As always, I'm grateful to Mike Mazza for sharing his extensive, detailed notes on James Kirchick's Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington, to which we'll return on Sept. 17 to discuss the first half of the Reagan section (Chapters 33-37), the longest in the book. I'll go ahead and post all Mike's notes on the Reagan years now, in case you want to read ahead, but will also repost the notes on Chapters 38-41 in December when we discuss those, along with the rest of the book. Enjoy!
Note: The citations (e.g., loc 78, 8%, etc.) below refer to the Kindle edition, not the paperback.
Secret City—Reagan notes, updated.
Overall thoughts on the Reagan section:
—one of the most compelling and best written sections of the entire book so far.
—the story told here is a truly repulsive freak show. It’s an expose of the elitism, hypocrisy, self-indulgence, extravagance, selfishness, greed, and criminality of the privileged, yet closeted, gays who formed a big part of the human infrastructure of Reaganite conservatism.
— The often repugnant cast of closeted gay power brokers represent the spiritual and ethical heirs of Roy Cohn.
—this section of the book would make a great Netflix docudrama series—think “The Boys in the Band” meets “Dynasty,” with a sprinkling of “Real Housewives” trashiness.
—especially interesting is disgraced closeted gay Republican Congressman Bob Bauman: after his resignation, he keeps popping up like a pitiable opportunistic phantom.
—Arguably the key figure in this section is closeted gay conservative activist Terry Dolan.
—After reading this vulgar, absurdist soap opera, some readers might want to give themselves an enema, followed by s long, hot shower.
—The focus in these chapters is on elite, wealthy white gay men; this makes me wonder about the untold stories of LGBTQ+ people of color and poor or working class LGBTQ+ people during the Reagan era.
Ronald Reagan: p 489; loc 8948; 45%.
Chapter 33: “‘The Homosexual Thing’”: p 491; loc 8954; 45%.
—gay/bi rumors about potential Reagan running mate Jack Kemp: 494.
—introduces California Congressman Pete McCloskey: 495.
—conflict between McCloskey and fellow Republican Reagan.
—rumors of Reagan being controlled by a homosexual cabal: 498.
—Congressman Livingston’s panic over a perceived gay overture from think tank member Bouchey: 501.
Chapter 34: “The Manchurian Candidate”: p 502; loc 9160; 46%.
—former Democratic Congressman Allard K. Lowenstein introduced. Married and a father, but possibly gay or bi.
—Lowenstein shot to death: 503.
—William Best’s letter to McCloskey making accusations about homosexuals on Reagan’s staff: 505.
—McCloskey’s 13-page memo warning that Reagan might be a Manchurian candidate.
—McCloskey brings his info to Ben Bradlee of the Washington Post.
—Best shares rumor of a Reagan gay tryst with 17-year old William Seals: 510.
—my note: this is all some wild, weird stuff!
—Persistence of Kemp rumors.
—Anti-gay Marine misconduct at gay bar Equus: 513. McCloskey acts as arbitrator.
—Peter Hannaford, subject of gay rumors, does not join Reagan administration: 515.
Chapter 35: “An Enclosed and Enchanted Garden”: p 518; loc 9463; 48%.
—introduces Bob Gray, 1981 Inaugural Committee co-chair.
—Gray as “Reagan’s Capote”: 520.
—claim that incoming Reagan WH staff was full of gays.
—John Ford introduced.
—ironic tension between Reagan’s anti-gay evangelical constituency and his closeted gay “foot soldiers”: 521.
—Gray forms his own DC PR shop; his skill at navigating DC power as a gay man.
—Gray’s skill at designing facades: 522.
—Gray’s ironic close relationship to Ed Meese.
—Gray’s close relationship to Nancy Reagan: 524.
—Nancy as “First Fag Hag”: 525.
—Nancy as a camp icon; her many gay friends and image crafters.
—Craig Spence introduced: 527. His background as a journalist.
—Spence’s Japanese-American “Operation Sunshine” events; his skill as a Washington socialite.
—shady nature of “Operation Sunshine”—cover for espionage?
—commercialization of (white) homoerotic imagery during Reagan era: 533.
—acronyms of the gay Reaganite elite: RPG, BLOW, GATT.
—young gay Reaganites and Brideshead Revisited: 534.
—“a refined yet repressed aristocratic homosexuality.”
Chapter 36: “Sodom-on-the-Potomac”: p 536; loc 9804; 49%.
—Martin Price and the “Deep Backgrounder” tabloid.
—former CIA employee Victor Marchetti introduced.
—NBC report on alleged threat of gay prostitution connected blackmail: 538.
—Dan Bradley becomes the highest ranking government official to come out of the closet: 539.
—Deep Backgrounder as muckraking, sensationalistic alternative press with a focus on the elite gay DC closet.
—congressional page Leroy Williams introduced: 541.
—Williams’ closeted homosexually, alcohol and cocaine use.
—CDC report on deadly Kaposi’s sarcoma among gay men: 542.
—page Jeffrey Opp introduced: 543.
—Richard Kind and Friendly Models, a DC-area gay escort service.
—Price’s claim of surveillance conducted by Friendly Models employees upon clientele: 544.
—Friendly raided by police and FBI.
—police raid Stables, another gay prostitution service; fears about client lists of these businesses.
—Leroy Williams makes shocking homosexual allegations in CBS news national report: 546.
—bachelor Republican Congressman Larry Craig issues a preemptive denial.
