January/ February 2017

by Brian Burns and Judd Proctor 01.2017

Graphic image by Doug Dobey

In the Navy

The disco-era singing group, The Village People, formed in 1977. Their ensemble included an American Indian, police officer, cowboy, construction worker, biker and military man -  all macho types that attracted a gay male audience. Their appeal quickly spilled over into mainstream pop, with the general public quite unaware of the hidden meanings of their lyrics and attire. In their 1979 song, “In the Navy,” they sang of the joys of being in the Navy with other young men. 

The U. S. Navy even considered using “In the Navy” in its recruiting advertising campaign on TV and radio and allowed the music video for the song to be shot aboard the USS Reasoner FF1063 at the San Diego Naval Base, complete with cute Navy recruits as extras. But for some reason, the campaign was cancelled. 

Valentines Through the Ages

Throughout history, Cupid's arrow has found its way to straights and gays alike. Of course, many stories of same-sex lovers have been silenced. The Christian Church destroyed records about the ancient Greek poet Sappho, who was overcome with passion for another woman named Anactoria.  Around 320 B.C., Alexander the Great and his lover Hephaestion were inseparable, whether it was on the battlefield or in their private quarters. 

In 1865, poet Walt Whitman became smitten with longtime companion Peter Doyle in the cozy confines of a horsecar. In the early 1900s, author Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas fell in love for a lifetime.

And in July of 2005, Emilio Menendez and Carlos German became the first gay couple to marry in Spain, a triumph of common sense and the state of law. Here's to all the sweethearts of 2017.  

Audre Lorde, The Warrior

The prolific writer, Audre Lorde, is a tough act to follow. She proudly identified herself as a “black feminist lesbian mother poet.” In 1991, she was named Poet Laureate of New York State. 

One of Lorde’s major prose works was The Cancer Journal, one of the first books to give the viewpoint of a lesbian of color.  Comprised of her journal entries and essays, the book chronicles her experiences with breast cancer and mastectomy, though in the role of warrior rather than victim. In 1981, the book won the American Library Association Gay Caucus Book of the Year Award, and became a lifeline for others with cancer. 

Just before Lorde lost her fight with cancer in 1992, she ceremoniously took the name Gambda Adisa, which translates to, “Warrior: She Who Makes Her Meaning Known.”