The Rosenthal homophobia had all the horrible ramifications Ross describes, and included firing tremendously promising young reporters or relegating some to minor posts abroad and never bringing them back to New York. It was a devastating witch-hunt, not entirely reversed until Arthur Sulzberger, Jr. brought genuine "family values" of inclusion, compassion and equity to the paper.
I have to admit that I found the profile extremely moving. I don't care for Koch's politics and because he was a politician that was the most important thing about him. His story and personality reminds me of the stories so many other men from his generation (or even the one after) who were closeted, or kept one foot in the closet, or who were out but quiet and ambivalent about their sexuality in a way that is hard to understand today (like Stephen Sondheim, to pick an odd example).
Being *out* was such an effort, such a huge and exhausting statement to make if you were a public figure. Staying *in* was just the normal thing to do if you were gay. Of course I blame Koch for the way he handled AIDS but I can't be angry with him the way the AIDS generation was. He was from a different world.
Who cares? I lived there in the Koch era and all knew he was a homo. Guess what, he was a great Mayor and we didn't care what he did in bed. Nuff Said.
The Rosenthal homophobia had all the horrible ramifications Ross describes, and included firing tremendously promising young reporters or relegating some to minor posts abroad and never bringing them back to New York. It was a devastating witch-hunt, not entirely reversed until Arthur Sulzberger, Jr. brought genuine "family values" of inclusion, compassion and equity to the paper.
I have to admit that I found the profile extremely moving. I don't care for Koch's politics and because he was a politician that was the most important thing about him. His story and personality reminds me of the stories so many other men from his generation (or even the one after) who were closeted, or kept one foot in the closet, or who were out but quiet and ambivalent about their sexuality in a way that is hard to understand today (like Stephen Sondheim, to pick an odd example).
Being *out* was such an effort, such a huge and exhausting statement to make if you were a public figure. Staying *in* was just the normal thing to do if you were gay. Of course I blame Koch for the way he handled AIDS but I can't be angry with him the way the AIDS generation was. He was from a different world.
Who cares? I lived there in the Koch era and all knew he was a homo. Guess what, he was a great Mayor and we didn't care what he did in bed. Nuff Said.
How much did Zeckendorf pay Koch?