Monday, October 22, 2012

LGBT History Month: David Bowie


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David Bowie was born David Robert Jones on January 8, 1947 in London, England.  Bowie formed his first band in the early 1960s and by the end of the decade he had reached the top five of the UK Singles Chart with "Space Oddity" and was beginning an acting career as well.  He was a pioneer in the glam rock era with his Ziggy Stardust persona, and reinvented himself several times over the 70s and 80s with great success.

In 1970 he married Mary Angela Barnett (Angie Bowie) with whom he has a son, Duncan Zowie Bowie, born May 30, 1971. In January 1972 he announced in an interview that he was gay, an announcement that coincided with the release of his Ziggy Stardust album.  In 1976 he claimed to be bisexual, but in 1983 he said that was "the biggest mistake I ever made."

He divorced Angie in 1980 and in 1992 married supermodel Iman.  They have one daughter, born August 15, 2000, Alexandria Zahra Jones.  When asked in 2002 about his earlier comments about his sexuality, he said:
"I don’t think it was a mistake in Europe, but it was a lot tougher in America. I had no problem with people knowing I was bisexual. But I had no inclination to hold any banners nor be a representative of any group of people. I knew what I wanted to be, which was a songwriter and a performer, and I felt that bisexuality became my headline over here for so long. America is a very puritanical place, and I think it stood in the way of so much I wanted to do."
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Also this month:

~ October is also National Bullying Prevention Month.

~ October 10th was Unity Day; wear orange to show your support and remind others about the importance of bullying prevention.

~ October 11th was National Coming Out Day when we celebrate coming out as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or as an ally. See the Human Rights Campaign website for resources on coming out.

~ October 19th is Spirit Day; wear purple on this day to support LGBT youth & stand up against bullying.

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