Lighting The (Gay) Way #2

Video + Heroes + Pioneers

While some are doing their best to hate and erase LGBTQ folks from human history, I’m doing my best to celebrate and spotlight our collective contributions, pioneers, and stories.

The montage above and list below include a few of my favorites.

Thanks for watching!
Clint

WE’RE QUEER. WE’RE HERE.
WE‘VE BEEN MAKING HISTORY, DEAR.

HEROES + PIONEERS

• Albrecht Becker (1906–2002) German actor, photographer, and Nazi regime survivor.

• Andrew George Scott (Captain Moonlite) (1842–1880) Irish-Australian bushranger and folk hero.

• Barry Shils (N/A) American film producer and director, known for LGBTQ documentaries.

• Bayard Rustin (1912–1987) American civil rights leader and LGBTQ activist, key adviser to Martin Luther King Jr.

• Beauford Delaney (1901–1979) American modernist painter associated with Harlem Renaissance.

• Benvenuto Cellini (1500–1571) Italian sculptor, goldsmith, and author.

• Bill Condon (1955–present) American director and screenwriter, known for Dreamgirls and Gods and Monsters.

• Billy Name (1940–2016) Photographer and filmmaker, part of Andy Warhol’s inner circle.

• Billy Porter (1969–present) American actor, singer, and LGBTQ advocate.

• Billy Strayhorn (1915–1967) American jazz composer, pianist, and collaborator with Duke Ellington.

• Boscoe Holder (1921–2007) Trinidadian dancer, painter, and choreographer.

• Boy George (1961–present) British singer, songwriter, and fashion icon, lead singer of Culture Club.

• Bruce Nugent (1906–1987) American writer and painter, part of the Harlem Renaissance, openly gay.

• Chris Beckett (1955–present) British writer and social worker, known for science fiction novels.

• Christopher Isherwood (1904–1986) English-American novelist, known for The Berlin Stories.

• Christopher Marlowe (1564–1593) English playwright and poet, a contemporary of Shakespeare.

• Chuck Renslow (1929–2017) American businessman, publisher, and gay rights activist, co-founder of the Leather Archives & Museum.

• Cleve Jones (1954–present) American LGBTQ rights activist, creator of the AIDS Memorial Quilt.

• Countee Cullen (1903–1946) American poet, part of the Harlem Renaissance, known for his work on racial identity.

• David Geffen (1943–present) American business magnate, film producer, and philanthropist, co-founder of DreamWorks.

• David Hockney (1937–present) English painter, known for his contribution to pop art.

• David Hurles (1944–2023) Photographer known for his work in the gay adult industry.

• David McDiarmid (1952–1995) Australian artist and LGBTQ activist.

• David Sedaris (1956–present) American humorist, essayist, and radio contributor.

• David Wojnarowicz (1954–1992) American artist and AIDS activist.

• Dean DeBlois (1970–present) Canadian director, screenwriter, and producer known for How to Train Your Dragon.

• Del Shores (1957–present) American playwright, director, and producer, known for Sordid Lives.

• Dennis Severs (1948–1999) American-born artist and historical preservationist, creator of Dennis Severs' House in London.

• Derek Jarman (1942–1994) British filmmaker and LGBTQ activist, known for films like Caravaggio and Prospero’s Books.

• Dick Leitsch (1935–2018) American LGBTQ rights activist, known for organizing the Sip-In at Julius' bar in NYC.

• Don Bachardy (1934–present) American portrait artist, longtime partner of writer Christopher Isherwood.

• Donatello (c. 1386–1466) Italian sculptor of the Renaissance, known for his work in bas-relief and statues like David.

• Duncan Grant (1885–1978) British painter and designer, a member of the Bloomsbury Group.

• Dustin Lance Black (1974–present) American screenwriter, director, and LGBTQ activist, known for Milk.

• E. M. Forster (1879–1970) English novelist, known for A Passage to India and Maurice.

• Eardley Knollys (1902–1991) British artist and art dealer, associated with the Bloomsbury Group.

