Tag: HIV/AIDS

redstarthecat:

blu-iv:

latinxstan:

maeamian:

paladin-protector:

dynastylnoire:

maeamian:

maeamian:

maeamian:

BTW, the high five was invented in 1977 which means your parents probably didn’t grow up with it.

For real though Glenn Burke, inventor of the high five was a gay black player in the 70s, and the Dodgers tried to get him to marry a beard and their manager got mad when he befriended the manager’s gay son before being traded to the Athletics, probably for being gay. In Oakland, the rumors of homosexuality followed him and manager Billy Martin started using homophobic slurs in the clubhouse and homophobic behavior from other players lead to an early retirement for the promising young star at 27.  After retiring from baseball he introduced the high five to the Castro district of San Franscio where the high five became a symbol of gay pride and identification. ESPN wrote a long form piece about it which I recommend reading, it’s got some homophobic slurs in it although not presented positively.

A few appendices:

Although he was unceremoniously drummed out of Major League Baseball, Burke became the star shortstop for the local Gay Softball League, and even dominated in the Gay Softball World Series, as well as medaling in the 100 and 200 meter sprints in the inaugural 1982 Gay Games. Unfortunately, Burke also picked up a cocaine habit and had his leg and foot crushed in an accident. He spent much of his final years homeless in the Castro, and died from AIDS complications in 1995, but he was in the first class of inductees to the Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame, and his High School retired his jersey number.

The Dodgers Manager in question was Tony Lasorda, whose son “Spunky” died of AIDS complications in 1992 although Lasorda maintains that it was cancer. Likewise, despite the High Five becoming a symbol of the 1980 Dodgers team, Lasorda maintained and continues to this day to maintain to not know its origin. It’s possible that this isn’t a deliberate slight to Burke, but given his homophobia in other matters that’s a hard benefit of the doubt to give.

The Athletics have, in the years since, attempted to make up for some of the wrongs they committed in this story. When Glenn revealed publicly that he was living with AIDS, the As moved in and helped him financially. Burke was honored publicly at Pride Night at the park in 2015 and his brother was invited to throw the first pitch.

Burke was happy to see the high five catch on, spilling out of sports and into the small joys of every day life. He died believing that the high five was his legacy. Next time you high five your friend, remember that the high five came from Glenn Burke.

Npr has a dope story on it

What? Cool! Maybe I can find some of his baseball cards?

You can! Not super expensively even!

I’m so glad high fives are gay culture

So high fives are gay 🙂

*slams fist on table* GAY HIGH FIVES GAY HIGH FIVES

legally-bitchtastic:

legally-bitchtastic:

thexfiles:

i love her

Remember, Debbie Reynolds was so much more than just Carrie’s mom. She was a beautiful, amazing, wickedly funny woman in her own right. She loved her daughter and she made her daughter who she was, but it is a disservice to her memory to shrink her down to just being Carrie’s mom.

Also, because it needs to be said, Debbie was a huge supporter of the mentally ill. She helped found The Thalians, a mental health charity in 1955 and served as chairwoman for the organization for fifty-six years. She was an amazing woman and will be missed.

ya-pride:

jokelifeclub:

ya-pride:

transmanrichardstrand:

ya-pride:

Give a shoutout to your favorite LGBTQIAP+ book! 🌈📚

Everyone NEEDS to read I’ll Get There. It Better Be Worth the Trip. by John Donovan. First young adult novel with LGBT themes, published spring of 1969 by a gay New Yorker (the proximity to Stonewall is amazing), and it would be a beautiful, amazing book worth reading even if it weren’t historically important.

I’ve never heard of this one! Sounds like a great read for Pride Month! 

not my favorite, but my first gay book was A Boy’s Own Story by Edmund White. it’s set in the 1950s, so it’s got some historical context. also, my high school english teacher gave it to me before i had come out to anyone, and that was honestly such a read

I love that I’m hearing about all of these older LGBTQ+ books that we don’t often hear about anymore! Thank you for sharing! 

If we’re going older books, I think more people need to know about Peter McGehee and Doug Wilson’s trilogy of autobiographical novels. They’re devastating, beautiful, and burn bright with life and humour in the midst of dying, at the height of the AIDS crisis. They do have sexual content and difficult subject matter, so they’d be for mature readers who are ready for that, but I think they’re important, and most people don’t know they exist. I read them first in my very early twenties, and they will never leave me or my bookshelf.

Boys Like Us – Sweetheart – Labour of Love

helloworld-itseli:

People of Pride #8: Bayard Rustin

Bayard Rustin was the black, gay, non-violent activist responsible for organizing the March on Washington. His pioneering contributions to the fight for economic, racial, & LGBT+ equality are immeasurable, there is so much more to say than there is room to say it. Bayard Rustin is a name lost in history books that should have never been forgotten, I encourage you to read more about who he was, what he loved, and what he conquered here:

Every day in June, I will be posting an illustration that highlights an LGBT+ activist who I believe everyone should know. This series will be in no way comprehensive, & will include a multitude of identities, races, sexualities, and genders.