Born On This Day- August 8th... Randy Shilts

Randy Shilts was gutsy, brash & unforgettable. He was a brave & pioneering gay journalist. He was the first openly gay reporter with a “gay beat” for major USA newspaper- the San Francisco Chronicle. He was among the first to bring real attention to a new series of illnesses that were causing gay men to die in the early 1980s.

I purchased & read each of his books as they were published. They remain some of the most important books & the best chronicle of American Gay History at the end of the 20th century: The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life & Times of Harvey Milk (1982), And the Band Played On: Politics, People, & the AIDS Epidemic (1987), & Conduct Unbecoming: Gay & Lesbians In The U.S. Military: Vietnam to the Persian Gulf (1993). And The Band Played On became an award winning, powerful & critically lauded film for HBO, directed by Roger Spottiswoode & starring: Alan Alda, Matthew Modine, Lily Tomlin, Ian McKellen. Steve Martin, B.D. Wong, Richard Gere, David Marshall Grant, Anjelica Huston, Richard Jenkins, & Swoozie Kurtz, most of whom worked for scale to be part of the project.

His books read like finely crafted fiction; Shilts’ greatest achievement as a writer was that he brought novelistic skills to the practice of journalism. All 3 of his books have compelling narratives & vividly detailed characters.

Shilts received the formal diagnosis that he was infected with HIV on the day he finished the manuscript for And Band Played On. As Shilts wrote his last book, about gays in the military- Conduct Unbecoming, he dictated the final chapter of that book from a hospital bed & it was published in 1993 at almost the same time President Bill Clinton took aim at anti-gay discrimination in the armed services. Think of how he would have continued to chronicle the struggle of gay people & imagine his reporting of Prop 8 & the inevitable rise of the cause of Marriage Equality & 21^st century LGBTQ issues like bullying.

In 1992, Shilts' older brother Gary performed the commitment ceremony that joined him to Barry Barbieri, a man 20 years his junior, & the primary beneficiary of his estate.

Perhaps because Shilts remains controversial among some gays, there is no monument to him. There is is no street named for him, as there are for other San Francisco writers Jack London, Jack Kerouac or Dashiell Hammett. He isone of Gay History’s real heroes, with an effect on the gay community as important as Harvey Milk. Both were immensely important. Where's the street, building or holiday named after Shilts?

"HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego & vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells & a little less character."

A toast to you Randy, on your 61st birthday.

The Golden Gate Bridge Turns 75 On This Day- May 28th

Another of my favorite structures on the planet is, of course, The openly gay Golden Gate Bridge is a technical masterpiece & a bridge of exceptional design artistry. When the bridge opened to the public, 75 years ago today- May 28^th, The Golden Gate was the world's longest & tallest suspension bridge. But above all this masterly example of engineering is a magnificent monument set against a beautiful backdrop.

Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge started in 1933. The bridge, which was designed by engineer Joseph Strauss (who designed Portland's Broadway Bridge) was built to connect San Francisco with Marin County across the 5000+ foot wide strait known as the Golden Gate which connects the San Francisco Bay with the Pacific Ocean.

The construction was a colossal task. At the time many people did not believe it was technically possible to span the Golden Gate. But despite the disbelief, opposition & the Great Depression, Joseph Strauss was able to find sufficient support & financial backing to go ahead with the project. It would take thousands of workers, 4 years & 35 million dollars to complete the structure. 21 men died in accidents during the construction.

The dimensions of the bridge defied all imagination. The total length of the bridge is 8,981feet. The main span between the 2 enormous towers is 4,200 feet long, making the Golden Gate Bridge the world's largest suspension bridge, a record that would stand until 1964 when the Verrazano-Narrows bridge in NYC was completed.

The pair of magnifecnt Art Deco towers are almost 740 feet tall. The 6 lanes of road is an amazing 220 above the water level. The bridge is supported by enormous cables, anchored in hundreds of bars locked into concrete blocks. The 2 cables are woven from 27,572 threads of steel with a total length that equals 3 times the earth's circumference.

From last night's 75th Birthday celebration of concerts, speeches, parties & fireworks

The Golden Gate Bridge has always been painted orange vermilion, named- "International Orange."  The distinctive orange color blends well with the span's natural setting as it is a warm color consistent with the warm colors of the surrounding land & distinct from the cool colors of the sky & sea. It also provides enhanced visibility for passing ships.

A revered & rugged group of of 16 ironworkers and 3 pusher ironworkers, 33 painters, 5 painter laborers, & a chief bridge painter battle wind, sea air & fog, often suspended high above the Gate, to repair corroding steel & keep the bridge looking pretty.

In September 1971, I walked across the Golden Gate Bridge. It was quite a challenge. Not only is it a long trip, but it is a breathtaking. In extreme circumstances the bridge can sway almost 28 feet. This makes the bridge less pleasant during strong winds or an earthquake. The views, however, were amazing. The Golden Gate Bridge has a major role, playing itself, in my favorite Hitchcock film- Vertigo.

Born On This Day- May 22nd... Harvey Milk

Milk was not an easy man & he had a temper, but his independence freed him from compromising party politics, allowing him to be controlled by his conscience rather than the debt owed to special interest groups. Milk had an absolute allegiance to Jeffersonian principles of American democracy, the Declaration of Independence & the Constitution.

Milk had a burning belief that the only devout defense of individual rights, Milk was individual participation in the political process. As an open gay man, Milk knew all too well that whoever holds power, dictates the limits of individuality.


Milk was a political pioneer of the 20th century. History will prove Milk’s struggles & his success show that there is no gay way, there is only one way. Milk can live forever if we can to do things his way, in the actions & accomplishments of the small daily efforts to make our world better.

Harvey Milk entrusted the energy of his eloquent voice not only to the voiceless minority, but to all minorities, whose voices are cast away in the conformity of the American cultural landscape. Milk: “All I ever seek is to open up a dialogue that involves all of us." Tragically, his assassin's bullet not only vanquished his voice, but his populist vision as well.

Today Is The 3rd Harvey Milk Day In California

"If a bullet should enter my brain,

 let that bullet destroy every closet door."

Listen up, all you little baby queers. There is a history lesson to be learned. Sit down & watch the remarkable Oscar winning- The Times Of Harvey Milk (1984) & the powerful Oscar winning- Milk (2008) from my good close personal friend- Gus Van Sant.

People told him no openly gay man could win political office. Fortunately, he ignored them. Harvey Milk suspected that emotional trauma was gays' worst enemy, especially for all those in the closet. That made the election of an openly gay person crucial as a symbol. "You gotta give them hope," Milk always said. There was a time when it was impossible for people to imagine a Harvey Milk. Most people, straight & gay, had to adjust to what Harvey Milk epitomized: a gay person can live an honest life & succeed. That revelation continues as the rights of gay people move baby steps forward & then a step backward, with every gay character on TV & film, & with every time the President mentions us, the eventual outcome of full, unequivocal equality becomes unquestionable & necessary .

Harvey Milk would have celebrated his 82nd birthday today.