Who Were The Gay and Lesbian Disco Stars?

[adonis1960]

Okay, somebody must know . . . there had to have been more than just Sylvester.

[markydefad]

well this has been covered in the past--quite recently, in fact...but I'll start a little list:

Alicia Bridges, Sharon Redd, Jocelyn Brown (aka Shaw) like/liked ladies...

Dennis Parker, Paul Parker, Frank Loverde, Dan Hartman, like/liked mens...

there's more...

what about KC?

[discokicks]

Don't forget Paul Jabara! I'm assuming Theo Vaness.....and the Skatt Brothers too!

[markydefad]

Disco Tex aka Monti Rock III

[Disco Funk]

I think a lot of the vocal groups contained gay members. The Dynamic Superiors lead singer was obviously gay. There are rumors about Teddy Pendergrass, and I think other members of the Bluenotes were gay as well. A number of those falsetto singers may have been gay, but that again is just a guess on my part.

Members of the Village People and Jacques Morali were gay.

Disco Funk

[all*that*glitters*]

Members of the Village People and Jacques Morali were gay.

Disco Funk

Disco Funk; if I remember it well;the only gay member of the Village People was Felipe, the indian??
Although she is not known to be a lesbian Donna Summer was truely the only Queen other queens adored. Especially in the early Disco days and before she turned her back on gays with her remarks that
'aids being a disease sent from God to punish them for their sexual behaviour'. After that Ms Summer was obviously taboo in gay communities.

But what about some 'real' queens like Patrick Juvet??
surely someone remember the Swiss Miss??

and don't forget DIVINE! Or Patrick Cowley!!
Has anybody mentioned gay DJ's like Larry Levan, Frankie Knuckles???
don't tempt me, I could go on forever...
all*that*glitters*

[ol'skinflint]

I've never forgotten (and I left high school in 1972). A group of cool, "in crowd" students were harrassing a quiet, reserved student they perceived to be gay. The harrassment was overheard by the classroom teacher who put the entire matter in perspective quickly. She said "the only way you can confirm without question that someone else is gay is if YOU have interacted with them on that level....". I'm telling you, that entire class room fell silent, the "cool" kids bowed their heads with horrified expressions on their faces, and I never heard them hassle that student or any other ever again. I have never understood why some people have such intense interest in the private lives of others, celebrities or not. And it doesn't surprise me that a songwriter as eloquent as Luther Vandross found JUST the right words when, being interviewed on BET, he was asked yet again about his private life. His response: "Mind your OWN f..king business!"

[Disco Funk]

I agree that there wasn't (and still isn't) a welcoming climate for gays to be themselves. There is a lot of homophobia, and the fear of losing an audience keeps a lot of these singers and artists in the closet (not to mention people in other walks of life). This is really too bad because it must really wear some of these guys down, always having to hide their private lives from the media. Its bad enough for the heterosexual couples, but if you're a male sex symbol and you're outed as gay, your career is over.

You don't have to have 'interacted with them on that level' to know or suspect who is or who isn't gay. I don't think that teacher did the right thing because instead of preaching tolerance, they just further emphasized that being gay was nothing to be proud of. Did the students warm up to the student after that incident, or were they just completely ignored?

Disco Funk

[remicks]

And it doesn't surprise me that a songwriter as eloquent as Luther Vandross found JUST the right words when, being interviewed on BET, he was asked yet again about his private life. His response: "Mind your OWN f..king business!"

Had I been the one interviewing the overrated and over bloated Luther I would have answered.....

"And just who do you think you're fooling , you tired old queen !!! "

And then , after doing some investigative reporting .... that wouldn't have taken none too long ... I would've written a factual piece about the dear boy ....

[BrunoRepublic]

Disco Funk; if I remember it well;the only gay member of the Village People was Felipe, the indian??

Certainly not. Original cowboy Randy Jones doesn't hide his sexuality.

[buckaroo]

Ahem...No one here has mentioned Sylvester yet. :)

[Videoskooter]

Lou Depryck from Two Man Sound an Lou & The Hollywood Bananas is dating transsexuals for many years now and says they have that something "Extra". Does that make him gay? ;-)

[visuals]

There was a 6-piece group by the name of "Foxy" and the lead singer/guitarist Ish "Angel" Ledesma and most (if not all) of the guys from the group were said by many to be gay.The cover art for the group's 1978 album "Get Off" features Ish & the group laying beside each other forming a circle on a pink blanket.

Speaking of circles, Cameo's "Ugly Ego" album art showed Larry & the boys shirtless on the back cover laying in a circle side by side with one of the "Leftenant" brothers striking a very feminine pose.


