GLB: Gays, Lesbians, and Bi-Sexuals Quiz

Answer: Martina Navratilova

Martina Navratilova announced her sexual orientation in 1981. One of her lovers was novelist Rita Mae Brown. Later, Judy Hill Nelson sued Navratilova for palimony in 1991 and wrote two books about her relationship with her. Another lover, Julia Lemigova, has been connected to a sordid past.

In spite of distractions, Navratilova is by consensus the premier women's tennis player of all time. In addition she has been generous in many charitable activities. Martina, a vegetarian, has been outspoken on animal right, underprivileged children and gay rights.

Answer: Cole Porter

Porter attended Harvard University where he gained a reputation as a song writer. He decided to pursue a career in music over the objections of his family. In 1919 he married Linda Lee Thomas, a socialite eight years his senior, in a marriage of convenience. She was able to maintain her social standing while Cole was to continue his closet gay affairs. They were a devoted couple and their marriage ended in 1954 with her death.

Cole often gave lavish parties with many gay, lesbian, and bisexual attendees. Porter preferred sexual relationships that involved no emtional commitment. A legend is that he and the actor Monty Woolly used to pair together and visit the rougher parts of town (where they would not be recognized) for random sexual experiences.

Two biographical films were produced on Porter's life. In 1946 Cary Grant played Cole Porter and Alexis Smith as Linda in "Night and Day", a highly sanitized film which was designed to present his music mainly and not his private life. In 2004 a more realistic biography was filmed with Kevin Kline as Porter and Ashley Judd as Linda.

In case you think I forgot, 'Beguine' was the name of a Christian sisterhood in the 12th century who lead austere lives but did not take vows. As centuries passed it came to refer to a Latin American dance with a bolero beat.

Answer: Willa Cather

Willa Cather was born in Virginia but moved to Red Cloud, Nebraska as a child. She graduated from the University of Nebraska and began her career as a writer. In addition to the Trilogy she was awarded the 1923 Pulitzer Prise for her novel "One of Ours". In addition to her twelve novels, she published eight other books of poetry, essays, and short stories.

The University of Nebraska yearbook shows a young person with with mannish clothing and haircut. She had registered as William rather than Willa. She worked at "McClure's Magazine" for several years as a contributor and managing editor. She was advised by lesbian writer Sarah Orne Jewett to quit the magazine and concentrate on writing. She spent the last forty years of her life in New York with her lifetime companion Edith Lewis. It is also alleged that she had relationships with opera singer Olive Fremstad and pianist Yaltah Menuhin.

Although her early novels were met with praise, in later years she was described as provincial, and her novels dated. After 1930 her productivity declined. Yet she is only American female writer to be cited by the Encyclopedia Britannica as among the 100 greatest writers.

Answer: Barney Frank

Frank was in a relationship from 1974 to 1976 with Margaret Sullivan but broke off with her as he told her of his homosexuality. He remained 'closeted' until 1987. The scandal that embarrassed him was with a male prositute named Steve Gobie. He hired Gobie from his own funds to be a personal aide.

When Frank found out that Gobie was using his apartment to continue his escort services, he dismissed him. A year later Gobie returned to try to blackmail Frank, threatening to expose him to the highest media bidder.

Instead Frank took the issue to the House ethics committee. The House eventually did censure Frank 408 to 18. Larry Craig who led the Republican call for censure was himself arrested of soliciting gay sex in an airport bathroom. In spite of the misstep in his personal life, Frank won 66% of the vote in the next election.

Answer: Clyde Tolson

To give Hoover proper credit, he took the FBI from a disorganized federal bureaucracy to a well structured criminal investigative unit. He focused on organized crime and subversive elements with in the nation.

As to his sexual orientation, there is much disagreement among researchers and scholars. We know that Clyde Tolson was Hoover's confident, that they lived and vacationed together, were seldom apart, that Tolson inherited Hoover's estate, and that Tolson is buried near Hoover's grave. Some have concluded that this constitutes a homosexual relationship. Others point out that Hoover is known to have had heterosexual contacts with film star Dorothy Lamour and Ginger Roger's mother Lela Rogers. FBI insiders described the relationship between Hoover and Tolson as 'brotherly'.

