Friday, December 9, 2011

This Week In Gay History: The World's First Openly Gay Leader Of A Country

Did you know that The Husband lived & worked doing theatre in Belgium in the early 1970s? It is an amazing story that I wish that he would write down. Perhaps I will have to insist that he get his tale recorded while he is still somewhat lucid.

 

Could you guess that he is gay & French Speaking?

Elio Di Rupo is controversial in Belgium for his native tongue more than for his sexual orientation. He's the first French speaking politician to lead the country in 30 years, the majority speaks Flemish, & the first Socialist leader in 4 decades. He becomes the planet’s first openly gay male leader.

He describes himself as an atheist & a rationalist . He came out in 1996 when a journalist said: “They say you are a homosexual.” His reply: “Yes, so what?

Di Rupo is the youngest of 7 children born to Italian immigrants. When Elio was a year old, his father was run over & killed by a truck. His 3 brothers were placed in an orphanage while his mother raised him & his 3 sisters on almost no money. Di Rupo:"My life is a fairytale. You could not make it up. With nothing, my mother gave us happiness. On celebration days she would buy sandwiches that she cut in half."

Iceland’s Johanna Sigurdardottir became the first gay female leader of a country in 2009.

No comments:

Post a Comment