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Hughes, LangstonLangston Hughes, whose literary legacy is enormous and varied, was closeted, but homosexuality was an important influence on his literary imagination, and many of his poems may be read as gay texts.
Beat GenerationThe writers of the Beat Generation, many of whom were gay or bisexual, endorsed gay rights as a part of their rebellion against inhibition and self-censorship.
Comedy of MannersThe Comedy of Manners, which flourished on the Restoration stage, has been particularly amenable to twentieth-century gay male writers as a vehicle for social satire in both dramatic and nondramatic works.
Sedaris, DavidUsing his and his family's experiences, particularly his childhood in Raleigh, North Carolina, and his own wacky perspective on life, David Sedaris has become a world-famous humorist, comedian, writer, playwright, and radio personality.
Novel: LesbianFrom the great modernist writers of the 1920s and 1930s to the pulp writers of the 1950s to the lesbian writers of today, lesbian novelists have had a powerful impact on the lesbian community.
From its beginning, the nineteenth century in England had a purposeful homosexual literature of considerable bulk, both male and female, though it was fettered by oppression.
Persecuted for his homosexuality by the Castro government he had once championed, Cuban novelist, essayist, and poet Reinaldo Arenas challenged all types of ideological dogmatism.
Baudelaire, CharlesLast updated on: 11/16/12
Sen. Ed Murray. Photograph by Ryan Georgi (CC BY 2.0).
On November 13, 2012, Washington state Senator Ed Murray, a Seattle Democrat who led the state's marriage equality fight, was named Majority Leader of the state Senate. Murray served eleven years in the state House of Representatives before being elected to the Senate in 2006.
Murray was the co-sponsor of the state's marriage equality bill, which passed earlier this year and was affirmed by voters in the November 6, 2012 election. Murray described the victory at the polls as rectifying an injustice.
He has been the partner of Michael Shiosaki for more than two decades. The couple is expected to wed soon.
Murray, chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, was elected majority leader by acclamation. He replaces Sen. Lisa Brown of Spokane, who did not seek re-election. Murray is the first openly gay caucus leader in state history and the only openly gay Senate leader currently serving in the nation.
Following news of Murray's selection, Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund, said that he "has proven that openly LGBT Americans have much to offer their communities as leaders and representatives, and his commitment to open and honest public service has set an example for LGBT youth."
The first openly gay state Senate leader in the United States was the late Allan Spear of Minnesota. He was first elected to the Minnesota Senate in 1972 and came out publicly in 1974. Spear served a total of 28 years in the senate, retiring in 2000. He was President of the Senate from 1992 to 2000.
Four openly gay Democrats have been selected as leaders of the lower house in other states: Assembly Speaker John Perez in California, House Speaker Gordon D. Fox in Rhode Island, incoming House Speaker Mark Ferrandino in Colorado, and Oregon Representative Tina Kotek.
In the video below from February 14, 2012, Murray speaks at ceremony at which Governor Christine Gregoire signed the marriage equality bill he shepherded through the state senate.
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