Today is the birthday of RAYMOND BURR, (d: 1993); An American actor best known for his "Perry Mason" lawyer roles. Early in his career Burr invented fictional wives and a son (and their fictional deaths) to throw reporters off the scent of his real life. Fortunately for Burr, he found some peace towards the end of his life with his longtime companion Robert Benevides, who not only was credited as production consultant in twenty-one Perry Mason TV movies, was also Burr's "long-time companion" for thirty years until the actor's death. Benevides remains the proprietor of the vineyard they created together in Healdsburg, California.

An interesting factoid about Burr: In the myriad “microgenres” of films on Netflix, Burr is the actor with the most listings. Number two? Bruce Willis.

REVEREND ROBERT WOOD, author of historic book Christ and the Homosexual (1960) was born. Wood's book is considered one of the first positive treatments of homosexuality and Christianity. 

Wood, himself a Gay man, was ministering at the time in New York City and was well acquainted with the ostracism experienced by the Gay subculture at the hands of what he saw as “a society which in most cases has not taken the time to study the facts and to know the individuals involved.”

“Christ and the Homosexual” was the first book published merging these two subjects, and groundbreaking in its poignant critique of the Church, and in its description, support, and affirmation of the Gay community.

All 3,000 hardbound copies sold at a cost of $3.95 each. Copies of the book are extremely scarce today as no further editions were printed.

Today was the birthday of longtime Gay activist and historian FRANKLIN KAMENY. 8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8|

Gay Wisdom for Daily Living from White Crane Institute

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