Stars and Sexuality
Richard Natale’s “A Glimpse Outside the Closet” (July 15) fails to mention the main character in Hollywood’s closet drama, Rock Hudson, one of the greatest of all leading men, who was a gay man in real life passing as heterosexual.
Studio publicists went to great lengths to cover up the truth, making up stories of womanizing and even faking a marriage in order to fortify his public image. If his sexual orientation were known, would Rock have starred in romantic roles such as “Giant” and “Pillow Talk”? Probably not.
It seems that moviegoers can accept a straight person playing a homosexual but, to this day, most moviegoers cannot accept an openly gay person playing a romantic role.
WARREN GARFIELD Studio City
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Natale writes, “The more open discussion of homosexuality in the media has not eliminated ingrained prejudices based on often sincere moral and religious convictions.”
These prejudices are not “sincere.” They are unexamined reactions to personal preferences that have been conveniently given the “cover” of organized religion.
GENE TOUCHET
Cathedral City
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