Was marilyn monroe gay

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Some go for a non-threatening sex symbol…like Marilyn Monroe. She was a genius at self-creation and made herself into an actress and a star.

Banner’s book alleges Monroe was much more than a ditzy flake and was instead one of the first examples of a protofeminist. and MM researcher and biographer

 

“Marilyn Monroe gave a quote that was shockingly honest for its time—and ours, or else it would be famous: ‘A man who had kissed me once said it was very possible I was a lesbian because I apparently had no response to males—meaning him.

There was no ‘lesbian chic’ then [during the McCarthy witch-hunt era], just bigotry and reprisal. Why was she unable to bear a child? Support underrepresented queer creatives by signing up and sharing this piece.

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That was Marilyn Monroe. Almost inseparable one day, then…phfft! In her book, Banner proposes that Monroe, born Norma Jean Baker, was a sex addict and this affliction manifested itself as Monroe sleeping around with individuals of both genders. Lois Banner, Ph.D. It didn’t come better than that.”—Nellie Lutcher, singer who at age eleven was playing piano for Ma Rainey, “Mother of the Blues”

 

“Being a teenage girl with a crush on Marilyn Monroe isn’t a lesbian thing, it’s understandable and sensible.

How could she have the world's most perfect body on the outside and have such internal imperfections?

Hundreds of people trust us to give them everything they need to navigate the ever-changing queer world, every Saturday morning 🏳️‍🌈 It's written by Jamie Wareham, and a different queer creative each week.

We rely on members like Jon Holmes who directly funded this piece and asked us to use his membership funds on stories about queer history, that couldn't be told at the time.

The repertoire afforded her was already pretty limited.”—Jackie Cooper, former child star

 

“Another of Marilyn Monroe’s tragedies is that if she were bisexually inclined and in love with a woman, she’d have had at all costs to hide it. But she also experienced the same disinterest in it as I do.

Many people assume that asexuality equals abstinence.

Still, a number of Hollywood people in the know have left behind tantalizing statements about Monroe’s sexuality.

I think with her it’s more of a romantic crush.”—Emma Thompson

 

“The thing with Marilyn is that a woman can find her attractive, even sexually attractive, and still regard her as an icon, a sister, a friend, as somebody they identify with even if their looks and life situation don’t resemble Marilyn’s at all.”—Kathy Najimy (“Sister Act”)

 

“Marilyn Monroe is a rare example of a star who was ideally beautiful that a woman doesn’t have to feel jealous of.

There was minimal solidarity then.”—Elaine Stritch

 

“Marilyn’s one of the few female stars you can vicariously turn on to without feeling guilty about it. But it’s not that simple - it’s about the level of sexual attraction you experience.

We can’t give Monroe a posthumous label, but my personal experience overlaps with hers - and it’s overwhelming.

Still, what we are left with is a mystery.

Law”)

 

“When you’re new or relatively new to the scene, you can get away with a certain amount of nonconformity. That woman is my hero!”—k.d.

Author Lois Banner describes Monroe's doubts about her sexuality in her new book, "Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox," an extract of which has been published in The Guardian.