~~And the Dream Will Never Die ~~

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Happy 81st Birthday,
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“... The contemporary church is often a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. It is so often the arch supporter of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church's silent and often vocal sanction of things as they are…
....But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If the church of today does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authentic ring, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. I am meeting young people every day whose disappointment with the church has risen to outright disgust..”

Excerpts from Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963 Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Today in Gay History

H/T to Band of Thebes

HAPPY 11oth BIRTHDAY
William Haines (January 1, 1900-1973)

In 1925, MGM's leading male actor was the charming William Haines and he remained a top-five grossing star from 1928 to 1932. Handsome and funny, his typical character was a clever, athletic young narcissist whose giant ego was deflated before he finally won the day. As for that self-adoring trait, Haines fell in love with his double, Jimmy Shields, whom the studio had hired as his stand-in, and starting in 1926 they lived together openly for nearly fifty years, causing their friend Joan Crawford to declare them "the happiest married couple in Hollywood."

Perhaps, but their happiness came at a high price. In 1933, seven years into their relationship and still at the height of his fame, Haines cruised a sailor in Pershing Square and they went back to the YMCA to have sex, only to be busted by the police. Louis B. Mayer, the genius tyrant running MGM, insisted Haines enter into a fake marriage, and when he refused, choosing to stay with Shields, Mayer canceled his contract, virtually ending his career. As plucky as his characters, Haines and Shields opened an interior design studio which was an immediate success. Two years later, a neighbor claimed they propositioned his son and as a result members of the Ku Klux Klan broke into their house, hauled them outside, and savagely attacked them. Once again, rather than shunning the gay couple, their famous friends and colleagues rallied to support them: Haines' co-star Marion Davies begged her lover William Randolph Hearst to get the neighbor arrested and many others, including Claudette Colbert, Joan Crawford, Kay Francis, Charles Boyer, and even George Burns, implored them to tell the police about the attack, but given their past experience they did not.

Their design studio flourished for decades. They created interiors and furniture for a top tier of international clientele beyond the Hollywood luminaries, George Cukor, Jack Warner, the Annenbergs, the Reagans, and Gloria Swanson, who urged Haines to accept a part in her own comeback movie, Sunset Boulevard, which he declined. Although Haines died on Boxing Day 1973 and Shields killed himself with an overdose of pills soon after, in their shared bed, wearing Haines pajamas, their design studio was recently revived. Look at their lovely work here. And say a prayer of thanks to William J. Mann for rescuing Haines from obscurity with his excellent biography, Wisecracker.

Bonne Année

Joyeux Noël

Joyeux Réveillon de Noël

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Today in Gay History

Houston elects lesbian mayor

By James Withers, contributing editor, 365Gay Blog 12.13.2009 4:16am EST

Annise Parker, the controller of Houston, won a run-off [Saturday 12-12-09] for mayor. Her victory made her the first openly gay politician to win an election to lead a large American city.

“Tonight the voters of Houston have opened the door to history,” Parker said in her victory speech, with her partner Kathy Hubbard and their three adopted children standing next to her. “I acknowledge that. I embrace that. I know what this win means to many of us who never thought we could achieve high office.”

Parker, mayor-elect of the country’s fourth largest city, defeated her opponent Gene Locke 53 percent to 47 percent.

Crapaud's Comment: And despite bitterly partisan anti-gay $$ and vitriol poured in by the Talibangelicals, Houstonions were unconvinced.

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RIP Vieille Reine

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Leon Khalil Zainey, a pioneer in New Orleans Gay Society, has died

ZAINEY Leon Khalil Zainey, age 101 years, died Friday, December 4, 2009 at River Valley Nursing Center in Gainesville, Texas, where he had been residing since Hurricane Katrina. Son of the late Rachel Moghabhgab and Khalil Zainey. Brother of the late Mrs. Paul (Linda) Hickey and Alexander K. Zainey. He is survived by a cousin, Mrs. Jamelia Gubgub of Mosman Park, Western Australia. Mr. Zainey was a native and lifelong resident of New Orleans, LA. A graduate of Warren Easton High School and a World War II Army veteran serving in the Alaskan Defense Command. He was an organizer with the late attorney Alfred Danziger of children's theatre in the late 1920's and published the "Processional", a newspaper giving information about theatre productions in New York and San Francisco. He was the wardrobe and property manager of the New Orleans Opera Association for 43 years and a charter member of Local 840, Electrical Wardrobe Attendants. He was the founder and charter member of the Steamboat Club** of New Orleans. Memorial Services for Mr. Zainey will be announced by THARP-SONTHEIMER FUNERAL HOME of Metairie. Information: (504) 835-2341.

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**Steamboat Club

A lively gay social world had long existed, but after Prohibition ended in 1933, it became more public. In 1936, a bar opened at the Lafitte Blacksmith Shop on Bourbon Street. Although its clientele was a varied group, gay men and women knew they were welcome. But in 1953, the owners lost their lease. They moved to the next corner and reopened as Café Lafitte in Exile – now one of the oldest gay bars in the country.

Private gay socializing flourished in mid-century New Orleans. The oldest continuing gay event, the Fat Monday Luncheon, began in 1949, and the oldest gay social organization, the Steamboat Club, was launched in 1953. The Krewe of Yuga was the first gay Carnival club in 1958, followed by the Krewe of Petronius in 1962.

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World AIDS Day Turns 21

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