A Very Gay Kennedy Center Honors

Oprah Winfrey, Merle Haggard, and Paul McCartney. These are practically household names, renowned for their artistic prowess and mega-media buzz. They're also three folks who will be honored by the Kennedy Center this year, as part of the annual Kennedy Center Honors ceremony held in December.

But while these three names are well known, two other folks will be receiving awards for their impact in the arts: Broadway composer/lyricist Jerry Herman, and choreographer Bill T. Jones. Both are openly gay, and both have made themes related to queerness, homosexuality, and HIV/AIDS central to their work.

Indeed, while Jerry Herman may not be a household name throughout the country, his music can be found in many an iTunes collection, particularly if you love yourself some show tunes. There's Hello, Dolly, which as a Broadway musical is one of the most successful in history. His work writing songs for that musical (including the title track) prompted actress Carol Channing to once say of Herman, "When they passed out talent, Jerry stood in line twice." There's also music from Mame, Mack & Mabel, and gay powerhouse show La Cage aux Folles, with its gay anthem song "I Am What I Am."  La Cage hit Broadway in 1983, becoming one of the first mainstream Broadway megahits to focus on LGBT themes.

Bill T. Jones (no relation!), for his part, is equal parts artistic powerhouse. As part of an openly gay, interracial couple in the early 1980s, Jones went on to co-found the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, a choreography vehicle where Jones created more than 100 works. Two years ago, Jones brought the musical Fela! to New York, first as an off-Broadway show, and eventually as a Broadway show, where Jones would eventually win a Tony Award for choreography.

When Jones was told that he was being honored by the Kennedy Center, he noted that artists often feel like they're traveling outside the mainstream. It's hard not to see his words as reflective of the struggle of gay artists, in particular.

"I've always had this kind of position of feeling just outside, maybe the other, I don't know why but maybe a stepchild," Jones said, according to the Canadian Press. "As one gets older and you realize that your brand of art-making with its implied protest is actually something that people in positions of power respect, it's a very important change, very important change, it makes you feel more of a sense of responsibility but it's a responsibility you can accept joyfully."

So here's to celebrating a national honor for two LGBT megastars in the field of the arts. Move over Oprah, step aside Paul, and put that guitar down, Merle.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons