Old hollywood actors who were gay
Old Hollywood Stars You Didn't Know Were Gay
Let's state the obvious: Being a gay famous person during the days of Old Hollywood was no stroll in the park. Behind Tinseltown's glitzy facade loomed the specter of Hollywood's "sexual gestapo," a term coined by Matt Tyrnauer, director of the documentary Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood (via NPR). "It was very difficult," he said, "for people to have authentic lives." And Tyrnauer should know: His movie profiled L.A. traits Scotty Bowers, who reportedly acted as a "confidante, confidant, and pimp for Hollywood's closeted show stars."
The threat of exposure was actual and ever-present for these entertainers. Per Tyrnauer, studio contracts contained so-called "moral clauses" that could instantly vaporize a lucrative career. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Police Department's vice squad were all too willing to bust celebrities, often working in cahoots with the compress in their quest to hobble reputations.
Definitively name-checking these stars is impossible, as they were all in the closet through
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 s and beyond. He was also associated with Alfred Kinsey in his famous study of human sexuality in the s 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 star. At the time, studios especially would not possess wanted the queer attractions of their headlining actors to be widely acknowledged, as that would possess 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 statusplus the nature was a more start place to queer attracti
For many, June represents the month of pride; a time to celebrate, educate and communicate all that is queer, gay and fabulous. Although today being same-sex attracted isn&#;t much of a deal, back in the 50&#;s it was a dangerous label to have. Throughout history, thousands acquire 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 have a gaze at some celebrities from the golden age of Hollywood who were gay, or at least thats what the rumours said. It&#;s difficult to know if all these celebrities, and of course many more, were truly gay, but I wanted to share a few stories just so see how far we&#;ve come. Happy 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 O Valentino also married costume creator Natacha Rambova in , 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 His marriage to Rambova ended in , 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 keep 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 kind of sift through what the rumor [is] and what is actually factual," says Tropiano. One commonly cited provider 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, homosexual and straight, that he claims he both arranged and took pa
When Hollywood Studios Married Off Gay Stars to Maintain Their Sexuality a Secret