January 6th

01-07-1950 – 08-28-2016 Juan Gabriel (born Alberto Aguilera Valadez) – Born in Parácuaro, Mexico. He was a Mexican singer, songwriter, recording artist, and performer. He was called “The Liberace of Mexico” and also known as “The Mexican Elton John.” Fan and media outlets have long alluded to him allegedly being gay, but he has only addressed the question once formally, telling a Univision reporter, “don’t ask about something that is obvious.” In 1971, he signed a recording contract with RCA. Thanks to executive record producer, Jon Gordillo, he became a world-renowned artist. Over the next 15 years, Gabriel’s fame grew. He recorded 15 albums and has sold over 20 million records. He had written and recorded over 1000 songs in a variety of music genres. Gabriel died at the age of 66 from a heart attack.

01-07-1969 David Yost – Born in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He is an American actor and producer known for his role of Billy Cranston on the television series (1993-1996) Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, (1995) Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, and the last season, Power Rangers Zeo. Yost left the show toward the end of the 1996 season. While it was originally believed that he left the series due to insufficient pay, Yost later revealed in a 2010 interview that he left because he could no longer handle harassment by the production crew that targeted his sexual orientation. He was often called a “faggot.” He claims that his co-workers considered him “not worthy” and that he “could not be a superhero” because he was gay. After he left the show, he tried to get rid of his homosexuality with conversion therapy, but was unsuccessful. He had a nervous breakdown which resulted in his psychiatric hospitalization for five weeks. After he checked out, he moved to Mexico for a year, and eventually accepted his sexuality.

01-07-1973 Paul Ferreira – Born in Archipelago of the Azores, Portugal. He is a Canadian populist politician and one of the first openly gay politicians elected to provincial office in Canada. He also has the distinction of being the first Azores-Canadian MPP. In 1979 his family immigrated to Canada and settled in Brampton, Ontario. Ferreira is an honors graduate of Ottawa’s Carleton University. He speaks English, French, and Portuguese.

01-07-1991 Caster Semenya – Born in Polokwane, Limpopo, South Africa. Semenya is thought to have an intersex trait but because her sex test results were never published officially, it’s not possible to confirm. The test, according to the International Association of Athletics Federations, was given to determine whether she had a “rare medical condition” giving her an “unfair advantage.” In an interview with South African magazine YOU Semenya stated, “God made me the way I am and I accept myself.” She won the gold medal in the women’s 800 meters at the 2016 Rio Games and was one of 49 out LGBT athletes to participate at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Semenya is married to her long-time girlfriend, Violet Raseboya.