Will geer gay
Harry Hay 1912 – 2002: Refusing to be a model homo
In 1982, while visiting Los Angeles, I met Harry Hay. I was a young same-sex attracted liberationist and Marxist feminist and the 70-year-old Hay was a radical diva — Commie, homosexual pioneer and fearsome critic of queer community sell-outs of every stripe.
Harry Hay has left quite a legacy. During the 1940s he reached the bold conclusion that homosexuals were not sinners or psychopaths but an oppressed minority which should unite and fight for their rights. This was pretty way out, given most homosexuals hid their sexuality. Gay sex was a crime and even some gays believed their sexual preference was a sickness.
Hay’s background helped him break out of the self-hatred which had many homosexuals in its grip. He was both a fighter and a thinker. In 1934, with his lover Will Geer, Harry played a leading role in a successful 83-day waterfront strike in San Francisco. In later years he was fond of matching his prized union beanie from this struggle with a string of pearls. The alike year, Harry Hay joined the Communist Party and went on to turn into a respected Marxist educator. He also had a grave interest in pre-patriarchal cultures and conducted
Harry Hay
Episode Notes
Harry Hay had a vision, and that vision led to the founding, in 1950, of the first sustained homosexual rights organization in the Joined States—the Mattachine Society. Mattachine (and Harry’s) first task: establishing a gay identity.
Episode first published November 1, 2018.
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Harry Hay was precocious. He knew from an prior age that he was attracted to men, had his first gay sexual experience when he was nine, and developed an interest in union organizing in his early teens while active on an uncle’s farm in Nevada. Born to an upper middle-class family and raised in California, Hay was sent to the farm by his father to toughen up, but what he learned working side by side with migrant laborers was first and foremost ideological, as many of his fellow workers were “Wobblies,” members of the International Workers of the Society (IWW).
By the early 1930s, Hay was out, had dropped out of Stanford University, and had moved to Los Angeles to work in the theater. His lover, actor Will Geer (who gained fame in the 1970s in the role
Queer Places:
Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N Topanga Canyon Blvd, Topanga, CA 90290, Stati Uniti
Will Geer (March 9, 1902 – April 22, 1978) was an American star and social activist, known for his portrayal of Grandpa Zebulon Tyler Walton in the 1970s TV series The Waltons.
Geer was born William Aughe Ghere in Frankfort, Indiana, the son of Katherine (née Aughe), a mentor, and Roy Aaron Ghere, a postal worker.[1][2] His father left the family when the lad was only 11 years old. He was deeply influenced by his grandfather, who taught him the botanical names of the plants in his native state. Geer started out to grow a botanist, studying the subject and obtaining a master's degree at the University of Chicago. While at Chicago, he also became a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.
He began his acting career touring in tent shows and on riverboats. He worked on several left-oriented documentaries, including narrating Sheldon Dick's Men and Dust, about silicosis among miners.
Geer was also the boyfriend of homosexual activist Harry Hay.[3] In 1934, Hay met Geer at the Tony Pastor Theatre, whe
Will Geerwas an American actor. Geer's actual name was William Auge Ghere. He is finest known for his portrayal of the character 'Grandpa' Zebulon 'Zeb' Walton, in the popular 1970s TV series The Waltons.
Geer was heavily influenced by his grandfather, who taught him the botanical names of the plants in his native Indiana. He started out to become a botanist, studying the subject and obtaining a master's degree from Columbia University. But he eventually succumbed to the allure of acting.
He began his career touring in tent shows and on river boats. He eventually made his way to Broadway, and in 1964 received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Act by a Leading Star in a Musical for 110 in the Shade.
He was married to the actress Herta Ware, leading known for her poignant performance as the wife of Jack Gilford in Cocoon. Geer and Ware had 3 children, including actress Ellen Geer. Although they eventually divorced they remained close. Ware also had a daughter, actress Melora Marshall, by another marriage.
Geer had a short romantic relationship with after time noted gay activist Harry Haywhen they worked together as strike or