—fear of closeted gay government employees’ vulnerability to foreign agents: 548.
—Deep Backgrounder outs Bob Gray: 549.
—inconsistencies in Leroy Williams’ claims: 550. He recants.
—Price founds an anti-gay PAC: 552. His apocalyptic anti-gay attitude. His unexpected death.
Chapter 37: “‘I don’t have it. Do you?’”: p 553; loc 10129; 51%.
—AIDS pandemic.
—tainted Tylenol scare: 556.
—Randy Shilts’ assessment of the failure of American institutions to address AIDS: 556.
—Terry Dolan introduced. Conservative PAC chair.
—Dolan’s double life as a closeted gay conservative: 559.
—his organization’s anti-gay rhetoric.
—Larry Kramer vs Dolan: 560.
—Weyrich organization’s 680-page anti-gay political book: 561. My note: like Protocols of the Elders of Zion?
—conflict between Weyrich and Dolan.
—Deep Backgrounder essentially outs Dolan: 562.
—rise of “outage” (“outing”): 562.
—hypocrisy of both closeted conservative gay professionals and those who benefited from their skills; “minuet of mutual hypocrisy and deceit”: 564.
—Congressman Gerry Studds introduced: 564.
—After scandal, he becomes the first openly gay member of Congress.
—Studds survives censure and wins re-election: 566.
Chapter 38: “‘Them’ Is ‘Us’”: p 567; loc 10389; 52%.
—Bob Bauman comes out of the closet in a speech.
—CAIR, organization trying to make Republican Party more gay friendly.
—Rock Hudson and the Reagans: 569. Larry Kramer calls out Nancy.
-“the era’s decadence and hypocrisy”: 571.
—impact and stigma of AIDS.
—Rock Hudson’s AIDS diagnosis made public: 573.
—inappropriate jokes about AIDS and homosexual in the Reagan WH: 575.
—Reagan ignores AIDS crisis in his memoir: 577.
—Bill Buckley, his wife Pat, and her gay male companions: 579.
—Bill Buckley’s vile suggestion, in a 1986 column, that all people with AIDS be tattooed as a warning sign.
—John Ford stands up to an attempt to blackmail him with a threatened outing to Secretary of Agriculture John Block: 582.
Chapter 39: “‘Our Sebastian’”: p 583; loc 10693; 54%.
—young death of gay conservative activist Terry Dolan.
—controversy over reporting AIDS as Dolan’s cause of death.
—WH speechwriter Tony Dolan’s problematic eulogy for his brother; Brideshead Revisited reference.
—separate memorial to Dolan held; attended by gay conservatives: 588.
—The Washington Post’s Bradlee decides to pursue the Dolan story: 589.
—Tony Dolan tries to convince Post reporter Elizabeth Kastor to abandon her article about Terry Dolan: 590. He continues his attempts to stop the article.
Chapter 40: “Mr. Green”: p 594; loc 10898; 55%.
—introduces Carl “Spitz” Channell, founder of conservative activist group.
—Channell attends a pro-Contra presentation by Oliver North.
—Channell: a gay man who had started his career working for Terry Dolan’s NCPAC: 595.
—Channell’s anti-Communist zeal: 596.
—He starts his own Channell Corporation. Bauman visits his office.
—Channell’s efforts in the work to raise money to support the Contras in Nicaragua.
—Channell and Oliver North: 597.
—Reagan signs a letter endorsing the work of Channell’s organization: 599.
—Channell’s staff: “‘Those gay boys of Oliver North’s’”: 599.
—gay staffers on Republican campaigns: 600.
—“‘a perverse form of self-esteem’” comment on gay staff of right wing politicians (p 600); my note: cf Bill Maher’s comment to Larry King that “hating yourself can be the greatest love of all.”
—the ugly side of Channell : 601.
—Margaret Scattergood’s activities after the death of her partner Florence Thorne: 602.
—Channell and Fawn Hall: 603.
—Grifting by Channell? He pleads guiltily and fingers Oliver North. Role of “Fruit Loop” in the scandal. Irony of the elitist closeted gay cabal within the Iran-Contra scandal.
Chapter 41: “The Wonderful, the Creative, and the Brave”: p 607; loc 11,137; 56%.
—introduces Republican Congressman Stewart B. McKinney: a married father living a secret gay life in Washington.
—McKinney: 1st Congressman to die of AIDS: 607.
—the Washington Post’s approach to reporting on McKinney’s death and life: 608.
—before his death, McKinney writes a letter in support of a Connecticut state gay rights ordinance: 608.
—After final unsuccessful attempts to get Tony Dolan to speak on the record, the Washington Post publishes Kastor’s article on Terry Dolan and the gay conservative closet: 610.
—Washington Times runs Tony Dolan’s rebuttal of the Kastor article as a lengthy paid advertisement: 612.
—in his diatribe, Tony Dolan claims Terry rejected homosexuality in a deathbed conversion.
—Drama behind Reagan’s speech at an amfAR benefit dinner: 613+.
—Tony Dolan’s rage against WaPo continues: 615.
—Bob Bauman pops up again: 616.
—Openly gay Dr. Frank Lilly appointed by Reagan to new AIDS commission: 617.
—Gary Bauer in the Reagan administration.
—the 2nd March on Washington for lesbian and gay rights: 619.
—unveiling of AIDS quilt.
—1989 death of Chasen Gaver: 621.
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