Kinkster Mag writer Ted Bishop Nieves recently wrote about gay icons and what it means to be a gay icon. His article hit home. As Ted mentioned in his article it takes so much more to become a gay icon today. I would also add that the younger gay generation has no clue who certain icons and talented people from our past are. The weirdest thing, I was flipping channels on the television and came across a documentary on Rock Hudson. That’s when I realized anyone born in the 80’s probably has no idea who this person was. Plus, with the passing of Nancy Reagan the horrific story has resurfaced that she refused to help Rock Hudson seek AIDS treatment.
Rock Hudson was one of the first celebrities to go public with the illness on July 25, 1985, at a time when many in the mainstream believed AIDS was only a problem for gay men, drug users, and patients who received tainted blood transfusions.
It’s funny how time dictates who we know and what we remember. When you think of history you think of civil wars, dead presidents, Nobel Prize winners, or individuals who accomplished something significant. How do we record and remember elements of pop culture and especially our gay icons? How is the history of gay culture being recorded? From indie artists, not so famous actors and actresses, and gay cultural icons; are they being remembered with respect?
Some artists and groups that come to mind from my adolescent years include Boy George, Freddie Mercury, George Michael, Jermaine Stewart, and Sylvester. Then there are movies like Set it Off (1996), a movie with a strong African-American lesbian storyline, Birdcage (1996), To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995) and let’s not forget Victor Victoria (1982) starring Julie Andrews. Undeniably these have all played a part in the history of gay culture.
It’s important we honor gay culture and acknowledge all contributions made by sharing them with our younger generations. Nieves writes, “the other day I watched the film Auntie Mame with my boyfriend. He had never seen it and feeling the need to offer him some more in the way of gay culture, it was my duty to add another campy film with fabulous outfits and shady one liners to his ongoing ‘gay training.’ He loved it of course, and while we watched it I couldn’t help but admire how fabulous Rosalind Russel looked in the film and how it’s no wonder she was a sort of gay icon of the time.”
Generation Y is probably more immersed in pop culture than any other generation, but how can they appreciate it unless they see the progression and the evolution of what we call, “Gay Culture?”
Boy George and Jermaine Stewart were two artists who impacted my life and they represent what I treasure most about the past. Gay pride has become a time when we party and less of a time of acknowledging the pioneers who were fearless and paved the way for us to be free and have equality.
The younger gay generation needs to learn more about historical gay culture because our history is enriched with so much more than sex clubs and men in dresses. The gay community has made a huge contribution to society. Whether you agree with me or not the movies and artists I mentioned paved the way for performers like Adam Lambert, Sam Smith, and Lady Gaga, and TV shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race to flourish in the mainstream environment. It’s the gay culture from the past that made the change for something better today. That’s why I love gay culture; it created a path for equality, gay marriage and the fight to find a cure for HIV/AIDS.
Let’s not forget the foundation our gay brothers and sisters from yesteryear created through so much headache, tears, and fighting for equality. If we don’t share our history with the younger generation of gays all they we will be left with are stories and memories based on Grindr, Scruff, selfies and social media.
So I ask you to think about the future. What will be next? What will be new and how will you acknowledge gay history and help preserve gay culture?
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