LGBT History: The Temperamentals

On Monday, Little David, Eric Leven and I attended the Off Broadway play The Temperamentals, a recounting of the formation of the very pre-Stonewall gay rights group the Mattachine Society.

“Temperamental” was code for “homosexual” in the early 1950’s, part of a created language of secret words that gay men used to communicate. The Temperamentals tells the story of two men - the communist Harry Hay and the Viennese refugee and designer Rudi Gernreich - as they fall in love while building the first gay rights organization in the pre-Stonewall United States.

I'm terrible at reviewing plays, so let's just say that we enjoyed it tremendously. The show has a limited run due to cast commitments and the space is quite small, so if you'd like to add some vital LGBT history to your gay pride observations this year, you should move quickly. Get tickets here.