Mr. Rogers Was Apparently Queer, Says 2015 Book
This article talks about a passage from a biography about Mr. Rogers with the passage, "In conversation with one of his friends, openly gay Dr. William Hirsch, Fred Rogers himself concluded that if sexuality was measured on a scale of one to ten: 'Well, you know, I must be right smack in the middle. Because I have found women attractive, and I have found men attractive.'" Though there is no way to know if Rogers self-identified as bisexual or pansexual, here is another instance of icons from our childhoods being later claimed as a part of the LGTBQ community.
Thank you, Kate, for sharing this piece on Mr. Rogers! It's fascinating to be living in a moment where, as the author of this piece says, so many of our "childhood favorites" (as well as historical figures) are being "posthumously revealed to be queer". In addition to fascinating, I experience these "reveals" as exciting and empowering, although it is always difficult to grapple with concerns surrounding labeling and "outing" our heroes in death.
ReplyDeleteThis is such an interesting piece- although it makes me think about how we often attribute sexualities and identities to people who may not have identified that way themselves, even if they may have acted on same sex desire.
ReplyDelete