• Eddie Stevenson (1858-1942) American writer who, under the pseudonym Xavier Mayne, published the early LGBTQ novel Imre: A Memorandum, as well as an the early sexology study The Intersexes.

• Gore Vidal (1925–2012) American writer and intellectual, known for his essays and historical novels.

• Gottfried von Cramm (1909–1976) German tennis champion, also known for his resistance to Nazi rule and support for LGBTQ causes.

• Grant Wood (1891–1942) American painter, known for American Gothic.

• Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875) Danish author, best known for his fairy tales like The Little Mermaid and The Ugly Duckling.

• Hans Heinrich (1934–2006) Swiss-born American philanthropist and art collector.

• Harry Hay (1912–2002) American LGBTQ rights activist, founder of the Mattachine Society, one of the earliest gay rights organizations.

• Harvey Fierstein (1954–present) American actor and playwright, known for Torch Song Trilogy and Hairspray.

• Harvey Milk (1930–1978) American politician and LGBTQ rights activist, one of the first openly gay elected officials in the U.S.

• Henry Scott Tuke (1858–1929) British painter and photographer, known for his depictions of male nudes.

• Herbert List (1903–1975) German photographer known for homoerotic images and classical themes.

• Holly Johnson (1960–present) British artist, musician, and writer, lead singer of Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

• Howard Hodgkin (1932–2017) British painter and printmaker, known for his abstract works.

• Hubert "Jay" Stowitts (1892–1953) American dancer and painter, known for his homoerotic works.

• Hubert de Givenchy (1927–2018) French fashion designer, founder of the Givenchy brand, known for dressing Audrey Hepburn.

• Hugh Steers (1962–1995) American painter known for his works exploring gay identity and AIDS.

• John Waters (1946–present) American filmmaker, writer, and artist, known for his transgressive cult films.

• Jonathan Caouette (1973–present) American film director and actor, known for his DIY documentary Tarnation.

• Julius Caesar (100–44 BCE) Roman general, statesman, and pivotal figure in Roman history.

• Karl Heinrich Ulrichs (1825–1895) German lawyer, pioneer of the modern gay rights movement.

• Karl Lagerfeld (1933–2019) German fashion designer and photographer, creative director of Chanel.

• Kehinde Wiley (1977–present) American portrait painter known for his vibrant depictions of African Americans.

• Keith Haring (1958–1990) American pop artist and social activist, known for graffiti-inspired artwork

• Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) Italian Renaissance artist, inventor, and scientist, known for Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.

• Marcel Proust (1871–1922) French novelist, known for In Search of Lost Time.

• Socrates (c. 470–399 BCE) Classical Greek philosopher, founder of Western philosophy, known for the Socratic method.

• Stephen Fry (1957–present) British comedian, actor, writer, and activist, known for his wit and LGBTQ advocacy.

• Stephen Sondheim (1930–2021) American composer and lyricist, known for his contributions to musical theater, such as Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods.

• Tab Hunter (1931–2018) American actor and singer, 1950s Hollywood heartthrob.

• Tennessee Williams (1911–1983) American playwright, known for A Streetcar Named Desire.

• Thom Gunn (1929–2004) British-American poet known for themes of sexuality and death.

• Thomas Eakins (1844–1916) American realist painter, photographer, and educator.

• Wilfred Owen (1893–1918) English war poet of World War I, known for his poems on the horrors of trench warfare.

• Wilhelm Von Gloeden (1856–1931) German photographer known for nude portraits of Sicilian boys in classical poses.

• Will Geer (1902–1978) American actor and activist, known for his role on The Waltons.

• Willem Arondeus (1894–1943) Dutch artist and anti-Nazi resistance fighter, openly gay.

• Willi Ninja (1961–2006) American dancer and choreographer, prominent figure in the Harlem ballroom scene.

• William Haines (1900–1973) American actor and interior designer, notable for being openly gay in Hollywood’s Golden Age.

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MUSIC

• Martin Gauffin / Chalets

• Martin Gauffin / Small Strokes

• Martin Gauffin / & Wishes

• Martin Gauffin / Ice Fields

• Martin Gauffin / Exit

• Courtesy Of Epidemic Sound