first visit.)

 

And then in 2009 Houston became the first U.S. city with 1 million+ residents to elect a gay mayor, lesbian Anisse Parker.  Before that the largest U.S. cities with gay mayors had been Portland, Oregon and Providence, Rhode Island.

 

 

(I've written a previous post about Palm Springs' gay mayor, Ron Oden: "Gay Resort Elects Gay Mayor".) 

Rosie O'Donnell "Comes Out" on Network TV to Benefit Foster Children (March 14, 2002)

During an interview on the March 14, 2002 telecast of ABC's Primetime Live outspoken talk show host-actress-standup comic-Broadway show booster Rosie O'Donnell talked openly with Diane Sawyer about being a lesbian mother.  Her revelation was hardly a surprise (in fact, she portrayed a lesbian mom on an episode of Will & Grace six weeks earlier) but O'Donnell had never before verbalized it so publicly. 

 

The reason Rosie decided to talk about her experiences as a gay parent was in hopes of bringing attention to the issue of gay adoption and a Florida law that prevented gay couples from adopting.  At the time O'Donnell and her partner, Kelli Carpenter had three adopted children.  Later in 2002 Carpenter gave birth to a fourth child.  (Their relationship ended in 2007.) 

 

The impetus for her speaking out was the story of a gay male couple in Florida, Steve Lofton and Roger Croteau, who were raising five HIV-positive children (pictured), three of whom were foster kids.  The couple were able to adopt the other two in Oregon.  However, they were told by the state of Florida that they had to give up one of their foster children whom they had raised for 10 years.  Although the fathers wanted to adopt him, under Florida law they were prohibited from doing so because they were gay (Florida was one of three states with such a law). 

 

Alas, despite the publicity they were still unable to get a court to rule in their favor.  However, in 2009 a similar case was ruled in another gay plaintiff's favor and in 2010 Florida's adoption ban was overturned.  

Billionaire Malcolm Forbes Outed by Outweek Magazine (March 11, 1990)

Besides his financial acumen high-profile billionaire Malcolm Forbes was also well known for his hobbies of motorcycling and hot air ballooning as well as his much publicized friendship with Elizabeth Taylor.  He died on February 25, 1990 at the age of 70 and two weeks later the fledgling weekly gay magazine Outweek ran a cover story outing him (cover date of March 18).  It was written by gay journalist, and rabble-rouser, Michelangelo Signorile.   

 

The story about Forbes was actually just part of the story as the thrust of the article was about the double standard used by the media when it came to reporting on the private lives of closeted gays and heterosexuals.  The act of "outing" was controversial not only with the general public but within the gay community as well.  Because of its potential negative ramifications a debate raged about how ethical it was to reveal a person's sexual orientaiton before they were prepared to do so themselves.  Twenty years later it seems to be reserved mostly for closeted politicians who support anti-gay legislation.  

 

As for Outweek it lasted for just two years.  Both its first (near right) and last issue (far right) were published during Gay Pride Week.