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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: 12/18/12
Senator Daniel Inouye, who died on December 17, 2012, in Washington, D.C. is remembered for his long service in Congress and for his stalwart support of glbtq rights. He was the second-longest serving U.S. Senator in American history. He served as Hawaii's representative in the U.S. House of Representatives upon its admission to the union in 1959, and then as one of its two senators since 1963. Elected President Pro Tempore of the U.S. Senate in 2010 (and therefore third in the order of succession to the presidency of the United States), he was the highest ranking Asian American in U.S. history.
He died of respiratory complication at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. According to his office, his last word was, appropriately for someone so closely associated with Hawaii, "Aloha."
Inouye received the Medal of Honor for his heroism in World War II. He lost his right arm to a German hand grenade after being shot in the stomach while fighting in Italy.
Even as he rose to become one of the most powerful members of the Senate, he never, as John Nichols notes in The Nation "stopped confronting power on behalf of the rights of people of color, people with disabilities, women, lesbians and gays and political dissenters to equal justice and equal opportunity. A modest man who served in the Senate for more than fifty years, Inouye was not always accorded proper recognition of his historic advocacy on behalf of civil rights and civil liberties. But that is the error of those who underestimate Inouye, not of the senator."
As Justin Snow observes in MetroWeekly, Senator Inouye was a reliable and principled supporter of glbtq rights throughout his political career.
In 1996, he was one of only 14 senators to vote against the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). He voted against the federal constitutional amendment submitted by George W. Bush that would have banned same-sex marriage. He was a co-sponsor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. He was one of the Senate's most articulate advocates of the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
A supporter of the repeal of DOMA, Inouye praised President Barack Obama's support for marriage equality in May 2012. At that time, he issued the following statement: "How can we call ourselves the land of the free, if we do not permit people who love one another to get married? I look forward to working with the President to ensure his position on marriage equality becomes law in this country."
As an Army veteran and Medal of Honor winner, Senator Inouye's voice calling for an end to Don't Ask, Don't Tell was particularly significant. In 2010, he said, "In every war we have had men and women of different sexual orientation who have stood in harm's way and given their lives for their country. I fought alongside gay men during World War II, many of them were killed in combat. Are we to suggest that because of their sexual orientation they are not heroes?"
Upon learning of Senator Inouye's death, President Obama described him as a "true American hero." Vice President Biden said he was "courage personified," and added: "To his dying day, he fought for a new era of politics where all men and women are treated with equality."
Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin lauded Senator Inouye for his support of glbtq rights. "Few have done so much for so many as Senator Daniel Inouye. He was a trailblazing leader and he will remain in our memories for standing with his LGBT sisters and brothers from day one. We will miss him, and every American should be grateful to have been touched by the life of this remarkable man."
OutServe-SLDN Executive Director Allyson Robinson said Inouye will be remembered as an "advocate for fairness and equality, becoming a key supporter of the movement to repeal the discriminatory 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' law when the chips were down and it mattered the most."
Equality Hawaii Co-Chair Scott Larimer said that Inouye had "long been a beacon of hope for those who endured ridicule and retribution for being different."
Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie will appoint a replacement to complete the remainder of Inouye's term in the Senate, which will expire in 2014.
As the video below indicates, Senator Inouye is deeply mourned in the state he loved so much and served so well.
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