Post by Edge on Mar 27, 2009 13:53:52 GMT 1
Nelson Mandela, Will Young and Lily Savage are among the figures chosen for a portrait exhibition of gay icons launched today. The National Portrait Gallery invited ten high-profile gay people to choose six individuals each who had inspired them. Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Elton John, tennis player Billie Jean King, the authors Alan Hollinghurst and Sarah Waters and politicians Lord Waheed Alli and Chris Smith made their choices, chaired by broadcaster Sandi Toksvig.
Toksvig said the panel's choices were very personal, and she expected people to be surprised by some of the faces in the exhibition, and some of the omissions.
The selectors were free to choose anyone they found inspirational, regardless of their sexuality, the only restriction being that the portrait had to be photographs, limiting choices to the last 150 years or so.
Well-known figures in the exhibition include the mathematician Alan Turing, author Virginia Woolf and US gay rights campaigner Harvey Milk, who was the subject of a recent Oscar-winning film. Toksvig said she would have found it 'life-changing' if there had been more high-profile openly gay public figures to look up to when she was younger. I hope the exhibition will give courage to people who are struggling with their sexuality,' she said.
'Gay people are as disparate as any other group. I sometimes think we are joined together not by our sexuality but by other people's reaction to it. One of her choices was the activist Peter Tatchell, who she said she admired for his fearless campaigning.
The exhibition will run from July 2 until October 18.
With that in mind. Feel free to post your favourite Will picture.... Go on you know you what too
Toksvig said the panel's choices were very personal, and she expected people to be surprised by some of the faces in the exhibition, and some of the omissions.
The selectors were free to choose anyone they found inspirational, regardless of their sexuality, the only restriction being that the portrait had to be photographs, limiting choices to the last 150 years or so.
Well-known figures in the exhibition include the mathematician Alan Turing, author Virginia Woolf and US gay rights campaigner Harvey Milk, who was the subject of a recent Oscar-winning film. Toksvig said she would have found it 'life-changing' if there had been more high-profile openly gay public figures to look up to when she was younger. I hope the exhibition will give courage to people who are struggling with their sexuality,' she said.
'Gay people are as disparate as any other group. I sometimes think we are joined together not by our sexuality but by other people's reaction to it. One of her choices was the activist Peter Tatchell, who she said she admired for his fearless campaigning.
The exhibition will run from July 2 until October 18.
With that in mind. Feel free to post your favourite Will picture.... Go on you know you what too
