Advocate
Incensed at the growing visibility of gay men in Los Angeles, the former king of television (Jack LaLanne) announced in 1979 that he planned to march down a one-mile stretch of Sunset Boulevard with a 350-pound barbell on his shoulders in order to protest the “damn queers and homos and little boy prostitutes” who has “taken over Hollywood.” – Towleroad
I distinctly remember hearing this on the news when I was a teenager, around the time of Anita Bryant’s anti-gay rants. I was disappointed.
Other Dead Homophobes:
I shared this link with a friend on her facebook profile (commenting on her mourning of Jack L.), but now, going to your source, am less sure that this man belongs with Helms and Buckley.
Check out the comments at Towleroad…
I clearly remember as a teenager being horrified by LaLanne’s caustic comments during a time of national homophobia. LaLanne never recanted. Reagan is another figure who is remembered well despite his allowing a plague to spread. We can’t allow history to be whitewashed.