Gore Vidal was a prolific author and commentator
Author Gore Vidal disliked the word “gay” to describe homosexual people. Friends later recounted that he frequently used the term “fags”, a word that would now be considered offensive. Although he is not generally remembered as a dedicated advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights, his writing and public commentary played a significant role in challenging homophobic attitudes.
In a 1969 essay published in Esquire, Vidal argued that homosexuality was a natural part of human experience and advanced his belief that all people were fundamentally bisexual.
“We are all bisexual to begin with. That is a fact of our condition. And we are all responsive to sexual stimuli from our own as well as from the opposite sex. Certain societies at certain times, usually in the interest of maintaining the baby supply, have discouraged homosexuality.
“Other societies, particularly militaristic ones, have exalted it. But regardless of tribal taboos, homosexuality is a constant fact of the human condition and it is not a sickness, not a sin, not a crime … despite the best efforts of our puritan tribe to make it all three. Homosexuality is as natural as heterosexuality. Notice I use the word ‘natural,’ not normal.”
The author was interviewed in the groundbreaking 1967 television documentary The Homosexuals, which is recognised as one of the first US television reports to challenge the belief that homosexuality was immoral. Speaking about his life and work, Vidal said it was about “knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.”
Vidal’s debut novel was released in 1946 when he was just 19 years old. He would go on to publish more than 30 novels, as many non-fiction works, numerous plays, and a significant number of screenplays.
Particularly notable was his third novel, The City and the Pillar, released in 1948. It tells the story of a young man coming of age and discovering his homosexuality. The book’s publication created a public scandal, and Vidal was forced to publish his next few books under a pseudonym. Today, it is recognised as an important milestone in queer literature.
In 1968’s Myra Breckinridge, Vidal published a satirical story that tackled themes of femininity and transsexuality. It is recognised as the first novel to feature a character who undergoes gender reassignment. Australian critic and intellectual Dennis Altman later described the work as “part of a major cultural assault on the assumed norms of gender and sexuality which swept the western world in the late 1960s and early 1970s”.
The novel was adapted into a film, which Vidal was not a fan of. The movie starred Raquel Welch and featured John Huston, Mae West and Farrah Fawcett. It was also the screen debut of Tom Selleck, who appeared in a small role.
In 1974, Vidal published a sequel titled Myron, in which the central character enters an alternative reality and is transformed back to their birth gender. The novel was released not long after the US Supreme Court handed down a controversial ruling on what words could be considered pornographic. Vidal responded by replacing words that may have fallen under the ruling with the names of the justices who voted in favour of it.
Through these works, Vidal is remembered as a champion of sexual liberation and an author who challenged the view that homosexuality was immoral. While he published many novels, he is primarily remembered as an essayist and public commentator noted for his wit.
During his life, Vidal had many long-running feuds. He sued author Truman Capote after Capote claimed Vidal had once been thrown out of the White House for putting his arm around First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and insulting her mother. The suit was settled in Vidal’s favour.
He also had a long-running feud with conservative writer William F. Buckley. During a televised debate in 1968, the pair argued about freedom of speech, with Vidal labelling Buckley a “crypto-Nazi” and Buckley calling Vidal a “queer” before threatening to punch him in the face. Their disagreements lasted until Buckley’s death in 2008 and included essays attacking one another as well as lawsuits.
In 1971, during an appearance on The Dick Cavett Show, novelist Norman Mailer allegedly headbutted Vidal backstage. During the recording, the two authors argued, with Mailer saying, “I’ve had to smell your works from time to time.” Later, when asked by a reporter why Mailer had headbutted him, Vidal replied, “Once again, words failed Norman Mailer.”
The 2014 book Pink Triangle: The Feuds and Private Lives of Tennessee Williams, Gore Vidal, Truman Capote & Famous Members of Their Entourages, by Darwin Porter and Danforth Prince, provided a deep dive into Vidal’s many disagreements with other prominent figures and also explored his active sex life.
Author Anaïs Nin claimed to have had a love affair with Vidal, a claim she made in her multi-volume memoir. Vidal denied it, but letters unearthed after his death suggest she was probably telling the truth.
In his own memoir, Vidal recalled cruising the streets of New York in his youth and claimed to have had more than a thousand sexual encounters by the age of 25. He also noted that he had briefly been engaged to actor Joanne Woodward before she married Paul Newman, and indicated that he had enjoyed an intermittent romance with actor Diana Lynn.
Vidal often told friends stories of his sexual exploits and claimed to have had liaisons with Dennis Hopper and Fred Astaire. In 1950, he met Howard Austen, who became his partner for 53 years until Austen’s death in 2003. Vidal claimed the secret to their long relationship was that it was not a sexual one, saying they were “two men who decided to spend their lives together”.
In 2010, Vidal began suffering from Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, a neurological condition associated with years of heavy drinking. He died on 31 July 2012 at his home in Hollywood after suffering a bout of pneumonia. He left his entire estate, valued at US$37 million, to Harvard University.
In 2017, Netflix filmed a biopic titled Gore, with actor Kevin Spacey in the lead role. The film remains unreleased following accusations of alleged inappropriate sexual behaviour made against Spacey.
