military policy to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. He has active worked towards making it U.S. He was also deputy director of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism.įanning was a member of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund from 2004 to 2007. His 25 years of Public Service has included the role of deputy undersecretary and deputy chief management officer for the Department of the Navy (2009). And Ben, your patience at home, because I know there were days that I probably was not the most pleasant person to be around.” “It’s a confusing process that makes you feel vulnerable and out there alone. military when he was appointed by President Obama as the 22nd Secretary of the Army and confirmed by the Senate in May 2016.ĭuring his swearing in ceremony, Fanning thanked his partner, Benjamin Masri-Cohen: But he was immortalized by May of the leading gay artist of the Mid-Twentieth Century.Įric Fanning became the the first out gay head of any service in the U.S. Starkowski died in 1977 after being hit by a car after leaving a bar. Starkowski and Chuck Howard, another Lynes model, became lovers and posed together for the artist collective known as PaJaMa (Paul Cadmus, Jared French and Margaret Hoening French). Through him Starkowski was introduced to other gay artist of that era - Bernard Perlin (who also became his lover), Jared French and Paul Cadmus. Lynes was a commercial photographer who shot male nudes for his private collection (not to be revealed until after his death). Through this vocation he met George Platt Lynes. To make ends meet, he turned to hustling… performing sex with men for money. Ted Starkowski was a former GI who settled down in New York City after his stint in the army. Since gay men are often forced into the fringes of society, we’re more accepting of people who don’t meet straight norms of sexuality. I’ve written about a few hustlers and prostitutes in this tumblr (see links below).
Clarke was buried with Ekanayake, who died 30 years earlier. The tabloid published an apology and Clarke chose not to sue.)Ĭlarke was Knighted in 2000 (announced in 1998).Ĭlarke died in 2008 at the age of 90 due and respiratory issues and heart failure resulting from the post-polio syndrome. The case was investigated by the Sri Lankan police and Clarke was cleared. (Note: in 1998 the British tabloid Sunday Mirror published an article accusing Clarke of paying for sex with underage boys. It’s a wasting of muscles and required him to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life. In 1988, he was struck with post-polio syndrome - an affliction which can haunt those who contracted polio earlier. And he doesn’t know how much I don’t care.” “He (Clarke) was very pleased I don’t care. “I want you to know I’m a very well adjusted homosexual.” While working on the book and script for “2001 a space odyssey” Clarke decided to be open with Kubrick: When asked by a journalist if he was gay, Clarke would reply: Clarke dedicated his novel “The Fountains of Paradise” (1979) to Ekanayake.Ĭlarke never publicly came out but close friends were aware. Ekanayake died at the age of 29 in a motorcycle accident. Clarke never remarried, but was close to Leslie Ekanayake who he called his “only perfect friend of a lifetime”. One reason he decided to settle in Sri Lanka was their more tolerant views towards homosexuality. He developed an interest in diving (and discovered a number of shipwrecks and an underwater temple). They separated within 6 months but didn’t divorce until 10 years later (while his wife had his US bank accounts frozen).Ĭlarke moved to Sri Lanka (then called Ceylon) in 1956. But in 1953 he married a 22-year-old American divorcee. Perhaps best known for co-writing the screenplay for “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968) with director Stanley Kubrick (and the followup novel), his legacy includes “Childhood’s End” (1953), “Rendezvous with Rama” (1973), and dozens if not hundreds of short stories.Ī strong proponent of travel to other planets, he also influenced the US space program thru his writing, essays, and lectures.Ĭlarke defined himself a homosexual. His work included science fiction and science fact. Arthur C Clarke was one of the most popular, influential, and awarded writers of the 20th Century.