April 22nd

04-22-1946 John Waters – Born in Baltimore, Maryland. He is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, stand-up comedian, journalist, visual artist, and art collector. Known for his cult films of the 1970s with Divine and later for the film Hairspray. An out gay man, he is also an avid supporter of gay rights and gay pride.

04-22-1894 – 03-13-1955   Eva (Evie) Sydney Hone – Born in Roebuck Grove, County Dublin, Ireland. Shortly before her twelfth birthday, she suffered from polio (infant paralysis). She was educated by a governess, continuing her education in Switzerland, and went on tours to Spain and Italy before moving to London in 1913. She studied at the Byam Shaw School of Art and the Central School of Arts and Crafts. In 1917, Hone met Mainie Jellett (b. 04-29-1897) when both were studying at the Westminster Technical Institute. They became spiritual and emotional partners. In 1921, she and Jellett moved to Paris. At the end of the year, they returned to Dublin and for the next 10 years, they spent part of the year in Paris. The artists had a joint exhibition in 1924. Carolyn Gage (b. 01-01-1952) wrote a play about the meeting and their relationship, entitled Female Nude Seated. Hone is considered to be an early pioneer of cubism, although her best-known works are stained glass. Her most notable pieces are the East Window in the Chapel at Eton College, which depicts the Crucifixion, and My Four Green Fields, which is now in the Government Buildings in Dublin.

Post contributed by Sandra de Helen – She currently lives and writes in San Diego County, but her heart remains in Portland, Oregon. She is the author of the Shirley Combs/Dr. Mary Watson mystery series, set in Portland; Till Darkness Comes, a thriller set in Kansas City, Missouri; and three collections of lesbian poetry published by Launch Point Press. See more of her work at www.SandradeHelen.com. de Helen is a member of the Golden Crown Literary Society, Dramatists Guild, Honor Roll!, and International Centre for Women Playwrights. Follow her on Twitter @dehelen, like her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/dehelen, follow her on Instagram @dehelen. 

Stained glass of Saint Brigid – St. Brendan’s Cathedral, Ireland.

04-22-1986 Amber Heard – Born in Austin, Texas. She is an American actress and model. Heard came out in 2010, at GLAAD’s 25th anniversary event. She has said, “ I don’t label myself one way of another – I have had successful relationships with men and now a woman. I love who I love; it’s the person that matters.” Heard is an activist in LGBT rights, abolishing slavery, and is a supporter of Habitat for Humanity.

04-22-1956   Phill Wilson – Born in Chicago, Illinois. He founded the Black AIDS Institute in 1999 and is a prominent African-American HIV/AIDS activist. Wilson career in activism started after he and his lover, Chris Brownlie, were diagnosed with HIV in the early 1980s. This was when the AIDS epidemic was just starting in the US, and Wilson felt no one was bringing together the black community to solve the problem. In 1989, Wilson’s partner died of an HIV-related illness. He channeled his grief into activism. After graduating college, Wilson moved to Los Angeles in 1982, and got involved with the National Association of Black and White Men Together. From 1990 to 1995, Wilson served as the co-chair of the Los Angeles HIV Health Commission. In 2010, he was appointed by President Obama’s Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. He has published articles in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, Essence, Ebony, Jet, and other media outlets. Wilson has said that when he dies, he hopes people will remember him for not giving up. His biggest fear is that the black community will give up fighting against the disease.

04-22-1982 – 05-07-2011   Thomas Bridegroom – Born in Knox, Indiana. He was an American actor and songwriter. On May 7, 2011, he accidentally fell off of the roof of his friend’s four story building. At the time of his death, he had been in a five year relationship with Shane Bitney Crone. When Tom had come out to his family,  they blamed Crone for “making” him gay. After Tom’s death, the family threatened Crone with physical violence if he attended Tom’s funeral. Crone released a YouTube video, This Could Happen To You, as an emotional plea for same-sex couples that are deprived of any legal protection. Bridegroom: A Love Story, Unequaled, a documentary directed by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, based on the story of Crone’s and Bridegroom’s relationship and the difficulties Crone faced after his partner’s death, premiered on April 23, 2013.