As A Gay Man, The '80s Crippled My Inty | HuffPost Voic

Contents:

• AS A GAY MAN, THE '80S CRIPPLED MY INTY
• U.S. REPRENTATIVE BARNEY FRANK COM OUTBARNEY FRANK WAS FIRST ELECTED TO THE MASSACHETTS HOE OF REPRENTATIV 1972 AND SERVED UNTIL HIS ELECTN TO THE U.S. HOE OF REPRENTATIV 1980, BUT DID NOT YET PUBLICLY INTIFY AS LGBTQ. AAID THAT G OUT MIGHT HURT HIS REER, FRANK LGERED THE CLOSET UNTIL 1987, WHEN HE BEME THE FIRST MEMBER OF CONGRS TO VOLUNTARILY E OUT PUBLICLY AS LGBTQ+.“FOR MANY YEARS, I WAS ASHAMED OF MYSELF FOR HIDG MY MEMBERSHIP A UNIVERSALLY SPISED GROUP. I’D BEEN AAID OF EXPOSURE, AND ANGRY AT MYSELF FOR MY SELF-NIAL. I’D FELT SHAME AS I WATCHED YOUNGER GAY MEN AND LBIANS NONT THE BIGOTS OPENLY WH A URAGE THAT I LACKED. AFTER ALL THOSE YEARS, LYG TO PEOPLE WAS MUCH EASIER EMOTNALLY THAN FALLY ADMTG MY LIE,” FRANK WROTE POLI ON MARCH 12, 2015, AN EXCERPT OM HIS BOOK, FRANK: A LIFE POLICS OM THE GREAT SOCIETY TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE.BUT FRANK RECEIVED UNEXPECTED SUPPORT AND LUXURIATED BEG AN OUT GAY REPRENTATIVE. “I’M ED TO BEG A MORY. HEY, I’M A LEFT-HAND GAY JEW. I’VE NEVER FELT, TOMATILLY, A MEMBER OF ANY MAJORY,” FRANK SAID A NEW YORK TIM MAGAZE TERVIEW FEBARY 4, 1996. WHEN REPUBLIN HOE MAJORY LEAR DICK ARMEY REFERRED TO HIM AS “BARNEY FAG,” FRANK REFED TO ACCEPT THE RIGHT-WGER’S APOLOGY, AND THE SLUR REBOUND ON ARMEY. OVER TIME, FRANK WOULD BEE ONE OF THE MOST FLUENTIAL MEMBERS OF THE U.S. CONGRS, PLAYG A KEY ROLE AS CHAIR OF THE HOE FANCIAL SERVIC COMMTEE. HE WOULD BE REELECTED 12 TIM.‍JOHN LAIRD ELECTED ONE OF FIRST GAY MAYORS THE U.S.JOHN LAIRD’S LONG REER PUBLIC SERVICE BEGAN 1981 WH A SUCCSFUL RACE FOR THE SANTA CZ CY COUNCIL, WHERE HE SERVED UNTIL 1990. BUT HE WAS PUBLICLY CLOSETED UNTIL 1983, WHEN HE RPOND TO A REPORTER’S QUTN ABOUT HIS SEXUAL ORIENTATN BY TELLG THEM HE WAS GAY. LAIRD LATER TOLD “I SAID Y, AND EMBARKED ON AN UNPLANNED MEDIA ROLLER-ASTER RI. I WAS ON THE ONT PAGE OF MOST CALIFORNIA NEWSPAPERS AND MA THE PL HARVEY NEWS. SAN FRANCIS TELEVISN REPORTS REFERRED TO ME AS "AN AVOWED HOMOSEXUAL." AND I WAS VED TO SPEAK AT THE FIFTH MILK/MOSNE NDLELIGHT MARCH.”YET SHORTLY AFTER, FELLOW CY UNCILMEMBERS ELECTED HIM TO A ONE-YEAR TERM AS MAYOR, MAKG HIM ONE OF THE FIRST OUT LGBTQ+ MAYORS U.S. HISTORY. HE WOULD SERVE AGA AS MAYOR OM 1987 TO 1988. IN 2002, HE WAS ELECTED TO THE CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLY AND SERVED UNTIL 2008. IN 2020, HE WAS ELECTED TO THE CALIFORNIA STATE SENATE, MAKG HIM ONE OF THE LONGT SERVG OUT LGBTQ+ ELECTED OFFICIALS.KEY WT MAK HISTORY ELECTG RICHARD HEYMAN

AS A GAY MAN, THE '80S CRIPPLED MY INTY

Beg gay the 80s meant beg isolated om an inty.

