THE SCENIAC: Rue McClanahan - 'Goln' wh the gays - Los Angel Tim

Contents:

• THE SCENIAC: RUE MCCLANAHAN - ‘GOLN’ WH THE GAYS
• IS RUE MCCLANAHAN GAY?
• HOW BEA ARTHUR GAVE BACK TO THE GAYS WHO LOVED HER

THE SCENIAC: RUE MCCLANAHAN - ‘GOLN’ WH THE GAYS

Scientific tts would surely reveal that is humanly impossible not to love “The Goln Girls”--the ‘80s era show about four olr women who share a home Miami--and for a certa type of gay man is practilly a should e as no surprise that when Rue McClanahan did a book signg at A Different Light, the gay themed bookstore Wt Hollywood, the le of “Goln Girl” vote was so long spilled out of the store and stretched a quarter block down Santa Moni--even at lunchtime.

”Had she ever seen “The Q Gui to The Goln Girls”--a book about the show and ’s impact on gay culture. As wh many other celebri, has always been speculated the qutn - Rue McClanahan is gay? While folks still say Rue McClanahan is gay, their ments hold no nsistency or accuracy of any sort.

Although Rue McClanahan has never admted to beg gay, the media always nsirs the likelihood of one day reportg on the other.

IS RUE MCCLANAHAN GAY?

Although Rue McClanahan has never said to be homosexual, 's easier to e out the world of the celebri, as there have been many to precent this. Do you know any rmatn regardg the qutn - Is Rue McClanahan gay? ” She add that she “won’t do gay-bashg jok, ” pecially given the ntext of the AIDS panmic throughout the show’s n.

Getty ghed about her relatnship wh the gay muny a 1989 terview wh The Advote.

“I am tremendoly grateful to the gay muny, ” she said. “I’ve been show bs all my life, and the majory of my iends are gay. The guts were by and large gay men — closeted, as most were back then — who were drawn to Arthur, like moths to a porch light.

HOW BEA ARTHUR GAVE BACK TO THE GAYS WHO LOVED HER

“They were always exced to e to her hoe, ” says Matthew, now 55, of his mother’s many gay nfidant.

Arthur, who died of ncer 2009 at age 86, occupi a sgular space amid the pantheon of gay ins: Neher preeng show diva nor pill-poppg wreck, she was stead a pillar of liberal-md fortu, always at the ready to do battle wh the Archie Bunkers of the world.

All of this held nsirable sway over the emergg gay-rights movement. Fully aware of the appeal she held over her gay fans, Arthur cid to give somethg back, and left an endowment to the Ali Forney Center, an anizatn for homels LGBT youth New York Cy. The mostly-gay crowd very nearly flew to a enzy, “phg toward her, grabbg at her, eager for face time wh the great legend.