My Corner

40. Eclectic. Love: Zombies. Fantasy. Horror. Sci-Fi. Doctor Who. Reading. Writing (Not good at it, though). Pretty pictures. Fandoms (Even If I'm not a fan of it, I love the passion others have for something). Music/Bands. Fairies. Bit nerdy, bit geeky. Named after a Western. I reblog whatever. Q'd posts during the day. Occasionally depressy. Anxiety problems. Don't have any friends. Unimportant. If you talk to me, I'll try to talk back. Just in a weird... I-don't-know-how-to-hold-a-conversation kind of way. Sorry.

[mack-will]

Robin Buckley once said...

[tenaciouszombiearcher]

[sua-sponte-deactivated20200331]

I’m watching that documentary “Before Stonewall” about gay history pre-1969, and uncovered something which I think is interesting.

The documentary includes a brief clip of a 1954 televised newscast about the rise of homosexuality. The host of the program interviewed psychologists, a police officer, and one “known homosexual”. The “known homosexual” is 22 years old. He identifies himself as Curtis White, which is a pseudonym; his name is actually Dale Olson.

So I tracked down the newscast. According to what I can find, Dale Olson may have been the first gay man to appear openly on television and defend his sexual orientation. He explains that there’s nothing wrong with him mentally and he’s never been arrested. When asked whether he’d take a cure if it existed, he says no. When asked whether his family knows he’s gay, he says that they didn’t up until tonight, but he guesses they’re going to find out, and he’ll probably be fired from his job as well. So of course the host is like …why are you doing this interview then? and Dale Olson, cool as cucumber pie, says “I think that this way I can be a little useful to someone besides myself.”

1954. 22 years old. Balls of pure titanium.

Despite the pseudonym, Dale’s boss did indeed recognize him from the TV program, and he was promptly fired the next day. He wrote into ONE magazine six months later to reassure readers that he had gotten a new job at a higher salary.

Curious about what became of him, I looked into his life a little further. It turns out that he ultimately became a very successful publicity agent. He promoted the Rocky movies and Superman. Not only that, but get this: Dale represented Rock Hudson, and he was the person who convinced him to disclose that he had AIDS! He wrote the statement Rock read. And as we know, Rock Hudson’s disclosure had a very significant effect on the national conversation about AIDS in the U.S.

It appears that no one has made the connection between Dale Olson the publicity agent instrumental in the AIDS debate and Dale Olson the 22-year-old first openly gay man on TV. So I thought I’d make it. For Pride month, an unsung gay hero.

[lavender-scorpio-deactivated202]

Unfriendly reminder that if you think women are inherently submissive and/or inferior to men do not follow me. I want nothing to do with you

[thehairsonthebackofyourneck]

[siir-poesia]

ⓘ  Reblog if you’re bisexual, gay, lesbian, asexual, pansexual, transgender or a supporter.

[retropopcult]

“Lurch Learns to Dance” (The Addams Family, 1964)

[evelily7023-deactivated20230824]

[halloweenskellington]

[destroymylife]

[traaumaa]

its making it so much harder

[anxietyproblem]

[cosimaloveshalloween]

[understands]

[destroymylife]

[dimpledthings]

don’t be embarrassed that little joys take up a lot of space in your heart. sometimes they’re the most important things there are in your life, and deserve your attention

[sulietsexual]

∟ Horror Homages in Fear Street