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Controversial Author Gore Vidal Passes Away
Gore Vidal has passed away. The author of many a book passed away from complications relating to pneumonia. Though Vidal never seemed to identify as bisexual, he had numerous affairs with both men and women, and his third novel, The City and the Pillar, was the first to directly feature homosexuality. He met his long time partner Howard Austin in 1950. The two were together until Austin’s death in 2003. Gore Vidal was 86.
He wrote under various names over the years including Edgar Box, Cameron Kay, and Katherine Everard.
Eugene Luther Gore Vidal was the only son of Eugene Luther Vidal and the first son of Nina Gore. His mother married three times in total.
Vidal was not much of a nice man. He was known in later years for making incendiary remarks including stating about William F. Buckley after he died “I thought hell is bound to be a livelier place, as he joins forever those whom he served in life, applauding their prejudices and fanning their hatred.” He had engaged in a decades long feud with Buckley.
The City and The Pillar was dedicated to J.T. It was later learned that J.T. stood for James “Jimmy” Trimble III, one of Vidal’s early loves. Trimble would die at the Battle of Iwo Jima. Vidal was a staunchly anti-war.
12 Responses to Controversial Author Gore Vidal Passes Away
Socialize
For A Gay Friendly Get Away
Spatula
August 1, 2012 at 9:33 pm
“There is no such thing as a homosexual or a heterosexual person. There are only homo — or heterosexual acts. Most people are a mixture of impulses if not practices.”
“We are all bisexual to begin with. That is a fact of our condition. And we are all responsive to sexual stimuli from our own as well as from the opposite sex. Certain societies at certain times, usually in the interest of maintaining the baby supply, have discouraged homosexuality. Other societies, particularly militaristic ones, have exalted it. But regardless of tribal taboos, homosexuality is a constant fact of the human condition and it is not a sickness, not a sin, not a crime … despite the best efforts of our puritan tribe to make it all three. Homosexuality is as natural as heterosexuality. Notice I use the word ‘natural,’ not normal.”
It’s pretty obvious he was bisexual.
Bridgette P. LaVictoire
August 1, 2012 at 9:35 pm
Um, not really. That is a wonderful bit of philosophy, but it does not get to what he thought of himself.
Spatula
August 1, 2012 at 9:49 pm
“Trust a nitwit society like this one to think that there are only two categories – fag and straight.” ~Gore Vidal
It is well-documented that he ardently refused to be labeled ‘gay’ or ‘homosexual’. That he settled with one person doesn’t mean anything. If he had settled with a woman, would you call him straight?
Bridgette P. LaVictoire
August 1, 2012 at 10:31 pm
If he had, I probably wouldn’t have written the obit.
Look- I’m not changing the headline because it won’t matter. Can we just please stop the bloody argument because it doesn’t appear that he wanted to be labeled as gay, bi OR straight- so you’re as wrong as I am.
Spatula
August 2, 2012 at 1:57 am
Well I never thought I’d say this, but I’ve finally found something gays and mormons have in common: they love to baptize the dead to swell their ranks.
You’re still more wrong, choosing a title that contradicts his stated feelings and his life’s history. How about changing the title to ‘queer’?
Bridgette P. LaVictoire
August 2, 2012 at 2:44 am
how about I just remove the offensive word and wait for the internet to sort out that I removed it. And there really are no shades of ‘more wrong’ in any of this. I made a choice you disagreed with. Since it is obvious that he hated all labels it goes.
Incidentally- no matter what I put there someone, somewhere was going to kvetch about it. I’ve been around long enough that I know that if I had said ‘queer’ someone would have kvetched that I was being insulting. If I had said ‘bisexual’ someone else would have complained about how he was with one man for ages. If I had said gay…well, since I did you see what happened.
I swear- there is no pleasing people out there.
Spatula
August 3, 2012 at 12:29 am
If someone had complained, I’d totally have your back. I am trying to find resources other than hearsay or general quotes about his philosophy that label him, but it is rather difficult. It seems his relationship with Howard Austen was very weird. They apparently never had sex, except early on.
Regardless, I’d hate to be remembered as straight in obituaries if I ended up settling with a woman. I’d hate being remembered as gay too if I settled with a man.
Having a long term relationship doesn’t, in my mind, invalidate the relationships that came before it, or someone’s prevailing attractions.
Considering how much of a counter-culture prophet and free-thinker Vidal was, and that he came out in the 1950s and was a staunch and visible advocate of gay rights his whole life, I think if his attractions were predominantly gay, he would have said so. He doesn’t strike me as the type to shield himself.
Bridgette P. LaVictoire
August 3, 2012 at 12:57 am
That creates problems in and of itself too. There are a lot of lesbians and gays who have relationships with the opposite sex early on and later accept and come out. Since we cannot find a definitive answer, I made the change.
However, the article itself doesn’t say he was gay. It was just the headline, so that changed, but it may not change in Google’s cache.
La Llorona
August 1, 2012 at 4:20 am
Um, who the hell wrote this? A Log Cabin Republican? William Buckley was a homophobic bastard, I would say that was a little more than a kind to say about him.
This is the last site I would expect to defend a man like Buckley.
Bridgette P. LaVictoire
August 1, 2012 at 4:57 am
I was not defending Buckley. Rather, I was illustrating with one example how Vidal was not a very nice guy. I can loathe Buckley’s homophobia, but I would never say such a thing about him because of my preference for civility. I have even offered my condolences to those who oppose us and our rights upon the deaths of their loved ones. Remembering that our opponents are human beings is what separates good people from bad. Unfortunately, our society loves to push the demonization and dehumanization of our enemies. That breeds stalemates and winner take all situations. It is why our system is so broken.
However, I will say that you are reading into what I said something that I did not say.
Lysana
August 1, 2012 at 3:24 am
You have committed bisexual erasure in this article, for which you ought to be ashamed. Gore Vidal was quite visibly involved with both men and women during his life. Please quit enabling the monosexist attitudes of this society.
Bridgette P. LaVictoire
August 1, 2012 at 4:52 am
Lysana,
I mentioned the fact that he had sexual affairs with both men and women- I have no information beyond that regarding how he considered himself, but do know that he was involved with the same man for many, many years. So I would say that your criticism falls off the mark. Many lesbians and gays have sex with members of the opposite sex before adopting a purely lesbian or gay identity. Without knowing anything other than the fact that Vidal had affairs with people of both sexes and settled with a man for a long period of time, I had to make a call. Nothing I have seen directly states that Vidal was bisexual in his orientation; however, if I am wrong and he considered himself bisexual, please let me know. I am not omniscient and there is only so much that can be gleaned from the sources that are out there.