New T-shirt Celebrates 1,000 Years of Gay History with 27 Gay Celebrities -- and Some Controversy

Controversy surrounds a new Gay Pride design, 'What a difference a gay makes!' printed on T-shirts, which spotlights the achievements of 27 important gay celebrities throughout history from Leonardo da Vinci to Andy Warhol. Why the controversy? Historians don't agree on the sexual orientation of several of the historically famous figures -- including Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. The designer is a Southern California Award-winning playwright.

(PRWEB) July 19, 2006 -- What controversy do Alexander Hamilton, a U.S. Founding Father, Florence Nightingale, modern nursing founder and Hollywood star Rock Hudson have in common? All are featured on a controversial new T-shirt spotlighting the achievements of famous GLBT figures throughout history. The T-shirt -- which features the slogan "What a difference a Gay makes!" -- superimposed on the freedom rainbow -- has just been unveiled on www.FamousGayShirt.com.

The shirt features 27 gay celebrated figures -- some controversial and a source of dispute among historians. Leonardo DaVinci, Richard the Lion-Hearted and Alexander Hamilton, are among those feverishly debated -- but not by the T-shirt's creator and designer, Award-winning Southern California playwright Janet S. Tiger. "This T-shirt is a moving history lesson. Whatever controversy there is has to do with lingering homophobia and people's resistance to accept that these famous figures -- including one of America's founding fathers -- were gay. The controversy will only help to educate people."

The inspiration for the T-shirt -- created by a heterosexual married woman with two children -- comes from her having worked in the theatre for many years, surrounded by gay collaborators. "Working with talented gay actors and directors, I felt that people in the mainstream didn't appreciate what gays had contributed not only to theater, but to society." The specific concept of the history-lesson-in-a-T-shirt came to Tiger after a reading of one of her plays in San Diego, over ten years ago. "The music went off in my brain -- 'what a difference a gay makes', and the rainbow, and the image was complete." Tiger, whose plays have been produced from New York to New Zealand, recently won the DFAS National Playwriting Contest for "DAY OF ATONEMENT."

Assisting with research on the shirt's gay history was Jonathan Dunn-Rankin, a local historian, longtime friend of Tiger, and founder and past president of the Gay Academic Union. "I am proud to be wearing the first shirt!" smiled Dunn-Rankin.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit gay community causes such as PFLAG and the arts programs at Swedenborgian Church, where Tiger's most recent play, RENNY'S STORY, was performed. "I was delighted to hear that a portion of the proceeds would go to help our Arts Ministry," said Rev. Carla Friedrich, M.Div., pastor of the Swedenborgian Church of San Diego. "It is also consistent with our ministerial philosophy of social justice that all people are an aspect of our divine origins."

The shirt may be seen at www.FamousGayShirt.com.

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