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HOLLYWOOD AND HOMOSEXUALITY: Who IS gay in Hollywood? Why is it covered up with such militant precision? What does it say about Hollywood's attitude to gay actors and the gay community as a whole?

There have been two notable Hollywood heavyweights who have been plagued by rumours of homosexuality. One was covered up internally in the 50s and 60s, the other movie star's homosexuality has been suggested in our present media for many years. The participants: Rock Hudson and Tom Cruise. I will reveal others later.

Since the formal admission of Rock Hudson on July 25 1985, while in Paris for experimental treatment, that he was gay and that he had full-blown AIDS, the cover up of actors by the pink blanket has consistently intrigued me. By October 2 of the same year, the 1950's heartthrob was dead. Hudson's death not only brought the issue of the killer disease to the forefront of mainstream America, it also raised the subject of homosexual actors in Hollywood's closet, carefully guided to portray heterosexuals as their public image.

Hudson, born Roy Harold Scherer, Jr. on November 17 1925, was the epitome of unrefined masculinity. He had a sexual charisma which could not be manufactured and his good looks secured him a one way ticket to Hollywood. Alongside the heavyweights of the 1950s, such as Clark Gable, Burt Lancaster and Robert Mitchum, Hudson became a household name. When his homosexuality was on the verge of being exposed by the tabloids, Hudson was strongly recommended to marry his secretary, Phyllis Gates at the height of his fame in 1955. Twice in Hudson's career, his film studio dealt with the matter by paying off the tabloid in question, the infamous Confidential. Throughout the 1960s, Hudson made a multitude of romantic comedies most notably with America's darling, Doris Day. He also landed a stint as a married heterosexual San Francisco Commissioner in MacMillan and Wife. Subsequently, Hudson had relationships with several men, which in the 1980s culminated with his bisexual lover of three years, Marc Christian.

So, why did Rock Hudson feel compelled to hide his true sexual identity, even if it meant living a lie for most of his adult life? And, why have other prominent famous people chosen to deny their sexuality, resorting to deceit in order to maintain a certain image? It happened then, just as it still happens today. Other famous homosexuals include Rudolph Valentino, Dirk Bogarde, Richard Chamberlain, Tab Hunter and Montgomery Clift. Following his

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