The New York Times has been waiting a long time for this: A first entry in the ‘Adam-And-Steve’ file—in a featured write-up on the weddings page (9/17), Adam Berger and Stephen Frank had a commitment ceremony in New York. The couple has been together 10 years, progressing from ‘straight’ roommates at Harvard to best friends to partners seamlessly. They hope their long future includes children.
What to do? What to do? This item calls forth many file names: ‘Outing-the-Dead’ or ‘Smashing-Hollywood-Legends’ or ‘The-Beard-and-Beard’ file? Take your pick—Vanity Fair (Oct) exerpts a new bio, Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn by Wm. J. Mann, which baldly states that both Katherine H. AND Spencer Tracy were gay. Kate lived with one woman or another virtually all her life and she and Spencer ran with the gay crowd surrounding gay film director George Cukor (as, for example, screenwriter Garson Kanin married his beard, Ruth Gordon). The book states that most of Spencer’s well-known guilt was not from unfaithfulness to his wife but from the fact that he was gay and couldn’t stand it—he had to be drunk (and a bottom) to have sex. They did have great affection for each other but their celebrated affair was in actuality a double-liason of convenience. The book in no way disparages their acting abilities and achievements.
For something entirely different, you might check out the new Korean soap opera on Channel 41, KBS. Mr. Good-Bye has English subtitles and the magnate who is the main character has a gay younger brother who marries his red-headed American boyfriend in an over-the-top wedding in Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. Korean series have fixated on gayness ever since the South Korean movie The King And the Clown came out (ahem) last year. That movie centered on a true incident from Korean history where a king fell in love with his jester.
The New Yorker (9/25) reports a disturbing anecdote taking place in the air on an American Airlines flight from Paris to New York. Two gay American men, who are new boyfriends, dozed with their heads on each other’s shoulders. There may have been some sleepy affectionate kisses but no heavy necking. A stewardess told them the plane’s purser ordered them to quit. The passengers around the men were astonished. The purser came and said she’d said no such thing but got hostile when asked if the same would be asked of a hetero couple. An hour later, the pilot told them if they didn’t stop arguing with the crew he’d divert the plane. The airline offered contradictory responses afterwards: the crew’s actions were correct—no kissing allowed and, kissing was certainly permissible. Perhaps you should think twice about flying American.