Biographer Anthony Summers consulted psychologists and psychiatrists on the issue and came to this conclusion: "strongly predominant homosexual orientation ... a bisexual with failed heterosexuality".

Answer: Neil Patrick Harris

In 2010 Harris was named by time as one the "Time" magazine's 100 most influential people. He gained fame as the youthful "Doogie Howser" in 1989. Another sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" (2005) has been a critical success. Harris through the years has made contributions as an actor, singer, director, producer and magician.

The Harris/Burtka twins were named Gideon Scott, a boy, and Harper Grace, a girl, born in 2010.

Answer: Harvey Milk

Milk obtained a degree in teaching math from the New York University at Albany. He served in the military as a navy diver and taught diving. He went through jobs teaching, insurance companies, and as a researcher. He was closeted during this time and once contemplated a marriage of convenience with a lesbian friend.

Following his move to San Francisco, he and a friend opened a camera shop and he began to immerse himself in politics. In the temper of the times, police were accused of targeting gay men. For instance, a men's bathing suit had to extend from the navel to below the knee, otherwise it was considered indecent exposure. Oral sex was a punishable offense. These laws were enforced mostly against members of the gay community.

On November 27, 1978 Dan White, who might be broadly described as a disappointed office seeker, shot both Milk and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone. The jury selection was rigged with any gay community member dismissed. White's lawyer came up with the famous 'twinkie defense' that White had diminished capacity because of eating too much junk foods. Charges were reduced to manslaughter and he was sentenced to five years' imprisonment. The decision caused widespread dissatisfaction and resulted in riots.

California has decreed May 22nd as Harvey Milk Day. Sean Penn starred in the film "Milk"(2008) and earned an Academy Award nomination.

Answer: John Maynard Keynes

In his youth Keynes kept a separate diary of his experiences with men, which were many. They included the writer Lytton Strachey, painter Duncan Grant, and Arthur Hobhouse, a British liberal politician. He kept scores and tabulations. In 1921 Keynes met and fell in love with Lydia Lopokova, a Russian ballerina. During this time he carried on with his homosexual activities but in 1925 he married Lydia and according to his biographers, Keyes became a devoted and attentive husband.

Lydia did not adjust well to the English upper middle class environment and was considered 'crude' and 'common' by some of Keynes' friends. It is alleged that Virginia Woolf's 1925 novel "Mrs. Galloway" is based on Lydia Lopokova.

Answer: Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman worked at many jobs during his life. As a youth he was a printer which led to journalism. He worked as a government clerk, a labourer, and a nurse during the civil war. Scholars generally regard him as a transitional poet emerging from the predominantly transcendental school to realism. After the publication of "Leaves of Grass" in 1857, Whitman spent much of the rest of his life revising and expanding it. It was self published at first as Whitman had friends who allowed him to use the presses when not in use for business.

Whitman's sexual orientation is still debated among researchers. Generally, they have come to the conclusion that Whitman was indeed homosexual but that there is no evidence that he engaged in homosexual acts. Whitman, late in life, claimed that he had fathered six children. There are photographs of Whitman in the company of young effeminate boys. Oscar Wilde visited Whitman while he toured the United States in 1882. Wilde wrote in a letter "I have the kiss of Walt Whitman still on my lips". However, some think that this may have been Wilde's use of hyperbole. Whitman, particularly in this later years, was fond of making statements that were contradictory to his previous positions. For instance, during his life he took both sides of the issues of abolition and temperance.

Answer: Wisconsin

Baldwin served 14 years as Congressional Representative, surviving seven elections. She won the Senate seat from Tommy Thompson, a former governor and member of George Bush's cabinet. Politically, she describes herself as progressive and liberal. Her seat in the House was taken my Mark Pocan, an openly gay man.