Interview: Barbra Streisand on her screen eback, beg a gay in and new film 'The Guilt Trip' - OUT FRONT

Contents:

• THE GAYS BEHD BARBRA (AND NEARLY EVERY OTHER GAY IN)
• BARBRA STREISAND TALKS GAY IN STAT & CALLS FOR EQUAL RIGHTS
• WHAT MAK JUDY GARLAND A GAY IN? EXPERTS EXPLA WHAT SHE AND OTHERS, OM DIANA ROSS TO MADONNA, HAVE MON
• GAY INOGRAPHY: CELEBRATG THE FILMS OF BARBRA STREISAND
• INTERVIEW: BARBRA STREISAND ON HER SCREEN EBACK, BEG A GAY IN AND NEW FILM ‘THE GUILT TRIP’
• GAY IN BARBRA STREISAND FDS GAY SEX DISTASTEFUL, SAYS LARRY KRAMER
• BARBRA STREISAND, THE QUEEN OF GAYS
• FOUR GAY MEN PONR THEIR SMIC ATTACHMENT TO BARBRA STREISAND

THE GAYS BEHD BARBRA (AND NEARLY EVERY OTHER GAY IN)

As I travel around the untry for my book Hello Geo: Beg Barbra Streisand, I've been gettg some surprised reactns om terviewers and rears about how many gay men helped shape Barbra's look, sound and stage prence at the begng of her reer.

Isn't ironic, they ask me, that she would then go on to bee such a qutsential gay in?

BARBRA STREISAND TALKS GAY IN STAT & CALLS FOR EQUAL RIGHTS

In the early 1960s, when Streisand was jt startg out, gay dienc stctively regnized somethg very faiar about her, a shared sensibily. That was only logil, given that her sensibily had been nurtured by gay men, after all. Almost to a dame -- om Mae Wt to Lady Gaga -- the greatt gay ins have been mold early their reers by gay mentors and, before anyone protts that I'm makg too much of a claim here, let me add that, of urse, Streisand (and her fellow ins) first had to have that certa X factor, that magil star qualy, as well as heaps of talent.

But when we go lookg for the reasons why certa stars -- Streisand, Wt, Gaga, Judy Garland, Madonna, Marilyn Monroe -- have such appeal for gay men and spire such voted gay followgs, I thk we have to pay reful nsiratn to who and what fluenced them their formative I document my book, the young Streisand was surround by a triumvirate of gay men who ntributed enormoly to how she was first prented to the world.

Her boyiend Barry Dennen (who would later e out as gay) was one of the first to regnize the gift of Barbra's voice and enurage her to pursue work as a sger.

WHAT MAK JUDY GARLAND A GAY IN? EXPERTS EXPLA WHAT SHE AND OTHERS, OM DIANA ROSS TO MADONNA, HAVE MON

Another pal, Bob Schulenberg, polished her look, aimg for a more "godss-like" style and creatg Barbra's signature eye makp and early was this heavily gay-fluenced creature who walked onto the stage at the Ln, a gay bar, and wowed everybody prent.

Word spread quickly through New York's gay muni that this Streisand kid was special.

GAY INOGRAPHY: CELEBRATG THE FILMS OF BARBRA STREISAND

Among those the dience who regnized somethg magil about Barbra was Arthur Lrents, one of the least disguised gay men to ever work the theater. This was the show that lnched Barbra on her swift rise to the longtime theater aficnados, however, Streisand's gay tutelage was acknowledged as merely part of a long tradn, one wh a very imprsive track rerd. As a young, wi-eyed nocent Hollywood, Lucille LeSur was lucky that her first iend at MGM was top actor William Ha, who was unapologetilly gay and supremely talented at star makg.

INTERVIEW: BARBRA STREISAND ON HER SCREEN EBACK, BEG A GAY IN AND NEW FILM ‘THE GUILT TRIP’

Kathare Hepburn's early screen image -- tomboyish, fiant and subversive -- was mold by the gay director Gee Cor.

GAY IN BARBRA STREISAND FDS GAY SEX DISTASTEFUL, SAYS LARRY KRAMER

Judy Garland, right om her days as a child star, was moled to the in she would bee by a seri of gay mentors who helped her velop her sgg style and stage persona. Marilyn Monroe relied on gay choreographer Jack Cole not jt for dance mov but also for help how she looked, how she sound and how she alt wh the stud and the tradn ntued. Liza Mnelli had more gay godfathers than most, given all the gay men who surround her mother.

Bette Midler emerged straight out of the gay baths; who would she be whout Bce Vilanch? Madonna me out of the New York gay scene of the late 1970s and early '80s and has paid tribute to the formative impact of such gay iends as Keh Harg and Mart Burgoyne. Thirty years later Lady Gaga blossomed wh a siar i, fluenced by gay club kids and micians.

" Today practilly every new female celebry mak a show of her gay llaborators and fan base, tryg hard to cultivate gay inhood.

BARBRA STREISAND, THE QUEEN OF GAYS

If Streisand wasn't as spectacular as her early handlers -- gay and straight -- believed, then she wouldn't have bee the superstar she remas.

FOUR GAY MEN PONR THEIR SMIC ATTACHMENT TO BARBRA STREISAND

But shouldn't be surprisg to learn that gay men have played signifint parts the creatn of gay ins. What seems to be more te is that behd every great gay in is a gay man (or two or three or 20).

Ined, there were gay women everywhere: the ont row, the upper cks, sightg celebri through shared boculars, buyg $40 tour T-shirts. The existence of gay male fans of Barbra is well documented and highly visible, but the lbian muny, our fandom is jt as long lived, though not as well known. Although growg up gay Ameri is gettg easier wh every , still requir a measure of self-acceptance that many heterosexuals never have to mter, or at least not until later life.