Ten Gay Curators Walk Into an Art Museum...

by Michael Jones · 2009-07-09 04:47:00 UTC
Topics:

london portrait gallery

The National Portrait Gallery in London has finally launched their much anticipated exhibit covering the best of the world of Gay Icons.  What is a Gay Icon?  It's a question open for debate, but here's the best definition we've seen, courtesy of Newsweek:

Spotting a gay icon is like being double-jointed or riding a unicycle: to laymen it is imperceptible, but to  gay men it's like, well, duh.

Ok, Ok.  Not that helpful.  But funny, right?  Here's another definition, courtesy of the men and women behind the curtains of Wikipedia:

A gay icon or LGBT icon is a historical figure, celebrity or public figure who is embraced by many in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities; the term Dykon, a portmanteau of the words "dyke" and "icon," has recently entered the lexicon as a word to describe lesbian icons.

To capitalize on the increasing role that LGBT rights are playing around the globe, from India to New Hampshire, the London Portrait Gallery has launched a show curated by 10 of the world's most famous LGBT folks that exhibits photographs and images of a host of icons and dykons.  According to the Gallery, gay icons and dykons have played a major role in shaping social and cultural history - whether they are award-winning athletes, ground-breaking politicians (like the shot of Harvey Milk, above), stars of the screen or stage, or influential writers and artists.

The curators included Elton John, Billie Jean King, Sir Ian McKellan, Jackie Kay, Chris Smith, Sarah Waters, and a host of other folks, including comedian Sandi Toksvig, who said of the exhibit:

How I wish this selection had been available to me when I was young and trying to make sense of my reactions to the world. How inspirational to have had portraits of the great and the good staring out at me telling me that I was not by any measure on my own.

You can check out more information here. Sadly, the London Portrait Gallery doesn't post a ton of stuff from the show online.  But there are a few fun shots on display.  And hey, as if you needed one more reason to visit London... :)

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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