One for the Goddess: Elizabeth Taylor turned celebrity activism into true leadership

Opinion: The death of a screen goddess is bound to attract a circus-like atmosphere in addition to the normal obituaries and video tributes. Following the news of Elizabeth Taylor's death on March 23, 94-year-old Zsa Zsa Gabor's blood pressure rose and she was rushed to the UCLA Medical Center, crying, "I'm next." AIDS activist Suzanne Africa Engo in New York City got Taylor's name tattooed on her arms. The Phelps family of Topeka's Westboro Baptist Church threatened to picket Taylor's funeral, but they were foiled by her quick burial. As the initial noise dies down — including the chatter about her two Oscars and eight husbands, her many illnesses, her jewelry and perfume — her true legacy emerges. Hers is a dual legacy. The great acting performances can be seen by visiting Movies Unlimited or checking the schedule at Turner Classic Movies. Possibly her larger legacy is the cause to which she lent time and energy as well as her fame: her early and outspoken advocacy of HIV/AIDS research, beginning in the 1980s when most others, including President Reagan, were silent. Prior to Taylor's AIDS activism, her friendships with gay colleagues like Roddy McDowall, Rock Hudson and Montgomery Clift were the stuff of gossip. She was the world's leading "fag hag," an ugly expression for what was in fact sincere and devoted friendship. She also starred in films of Tennessee Williams's plays Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Suddenly, Last Summer, whose gay subtexts resisted producers' efforts to soften them. ... (more)

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