October 22nd

10-22-1844 – 03-26-1923 Sarah Bernhardt – Born in Paris, France, she was the illegitimate daughter of a Jewish Dutch mother and a French Catholic father. Her father stayed in her life long enough to send her to a convent school, and she was baptized in 1857. She was a French stage and early film actress and referred to as “the most famous actress the world has ever known.” Although she practiced Christianity, she always remained connected to her Jewish roots. Through many of the roles she played, she showed her public stance on anti-Semitism. She was also a painter, sculptor, and writer, as well as a smart businesswoman who ran her own theaters and produced her own plays. Fans loved her scandalous behavior, including the fact that she wore men’s clothes, performed male roles, and napped in a coffin before performances. Oscar Wilde was a close friend and wrote his play Salome for her in 1892. Bernhardt had numerous affairs with both men and women. Her affair with a Belgian nobleman produced her only child, Maurice Bernhardt, born in 1864. Her twenty-year relationship with artist Louise Abbéma was the cause of much speculation that the women were lovers. In 1890, a painting by Abbéma, depicting the two women on a boat ride, was donated to the Comédie-Française. The letter stated, “Painted by Louise Abbéma on the anniversary of their love affair.” Bernhardt died of kidney failure in 1923.

10-22-1870 – 03-20-1945 Lord Alfred Bruce Douglas – Born in Powick, Worcestershire, England. He was a British author, poet, and translator. He is best known as a lover of Oscar Wilde. Much of his early poetry had a homosexual theme, though he tended, later in life, to distance himself from Wilde’s influence. Douglas’s 1892 poem Two Loves, which was used against Wilde at trial, ends with the famous line that refers to homosexuality as “the love that dare not speak its name.” Wilde was convicted in a second trial and Douglas was forced into exile in Europe. Upon Wilde’s release from prison on May 19, 1897, the two reunited in August at Rouen but stayed together only a few months. Douglas became a Roman Catholic in 1911. In 1920 Douglas founded a fiercely antisemitic magazine, Plain English, on which he collaborated with Harold Sherwood Spencer. Douglas was found guilty of libeling Winston Churchill in 1923 and sentenced to six months in prison. Following his own incarceration in 1924, Douglas’s feelings toward Wilde began to soften considerably. He said in Oscar Wilde: A Summing Up that “Sometimes a sin is also a crime (for example, a murder or theft) but this is not the case with homosexuality, any more than with adultery”.

10-22-1938 Sir Derek George Jacobi, CBE – Born in Leytonstone, London, United Kingdom. He is an English actor and film director. Jacobi has enjoyed a successful stage career and has twice been awarded a Laurence Olivier Award. He is also a founding member of the Royal National Theatre. Jacobi has appeared in a number of films, including The Day of the Jackal (1973), Gladiator (2000), The King’s Speech (2010), My Week with Marilyn (2011) and Cinderella (2015). Jacobi is openly gay. In March 2006, four months after civil partnerships were introduced in the United Kingdom, Jacobi registered his civil partnership with Richard Clifford. He was a Grand Marshal of the 46th New York City Gay Pride March in 2015. Jacobi holds a British knighthood and has been appointed a Knight First Class of the Order of the Dannebrog.

10-22-1945 Sister Simone Campbell – Born in Santa Monica, California. She is Executive Director of the Roman Catholic Social Justice Organization. She is best known as a leader of Nuns on the Bus. In an interview with “Believe Out Loud,” she discussed why she supports LGBT rights and modernizing the Roman Catholic Church. She is an ally that is not abandoning her faith, but instead she is targeting the homophobic culture that plagues her faith communities and saying enough is enough! She stated, “The Catholic Hierarchy has done very poorly at engaging the issues of sexuality period—-their own, or anybody else’s. I have said that what we need is a real spiritual renewal among our leadership because for me, following the gospel means be not afraid. Welcome everyone—hug them welcome them close, and live and love. And there’s a saying, ” live and love”, said the Lord Jesus Christ. I mean that’s the deal.”

10-22-1946 Claude Charron -Born in L’lle-Bizard, Quebec, Canada. He is a former Canadian CEGEP teacher, provincial politician, writer, and broadcaster. In 1983 Charron published his memoir in French under the title Désobéir. He confirmed his homosexuality in his book. Since leaving politics Charron has worked on radio and television, especially with TVA network and Radio-Canada. He has also contributed to the news magazine l’actuality.

