NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO featured a program about liberace, and the new book just out about him, which evidently details the glittery superstar's life as a closet homosexual. From earliest childhood he exhibited stereotypical gay behavior, preferring cooking and clothing to football, which motivated his contemporaries to taunt him, probably for being a sissy.
IN the nineteen twenties calling somebody queer was unthinkable, unless the desired outcome was giving the greatest of all possible insults to arouse the greatest of possible reactions, so, the taunting was usually "sissy", not "queer"."Queer" was the term used back then ,and indeed until the nineteen seventies, the word "gay", in that context, had not yet been "invented".
throughout his life liberace adamently denied being gay; people born before world war two simply could not come out of the closet. Young people today might not realize how very recent open homosexuality is in american culture. Indeed, on at least two occasions, he filed lawsuits against people for merely implying that he might be gay, and he won them both. Ironic, because he lived long enough (he died in 1987) to safely come out of the closet in our newly liberated world, but, no, he was just plain born too early, and old habits are hard to break.
through all the pink, glittery, tight fitting costumes and effeminate mannerisms and marriagelessness, he denied his true self, and, for the most part, got away with it. Some suspected, but none verified, and other female stars, friends who knew him well, like betty white, covered for him by acting as dates. Ms white confirmed, after his death, his gayness. Then, in 1977, at the age of fifty seven, he met a seventeen year old gay kid, and began a five year relationship, illicit in more ways than one.
As cover, the kid served as liberace's chauffeur. they broke up in 1982, and soon thereafter the kid, now 22, sued the piano master for something called "palimony", which presumably is a desire by a jilted gay lover to extort money from a wealthy gay jilter. The lawsuit was for one hundred and twenty two million dollars, which liberace could have afforded, but they settled out of court for a mere ninety five grand. The plaintiff relented, so the story goes, knowing of liberace's failing health.
Liberace died in 1987 from AIDS, straight as an arrow to the bitter end. too bad, really, he might have had more peace by having the courage to be himself, everywhere. The fact that he attacked people in court for even insinuating his homesexuality, considering that the insinuations were true, says much about his character.
He never denied that money was his great passion; his favorite expression was "I laughed all the way to the bank". He used this to deflect ctiticism of his ostentatious style, and perhaps as a reaction to his insecurity about his hidden sexual orientation. Many people, myself included, felt that his masterful piano playing would better have stood on its own merit; but, hey, nothing wrong with a little, or even a lot, of showmanship.
I have never liked gay people. Not because they are gay, but because those I have known have never been particularly friendly to me. Surely this must be nothing but coincidence, but, what can one do other than evaluate people according to personal experiences with them? Gay men have always been either too pushy to this hetero dude, or too cold and aloof, and lesbians...well...insufferably mean, would describe it. Again, its surely all just bad luck; gay people are known for their warmth, and that is undoubtedly true.
It is to be hoped that liberaces of the future, if there are any, - and how could there be - will spend their lives feeling comfortable in their identity, and that the rest of us will take them, and love them just as they are. One thing is certain, we seem to be trying.
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