September 14th

09-14-1983 – 07-23-2011 Amy Winehouse – She was an English singer and songwriter. At the 2008 Grammy Awards, she became the first British female to win five Grammys, including Best New Artist, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year. Winehouse’s last recording was with Tony Bennett for his album Duets II, released on September 20, 2011. The documentary Amy looks at many aspects of Winehouse but doesn’t mention anything about her bisexuality. The filmmaker, Asif Kapadia, didn’t see her sexuality as an important part of Amy’s life. In February 2010, Winehouse said, “ I find women very satisfying.” She also said, “ So what? I like girls as well, I’ve had relationships with women but that doesn’t mean I don’t still love Blake.” and “ I don’t care what people think about me being bi — I do what feels good.” Winehouse put sexy girl tattoos on her body, saying, “I like pin-up girls. I’m more of a boy than a girl.” She wrote her song, Addicted, about being with a girl and sharing a joint — and not wanting the girl’s boyfriend around. Amy’s longtime roommate was bisexual pop singer Neon Hitch. Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning. Winehouse was also bulimic.

09-14-1934 – 09-06-2017 Kate Millett – Born in St. Paul, Minnesota. She was an American writer, educator, artist, and activist. She attended Oxford University and was the first woman to be awarded a postgraduate degree with first-class honors by St. Hilda’s College (part of Oxford). She wrote about her key causes—feminist, human rights, civil rights and anti-psychiatry. Her memoirs explored her sexuality, mental health, and relationships. Millett was self-identified as bisexual. She was married to sculptor Fumio Yoshimura from 1965 to 1985 and had relationships with women, one of whom was the inspiration for her book Sita. Between 2011 and 2013, she won the Lambda Pioneer Award for Literature, received the Yoko Ono’s Courage Award for the Arts, and was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. She died at the age of 82 and is survived by her wife, Sophie Kier.

09-14-1908 – 05-03-1956 Peter Watson (Victor William (Peter) Watson) – Born in England, place unknown. He was a wealthy English art collector and benefactor. His art collection included works by Miró, Klee, and Picasso, which were displayed in his Paris apartment in the 1930s. He funded the literary magazine Horizon. One of Watson’s lovers was the American male prostitute Denham Fouts, whom he continued to support even after they separated. Watson was found drowned in his bath on May 3, 1956. Some have suggested that he was murdered by his young American lover, Norman Fowler. Fowler inherited the bulk of Watson’s estate and died 14 years later in the West Indies. He was also found drowned in his bathtub. Peter Watson was said to be the love of Cecil Beaton’s life, though they were never lovers.

09-14-1935 Amanda Barrie – Born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, England. She is an English actress. Throughout the 1960s Barrie worked on many stage productions including Cabaret, Private Lives, Hobson’s Choice, and Aladdin. In 1975 she played Mrs. B.J. Spence in the Walt Disney film One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing. She is well known as the character Alma Sedgewick on the British soap opera Coronation Street. Barrie came out as bisexual in her autobiography, It’s Not A Rehearsal. On September 12, 2014, she married her long-time partner Hilary Bonner.