10-22-1958 Hilary Rosen – Born in West Orange, New Jersey. She is an American communications consultant and Democratic pundit. She was a former registered lobbyist. In June 2010, during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, The Washington Post revealed that Rosen was a consultant for British Petroleum (BP). This disclosure led The Huffington Post, which she worked for during the 2008 election, to publicly cut ties with her. Even though her consulting firm is unregistered as a lobbying firm, articles in Newsweek and the New York Times described her as a lobbyist, especially because of her access to the White House and the leaders of Congress. Rosen in a lesbian. She adopted twins, a boy, and a girl, with former partner Elizabeth Birch.

10-22-1963   Brian Boitano – Born in Mountain View, California. He is an American Olympic figure skater. At the 1988 Olympics, Boitano won gold and became the first Olympic champion to land the full complement of six types of triple jumps. He turned professional after the 1988 Olympics. Boitano returned to competition and competed at the 1994 Winter Olympics. In December 2013, he was named to the United States delegation for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia. As part of the U.S. delegation, he came out as gay. In January 2014, he told the Associated Press that he had never wanted to come out until the delegation announcement.

10-22-1970 Penny Sharpe – Born in Canberra, Australia. She is an Australian politician. She is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council. Sharpe was a co-editor of Party Girls: Labor Women, a book about the role of women in politics. She is the mother of three and was the first open lesbian to serve in the New South Wales parliament.

10-22-1972 Saffron Burrows – Born in London, England. She is an English-American actress and former model. Her film credits include Circle of Friends (1995), Wing Commander (1999), Enigma (2000), Troy (2004), and The Bank Job (2008). Her TV starring roles include Lorraine Weller on Boston Legal (2007-2008), Dr. Norah Skinner on My Own Worst Enemy (2008) and Detective Serena Stevens on Law & Order: Crimianl Intent (2010). From 2014 to the present, she is a series regular on Mozart in the Jungle. Burrows is openly bisexual and has said that she “prefers the company of women.” She married her girlfriend of six years, writer Alison Balian, in August 2013. In 2009, she became an American citizen.

10-22-1975 Jesse Tyler Ferguson – Born in Missoula, Montana. He is an American actor known for portraying Mitchell Pritchett on the ABC sitcom Modern Family, which earned him five nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series He has also appeared as a judge on the television show So You Think You Can Dance. In March 2012, Ferguson was featured as Dr. Ilan Meyer in a performance of Dustin Lance Black’s play 8, a staged reenactment of Perry v. Brown, the federal trial that overturned California’s Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage. In September 2012, Ferguson and his lawyer husband, Justin Mikita, started Tie The Knot, which sold bow ties. The non-profit charity was an effort to raise funds in support of marriage equality for same-sex couples. In October 2013, the American Civil Liberties Union named Ferguson the celebrity ambassador for the LGBT community. Ferguson is openly gay. He said in the process of coming out he had to tell his father three times when he was 17, 19 and 21. “It’s a process for them as well,” and it takes time. His sister, Kelly, is a lesbian.

10-22-1977 Ts Madison – Born in Miami, Florida. Also known as Madison Hinton. She is an American entertainer, entrepreneur, and LGBT activist. She is openly transgender and has appeared in a variety of amateur erotic videos. Madison formed her own production company, Raw Dawgg Entertainment, which produces and distributes adult transsexual materials. She has become an internet personality and uses the forum to speak out on human rights relating to the LGBT community. Her autobiography, A Light Through The Shade: An Autobiography of a Queen was published in 2015.

10-22-1978 Ed Droste – Born in Massachusetts (city unknown). He is an original member of the Brooklyn-based indie-rock group Grizzly Bear. In May 2016, Droste and Binki Shapiro (from the rock group Little Joy), collaborated on the Grateful Dead song “Loser” for the Grateful Dead tribute album Day of the Dead (2106). In September 2011, Droste married his long-time boyfriend, interior designer Chad McPhail. He was featured on the cover of the gay magazine, Hello Mr. in 2013. On August 4, 2014, Droste announced his divorce from McPhail.