Talk:Larry Kert

Identity
The New York Times obituary for Larry Kert says this: "His companion was Ron Pullen." Based on that euphemism, I believe all intelligent readers at the time understood that Kert was homosexual. Does anyone else agree or disagree that it's appropriate to describe Larry Kert as homosexual based on that sentence? Just because the Times used the eupehemism "companion" to decsribe his relationship with another man, does Wikipedia need to be equally "discreet" or can this entry say what the Times meant but did not say in so many words?

The background is... I added this line "Kert was gay, and his companion at the time of his death was Ron Pullen." Another editor modified that by deleting the phrase "Kert was gay." So now the entry says Kert had a companion, and IMHO Wikipedia is replicating the newspaper's less than honest treatment of the subject.

I expect there's guidance in the Manual of Style but haven't found anything that addresses this point.

Note that this entry is listed by the LGBT Project as one that need too have a reliable source for the subject's sexuality.

Thanks. Bmclaughlin9 (talk) 16:59, 4 January 2010 (UTC)


 * I think it's OK the way it is. It is not factually inaccurate or dishonest. I would pose the question as to why Wynne Gibson (briefly wed to actor John Gallaudet in the late '20s) and Beverly Roberts, a never married actress, who were long-term "companions" and who lived together on Long Island and in California until Gibson's death have not yet been identified and categorized as lesbian actors. Rms125a@hotmail.com (talk) 17:29, 4 January 2010 (UTC)

I don't see how your examples address the issue. I think context and authorship matter. The obituary referenced in the Beverly Roberts entry does not mention a companion. Doesn't even mention Gibson. The entry for Wynne Gibson calls her Roberts' "longtime companion" but the source (along with IMDB data) is the Times obit which says nothing about a companion or Roberts. So I have no reliable source about the nature of the Gibson-Roberts relationship and haven't even added their entries to the LGBT Project. For Kert I have the New York Times use of "companion."

I'll shut up. Let's see what others have to say. Bmclaughlin9 (talk) 17:53, 4 January 2010 (UTC)

I found a better source -- a straightforward quote from Arthur Laurents -- but I'm still interested in opinions on the above question. Bmclaughlin9 (talk) 00:16, 10 January 2010 (UTC)

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