October 8, 2014:

Film Icons & Legends:  Bette Davis

Huffpost by Trevor Martin:  An acquaintance here in San Francisco informed me that these women (in reference to female film stars like Bette Davis) are not merely icons: These heroines are veritable patron saints!  When a little boy who is destined to grow up straight has a poster of his favorite sports star, superhero, or astronaut on his bedroom wall, we may conclude that he admires and identifies with him and perhaps even wants to be his icon in some way.  I have pondered this phenomenon since I first realized I am gay, says Martin. As a young child of 10, I would shut myself away during the weekends, curtains closed in the living room, and watch the triple bill of films on Saturday-afternoon BBC TV: Bette Davis. Marilyn Monroe. Judy Garland. Joan Crawford.

The most noted and revered of gay men's icons are inevitably quirky or uncommonly beautiful and always talented. They portray a vulnerability that is often wrapped up in strength in the face of adversity. Lurking behind the glitz they may have troubled personal lives -- perhaps their lives are tainted by emotional turbulence -- and sometimes a subtle sense of pathos filters out from just behind the eyes.