Abbey-Roads2

And gay icons.

You have all heard the term gay icon, I’m sure.  Similar to pop icon, the terms refer to famous and/or popular personages who are idealized  and  idolized by a certain fan base.  A person usually becomes a gay icon because of his/her beauty, glamor, style or fashion sense, the drama or pathos of the person’s life, especially if it is marked by tragedy, or the person is perceived as an outsider.

Secular canonization.

In short, if the figure reflects any of the neuroses some psychologists believe underlie the homosexual adaptation; or if the figure ever suffered discrimination, persecution, or addiction to alchohol or drugs -  and especially those who have died tragically - then that person has a good chance of becoming a gay icon.  For instance, since the onslaught of HIV/AIDS in the early 1980’s, secular media and gay people have more or less canonized many sufferers who have died from the disease as gay martyrs.  At the same time, men or women who have died as a result of “gay bashing” are also canonized, if you will.

Mythic proportions.

The fact is however, the person elevated to the status of gay icon usually had no choice in the matter.  The person became a cult figure because of the meaning the fan base projected upon that particular person’s life and/or death.  The cult often develops independent of the person and is focused upon a perceived reality, of that person.  Their reputation  is often sentimentalized,  and as time passes, it is usually embelished by fantasy, romance, and heroism.  Even if these attributes are true, they are normally idealized.  In short, the cult figure becomes a patron saint of popular culture or gay people - sometimes both.

Gay icons are not always gay.

This whole thread came up on my other blog, Abbey-Roads, in a post I did marking the death of Heath Ledger.  A few commenters suggested he was a gay icon and for that reason did not deserve the press he received.  The same things were said about John Lennon, Princess Diana, and other celebrities when they died.  (Not that they were gay icons, but many felt they were undeserving of the press they received.)  I disagreed. 

Although I wasn’t a huge fan of Heath Ledger, neither was I aware he was considered a gay icon.  He made many more films other than “Brokeback” - but it seems his portrayal in that film is what garnered him the title of “gay icon”.  I’m certain he did not set out to gain that “honor” for himself.  In my post I wrote he would probably attain the cult status of James Dean, because of his great talent, young age when he died, and the tragic circumstances of his death - not to mention his popularity amongst young people.  I do not think it is appropriate to demon-ize a famous person simply because some people have declared him a gay icon.  After all, Ledger was simply a flawed human being - much like the rest of humanity - and he died suddenly at an early age.

Here is a short list of Gay Icons - personages some LGBT people have adopted as heroes:  (Go here for the long list.)

Catholic Saints: (Go here for more.)

St. Sebastian

St. Joan of Arc

St. Perpetua and Felicity

King David and Jonathan

Ven. Cardinal Newman

Secular gay icons:

Matthew Shepherd

Marie Antoinette

Alexander the Great

Judy Garland

Rock Hudson

James Dean

Marilyn Monroe

David Beckham

Cary Grant

I’m sure there are longer lists somewhere - but remember, this stuff is simply made up by a small group of people.