How Playboy's Hugh Hefner Champned Gay Rights and Racial Equaly, When Few Others Did

Contents:

• FOR HUGH HEFNER, GAY RIGHTS WERE PART OF THE SEXUAL REVOLUTN
• HOW PLAYBOY'S HUGH HEFNER CHAMPNED GAY RIGHTS AND RACIAL EQUALY, WHEN FEW OTHERS DID
• HUGH HEFNER BACKS GAY MARRIAGE PLAYBOY EDORIAL
• GAY TALE ON HUGH HEFNER, PLAYBOY AND FREE SPEECH
• FOR HUGH HEFNER, GAY RIGHTS WERE PART OF THE SEXUAL REVOLUTN

FOR HUGH HEFNER, GAY RIGHTS WERE PART OF THE SEXUAL REVOLUTN

The ath of Playboy magaze founr and sexual revolutn in Hugh Hefner, 91, has brought his plited legacy to the fore, particularly regards to his treatment of women and his stance on LGBTQ 1955, two years after Playboy's lnch, Hefner famoly ma the bold cisn to publish a short story lled "The Crooked Man, " about a dystopian future which heterosexuals were opprsed by homosexuals. The story had prevly been rejected by Esquire, and ed a firtorm of ntroversy after htg the stood firm, sayg, "If was wrong to persecute heterosexuals a homosexual society, then the reverse was wrong, too. "He wasn't exactly that perd a csar for gay rights.

"Wyatt went on to say, however, that Hefner did ed eventually fold gay men to his visn of sexual liberatn, but that, like many Amerins, "he followed a trajectory. In a 1994 terview wh The Advote, for example, former edor--chief Jeff Yarbrough was ught off guard by Hefner's regnn of the opprsn gays and lbians Yarbrough exprsed his surprise that Hefner was vted the issu, Hefner explaed that he began vtg gay rights early his reer.

And the victims by and large were gay men, ” Hefner said.

HOW PLAYBOY'S HUGH HEFNER CHAMPNED GAY RIGHTS AND RACIAL EQUALY, WHEN FEW OTHERS DID

“We were volved a seri of s and got some gay people out of prison.

Related: Pro-gay Hugh Hefner will spend eterny next to the woman who helped lnch his reer. But Derek Hawks at the Washgton Post provis an anecdote that shows one of Hefner’s more progrsive views: In 1955, Playboy ran a short story, “The Crooked Man” by Charl Bemont, that “picted a dystopian future where homosexualy was the norm, heterosexualy was outlawed and angry anti-straight mobs marched through the street chantg ‘make our cy clean aga!

But Hefner stood his ground, wrg, “If was wrong to persecute heterosexuals a homosexual society, then the reverse was wrong, too. But to others, he was a progrsive champn of gay rights, abortn and birth ntrol, and was a major part of the sexual revolutn. The documentary reunted how 1955 Hefner published, “The Crooked Man, ” a science fictn story which heterosexuals were persecuted a homosexual world.

HUGH HEFNER BACKS GAY MARRIAGE PLAYBOY EDORIAL

“If was wrong to persecute heterosexuals a homosexual society, then the reverse was wrong, too, ” Hefner wrote to outraged rears, acrdg to the LBGT magaze the Advote.

“I’m a human rights activist, ” Hefner said a 1994 Advote terview when asked if he nsired himself a gay rights activist. Newsweek reported 2017 that Hefner end his iendship wh Tmp over his mpaign platform on gay marriage and nservative ials. Praised for his part the sexual revolutn of the 1960s, the Playboy founr was ahead of his time as an early proponent of gay rights, abortn and birth ntrol.

GAY TALE ON HUGH HEFNER, PLAYBOY AND FREE SPEECH

“The Crooked Man” picted a dystopian future where homosexualy was the norm, heterosexualy was outlawed and angry anti-straight mobs marched through the street chantg “make our cy clean aga!

“If was wrong to persecute heterosexuals a homosexual society, ” he wrote, “then the reverse was wrong, too. ”The move would serve to reprent an early example of Hefner’s lifelong mment to gay rights, and civil rights general. (Vio: Elyse Samuels/The Washgton Post)Hefner’s ntradictns weren’t lost on the Advote, a gay magaze that published a wi-rangg terview wh him 1994.

“I’m surprised you regnize the issue of opprsn ncerng gays and lbians so clearly at a time when most Amerins still don’t. ”Asked if he nsired himself a gay rights activist, Hefner rpond that he had been a “human rights activist” om the magaze’s ceptn.

FOR HUGH HEFNER, GAY RIGHTS WERE PART OF THE SEXUAL REVOLUTN

Homosexualy and, later, the homophobia that surrounds the AIDS crisis are part of a much bigger picture for me. Y, Hefner was on the right si of many of the biggt issu of the morn era: ee speech, reproductive choice, gay rights.

But ls well known was his history of gay rights advocy. A 2009 documentary, Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel, tailed Hefner's cisn 1955 to publish a science fictn story, The Crooked Man by Charl Bemont, that scrib a dystopian future where heterosexuals are persecuted a society where homosexualy is the down a backlash about the story, Hefner wrote: "If was wrong to persecute heterosexuals a homosexual society, then the reverse was wrong too.

"Hefner also lent his backg to the pro-gay marriage movement the U.