U.S. REPRENTATIVE BARNEY FRANK COM OUTBARNEY FRANK WAS FIRST ELECTED TO THE MASSACHETTS HOE OF REPRENTATIV 1972 AND SERVED UNTIL HIS ELECTN TO THE U.S. HOE OF REPRENTATIV 1980, BUT DID NOT YET PUBLICLY INTIFY AS LGBTQ. AAID THAT G OUT MIGHT HURT HIS REER, FRANK LGERED THE CLOSET UNTIL 1987, WHEN HE BEME THE FIRST MEMBER OF CONGRS TO VOLUNTARILY E OUT PUBLICLY AS LGBTQ+.“FOR MANY YEARS, I WAS ASHAMED OF MYSELF FOR HIDG MY MEMBERSHIP A UNIVERSALLY SPISED GROUP. I’D BEEN AAID OF EXPOSURE, AND ANGRY AT MYSELF FOR MY SELF-NIAL. I’D FELT SHAME AS I WATCHED YOUNGER GAY MEN AND LBIANS NONT THE BIGOTS OPENLY WH A URAGE THAT I LACKED. AFTER ALL THOSE YEARS, LYG TO PEOPLE WAS MUCH EASIER EMOTNALLY THAN FALLY ADMTG MY LIE,” FRANK WROTE POLI ON MARCH 12, 2015, AN EXCERPT OM HIS BOOK, FRANK: A LIFE POLICS OM THE GREAT SOCIETY TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE.BUT FRANK RECEIVED UNEXPECTED SUPPORT AND LUXURIATED BEG AN OUT GAY REPRENTATIVE. “I’M ED TO BEG A MORY. HEY, I’M A LEFT-HAND GAY JEW. I’VE NEVER FELT, TOMATILLY, A MEMBER OF ANY MAJORY,” FRANK SAID A NEW YORK TIM MAGAZE TERVIEW FEBARY 4, 1996. WHEN REPUBLIN HOE MAJORY LEAR DICK ARMEY REFERRED TO HIM AS “BARNEY FAG,” FRANK REFED TO ACCEPT THE RIGHT-WGER’S APOLOGY, AND THE SLUR REBOUND ON ARMEY. OVER TIME, FRANK WOULD BEE ONE OF THE MOST FLUENTIAL MEMBERS OF THE U.S. CONGRS, PLAYG A KEY ROLE AS CHAIR OF THE HOE FANCIAL SERVIC COMMTEE. HE WOULD BE REELECTED 12 TIM.‍JOHN LAIRD ELECTED ONE OF FIRST GAY MAYORS THE U.S.JOHN LAIRD’S LONG REER PUBLIC SERVICE BEGAN 1981 WH A SUCCSFUL RACE FOR THE SANTA CZ CY COUNCIL, WHERE HE SERVED UNTIL 1990. BUT HE WAS PUBLICLY CLOSETED UNTIL 1983, WHEN HE RPOND TO A REPORTER’S QUTN ABOUT HIS SEXUAL ORIENTATN BY TELLG THEM HE WAS GAY. LAIRD LATER TOLD “I SAID Y, AND EMBARKED ON AN UNPLANNED MEDIA ROLLER-ASTER RI. I WAS ON THE ONT PAGE OF MOST CALIFORNIA NEWSPAPERS AND MA THE PL HARVEY NEWS. SAN FRANCIS TELEVISN REPORTS REFERRED TO ME AS "AN AVOWED HOMOSEXUAL." AND I WAS VED TO SPEAK AT THE FIFTH MILK/MOSNE NDLELIGHT MARCH.”YET SHORTLY AFTER, FELLOW CY UNCILMEMBERS ELECTED HIM TO A ONE-YEAR TERM AS MAYOR, MAKG HIM ONE OF THE FIRST OUT LGBTQ+ MAYORS U.S. HISTORY. HE WOULD SERVE AGA AS MAYOR OM 1987 TO 1988. IN 2002, HE WAS ELECTED TO THE CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLY AND SERVED UNTIL 2008. IN 2020, HE WAS ELECTED TO THE CALIFORNIA STATE SENATE, MAKG HIM ONE OF THE LONGT SERVG OUT LGBTQ+ ELECTED OFFICIALS.KEY WT MAK HISTORY ELECTG RICHARD HEYMAN

There was no discsn of homosexualy school… not even our year long “Health and Sexualy” class, even though we were the middle of the AIDS crisis. There was no acknowledgement that Alexanr the Great, Leonardo da Vci, and Michelangelo, were among the many posive gay historil role mols.

On TV each night, there were no gay characters except for the ocsnal flamboyant game show regular on Hollywood Squar.

TV ss were even worse, wh the “we’re straight guys playg gay” characters sashayg across the screen. Yet, as long as the gay was treated as a stereotypil joke, no one red. It was okay to make fun and lgh at their yet, the 80’s no one talked about actually beg gay.