March 23rd

03-23-1905 (year is disputed – no birth certificate exists) – 05-10-1977 Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur) – Born in San Antonio, Texas. She was an American film and television actress. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Crawford tenth on their list of the greatest female stars of Classic Hollywood Cinema. She was married four times. Well known for her feud with Betty Davis, Joan Crawford was allegedly a lesbian and had affairs with several women. Neither woman ever admitted they were enemies. But in 1979, Bette Davis finally revealed the truth about their feud and the fact that she still hated Joan, even though it had been years since she died. Joan had made sexual advances to Bette who had rejected her and in order to take revenge, Joan married the man Bette loved, actor Franchot Tone. Crawford named several female stars that had an affair with her, including Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Barbara Stanwyck, and later Marilyn Monroe. Also, The LA Times published conversations from transcripts of Marilyn Monroe’s therapy which said that she had an affair with Joan.

03-23-1953   Chaka Khan (born Yvette Marie Stevens) – Born in Chicago, Illinois. She is an American singer and songwriter. Her career has spanned nearly five decades, beginning in the 1970s with the group Rufus. Khan has won ten Grammy Awards and has sold an estimated 70 million records worldwide. As a straight ally, she has been a longtime supporter of the LGBT community. In 2019, she was interviewed by GLAAD and stated, “If it weren’t for the children (her gay fan base), I would not be here. They’re the most faithful audience I have. People who are tripping about something that someone else is doing it’s because they have a problem. Be your damn self. Just be yourself. Can I get an ‘Amen’?” She also stated that performing in gay clubs got her through some rough spots.

03-23-1950 Terry Sweeney – Born in Queens, New York City, New York. He is an American writer, comedian, and actor. In the 1980’s, he was a writer and cast member of Saturday Night Live. Sweeney identified himself as gay by the fourth grade and was SNL’s first out gay cast member. He was known for his female celebrity impersonations, such as Diana Ross, Patti LaBelle, Joan Collins, and most notably, Nancy Reagan. Sweeney was told by Ron Reagan, who hosted one of the season’s episodes, that he was “more like his mother than she is.” Sweeney’s life-partner is comedy writer Lanier Laney. They both wrote for SNL during the 1985-1986 season. The couple live in Beaufort, South Carolina.

03-23-1947 Diane Sands – Born in St. Ignatius, Montana. She is a member of the Montana House of Representatives from the 95th district. Democrat and a lesbian, she was the first ever openly gay member of the Montana Legislature. She now serves alongside two other LGBT legislators, Sen. Christine Kaufmann and Rep. Bryce Bennett. Her partner, Ann Mary Dussault, also once served in the Montana legislature. Taking office in 1975, Dussault served four terms and was the first female majority leader in the nation. She would go on to serve on the Missoula County Commission.

03-23-1953 Herb Russell – Born in Seneca Falls, New York. He is a member of the Vermont House of Representatives, Rutland 5-3 District. Russell is openly gay. He married long-time partner Roberto Font-Russell in 2009 but divorced in 2011. He is one of six openly gay members of the Vermont Legislature.

03-23-1978 Perez Hilton – Born in Miami, Florida. He is a Cuban-American, born Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr., known professionally as Perez Hilton. He is a blogger, columnist, and television personality. His blog, PerezHilton.com is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities. On his blog, Hilton is open about his homosexuality and about his desire to out those who he claims are closeted gay celebrities. He was listed on Out’s 3rd Annual 100 Most Eligible Bachelors (2013).

03-23-1982 Jared Eng – Place of birth unknown. He is a pop culture blogger. Eng has been nicknamed the “nice Perez Hilton.” He was raised by his Chinese-American parents in Fresh Meadows, Queens, New York and is the third oldest among five boys. His blog, Just Jared, has been a huge success with the site’s revenue coming in almost entirely for display ads. “I’ve always celebrated celebrities, ” Eng said, “I never wanted to tear them down. That’s why I have so many devoted readers.” He is openly gay.

03-23-1987 Siya (Michele Sherman) – Born in California, she was raised in the Roosevelt housing projects in Brooklyn by her grandmother. She is an out lesbian Brooklyn-bred rapper. Siya’s music expresses what she experienced growing up. Her mother fought drug addition, her father was convicted of a crime that sentenced him to lifetime incarceration, and she herself was convicted of a crime at a young age, and served time in a women’s correctional facility. While in prison, Siya began honing her music talents. Eventually, an R&B vocal legend, Tank, offered to represent her. Tank accepted her just as she is. Their debut project, “D.Y.K.E” gained over 50 thousand downloads. On December 10, 2016, she released her debut album Siya vs Siya.