Most of Inman's later work was in the theater. He toured in his own show, Fancy Free, in the 1980s, as well as appearing in plays, often farces such as Sam Cree's Pyjama Tops (in 1982) and Derek Benfield's Bedside Manners (in 1988).

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Inman was a perennial crowd-pleaser in pantomime and performed in more than forty shows. Danny La Rue, another pantomime dame, described Inman as "irreplaceable," saying, "John was wonderful in panto. The children adored him. He had a magic touch." Actress Rula Lenska, who also appeared in pantomime with Inman, praised his generosity: "He was a joy to work with, and even after an exhausting day in pantomime he would have time for the fans who crowded round the stage door."

Like many other actors of his own and earlier times, when an acknowledgement of homosexuality could not only spell the end of a career but possibly make them a target of criminal prosecution, Inman remained closeted for most of his life. He generally deflected questions about his romantic interests by calling the stage his love.

Sadly, as late as 1999, Inman felt the need to hide his sexual orientation, claiming that he had been in a romantic relationship with a woman--unnamed and unseen--for nearly thirty years, an assertion that was met with widespread incredulity.

Inman came out publicly only when he and builder Ron Lynch, with whom he had been together for 33 years, were united as civil partners on December 23, 2005.

Inman was in poor health in his last years. He was forced to abandon his role as Wanda the Cook in the pantomime Dick Whittington in December 2004 after contracting Hepatitis A, a disease caused by consumption of contaminated food. He remained weakened by the infection until his eventual death on March 8, 2007. He is survived by Lynch.

At news of his death, tributes poured in from professional colleagues, friends, and fans who praised Inman's work and recalled the joy that it had brought them, while members of glbtq rights organizations and other commentators offered their various opinions on his role in cultural history.

Mollie Sugden, often Inman's foil (and sometimes ally) as Mrs. Slocombe, the head of the womenswear department on Are You Being Served?--and another of the show's more transgressive characters--may have found the right words as she mourned Inman's passing: "It's a very sad day. As far as I'm concerned, it's the end of an era."

Until recently, British television embraced lesbians and gays as Them rather than Us, but a more diversified and nuanced approach to all kinds of sexuality is likely to be the case in the future.

Although few gay actors have been permitted the luxury of openness, many of them have challenged and helped reconfigure notions of masculinity and, to a lesser extent, of homosexuality.

The film sissy had his heyday in the 1930s, but persists as a film archetype, subtly reminding audiences that there are other ways of being than conventional heterosexuality.

Gay, lesbian, and bisexual actors and actresses are among the elite of contemporary theater, but only recently have many come out publicly.

Variety and vaudeville and related theatrical forms featured cross-dressed acts, as well as routines that challenged prevailing gender constructions.