Remembering Tab Hunter

1931-2018

Joe Sciambra wrote a piece about him on his FB page:  "RIP - Tab Hunter. A life-long Catholic, his autobiography is very good; and I think unintentionally instructive concerning the origins of homosexuality. "

Tab Hunter kept it secret - but even then it didn't help his career.  I'm happy to know he was Catholic and I believe he was a practicing Catholic.  I believe his death was unexpected, so I hope he frequented the sacraments, and I hope he has a Catholic funeral. 

It was not until 50 years after “Battle Cry,” when he wrote his autobiography, that he publicly discussed his homosexuality; his love affair with the actor Anthony Perkins; the rage and wrath of his parish priest when, as a 14-year-old boy, he haltingly confessed what had happened in the dark of a movie theater; and years of being “painfully isolated, stranded between the casual homophobia of most ‘normal’ people and the flagrantly gay Hollywood subculture — where I was even less comfortable and less accepted.” - NYTimes

I obviously do not know very much about him, except that he was a gay actor from the '50's-'60's.  Robert Redford played a character seemingly based on him in a film with Natalie Wood, titled Inside Daisy Clover.

I'm not aware of Tab Hunter being active in gay rights.  His description of feeling painfully isolated from normal people, as well as uncomfortable and less acceptable by gay people, resonates with many, I think.  I have always said that as a group, or 'subculture' I do not like gay people - so I understand Mr. Hunter in that respect.  His experience of isolation from 'normal' people is related to my discussion in "The dishonesty is too much" post.

May he rest in peace.