October 2nd

10-02-1949 Annie Leibovitz – Born in Waterbury, Connecticut. She is an American portrait photographer. In 1970 she started her career as a staff photographer, working for Rolling Stone magazine. In 1973 she was named chief photographer of Rolling Stone, a job she would hold for 10 years. On December 8, 1980, Leibovitz had a photoshoot with John Lennon for Rolling Stone. She was the last person to professionally photograph Lennon—he was shot and killed five hours later. Leibovitz had a relationship with writer and essayist Susan Sontag from 1989 until Sontag’s death in 2004. In 2009, Leibovitz wrote in A Photographer’s Life that, “Words like ‘companion’ and ‘partner’ were not in our vocabulary. We were two people who helped each other throughout our lives. The closest word is still ‘friend.’” That same year, she said the description “lover” was accurate. She later reiterated, “Call us ‘lovers’. I like ‘lovers.’ You know, ‘lovers’ sounds romantic. I mean, I want to be perfectly clear. I loved Susan.”

10-02-1902 – 06-18-1969 Jerzy Zawieyski – Born in Łódź, Poland. He was a Polish playwright, prose writer, Catholic political activist, and amateur stage actor. He wrote psychological, social, moral and historical novels, dramas, stories, essays, and journals. During the German occupation of Poland, he was active in the underground cultural movement. After WWII, Zawieyski worked as a lecturer at the Catholic University of Lubin. Zawieyski was gay. In 1933 he met Stanislaw Trębaczkiewicz. They fell in love and lived together until his death. Both, in accordance with their wishes, are buried in the same grave in Laski Cemetery near Warsaw.

10-02-1946 Jean-Jacques Aillagon – Born in Metz, France. He is a French politician, a close confidant of Jacques Chirac, and a member of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) political party. He was the French Minister of Culture from May 7, 2002 – March 31, 2004. He is openly gay.

10-02-1986 Chip Arndt – Born in West Hartford, Connecticut. He is an American gay activist. Arndt is best known as a winner of The Amazing Race 4 in 2003 with former partner Reichen Lehmkuhl. The team was the first out gay couple to win a reality television competition. Arndt was named one of Florida’s 27 electors representing the Electoral College. He cast his vote on December 15, 2008, in Tallahassee, Florida for President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Biden. Chip’s electorship was historic because he was the first out gay man to cast an electoral vote in the state of Florida.