Tony Williams of "The Dynamic Superiors" was also openly gay.

I've always wondered about Richard "Dimples" Fields too.

[DawnOfTheDead]

Wasn't the late June Pointer also supposed to be a lesbian? And no, I'm not saying that now because she can't defend herself, but it was rumored at the time....

[discofrank]

Dennis Parker, Paul Parker, Frank Loverde, Dan Hartman, like/liked mens...

Had no idea about Dan Hartman.. Funny, how disco sometimes hides the lives and identities of the artists.

[Dayna]

It was rumored that A member of Kool and The Gang was dating one of the Transexual ladies that appear on the 1974 Album Cover of Hollywood Swinging...The girl in the middle in the white suit is a genetic female..the other three are TS's..The TS Lady on the far right is famed Studio 54 party girl and friend to Salvador Dali "International Chrisis" The TS lady rumored to be dating a member of the band is in the silver dress..I have no data on the TS lady in blue..Like I said it was "RUMORED"..And not documented...And Like videoskooter asked earlier of another situation like this one.Does it even make him gay ? Even though she was still packin:icon_lol: .

[kdavid13]

As far as VP is concerned ; it is the other way around.The only straight man in the group was VICTOR WILLIS who was married to Phylicia Rashad of the Cosby Show.

Martin Stevens of LOVE IS IN THE AIR fame was on TV last night and he just released his autobiography and he mentions that at one point VP were in Montreal to film a video and they needed some girl models.He said that they should use his girlfriend and her sister.
He went on tour then when he came back she had hooked up with Victor a.k.a. "the only straight one in the group"...

In a related note when they returned here later in the 80's ; various members including FELIPE and GLENN HUGHES hooked up with friends of mine.

[pepper1dancer]

what about KC?[/quote

I Wish!!!

[canadiantire]

Ok, the examples below are not really “pure” Disco artists, but let’s say that they are at least from the post-disco era.

With their visual presentation, Imagination is definitely a group that leaves no room for ambiguity about their sexual orientation.


On the other hand, Boys Town Gang raised a flag to me the day they’ve made the hit “Cruisin’ The Streets”, in which homosexual intercourse are explicitly depicted.

Did they do it to show their belonging to the gay community or did they simply wanted to display a reality that exists?

Only the dance scene experts can tell…

- Marcus

[pepper1dancer]

How about Ms. er, I mean Mr. (Copacabana) Barry Manilow? Also the Bi-Guys, Mick Jagger and David Bowie? Yeah, I bet he did "Miss You"........

[QUINNY]

Ok, the examples below are not really “pure” Disco artists, but let’s say that they are at least from the post-disco era.

With their visual presentation, Imagination is definitely a group that leaves no room for ambiguity about their sexual orientation.

So far as I'm aware what they did was just an act. They're straight, aren't they?

[jj6ms]

I've never forgotten (and I left high school in 1972). A group of cool, "in crowd" students were harrassing a quiet, reserved student they perceived to be gay. The harrassment was overheard by the classroom teacher who put the entire matter in perspective quickly. She said "the only way you can confirm without question that someone else is gay is if YOU have interacted with them on that level....". I'm telling you, that entire class room fell silent, the "cool" kids bowed their heads with horrified expressions on their faces, and I never heard them hassle that student or any other ever again. I have never understood why some people have such intense interest in the private lives of others, celebrities or not. And it doesn't surprise me that a songwriter as eloquent as Luther Vandross found JUST the right words when, being interviewed on BET, he was asked yet again about his private life. His response: "Mind your OWN f..king business!"

exactly.

Who cares? What difference does it make to the music?

[Boogie Child]

KC, definitely. In the early 80's, KC performed at a local gay bar in Atlanta - about the time "Give It Up" and "You Said You'd Give Me Some More" were popular solo hits for him. After the performance, the club owners had a birthday party for KC and his male lover in a private room.

[kdavid13]

So far as I'm aware what they did was just an act. They're straight, aren't they?

Oh you mean IMAGINATION !!!
I thought you were saying that BOYSTOWN GANG were straight.

[canadiantire]

So far as I'm aware what they did was just an act. They're straight, aren't they?

Hummm.

They may look like "fabricated" on a static picture but judge by yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPuIpPYGXMM

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9nXEXWlQ5Q


In order to be politically correct, I mean by this that no heterosexual man can be as expressive, sensual, close to his feelings and emotionally involved as he is in these two videos.

Sorry, I could not find the other video where they also all appear in a Jacuzzi…


- Marcus