Thank You, Bea Arthur

I just noticed that the readers of AfterElton voted the late Bea Arthur as this week's Gay of the Week. I was a bit surprised to see this at first, since as much as I loved Bea Arthur and know that she's a gay icon, the voting is usually for someone -fictional or otherwise- who has stood out that week in the gay community.

Then I found out the reason behind the nomination: it was just announced that Bea left $300,000 in her will to the Ali Forney Center, a New York shelter for homeless LGBT youth. With Bea's bequest, the Center will be able to purchase another building and shelter 12 more LGBT youths.

There are a plenty of gay icons out there, but something like this proves that Bea was more than just an icon, she was an ally.

Rest in Peace, Bea Arthur

I just read the sad news that Bea Arthur passed away today from cancer at the age of 86. She was an incredibly funny woman with a great deal of talent.

I loved The Golden Girls while I was growing up, which really speaks to the reality that as long as something is well written and in the hands of talented actors, age is irrelevant. What did a young kid know about the issues of single women in their sixties? That didn't matter, though, because the show was brilliant. There's nothing like it today because the idiots in charge of programming think that their coveted demographics only want to see their own age group reflected back at them.

I can still turn on a rerun of The Golden Girls, even though I think I've seen them all at least five times, and laugh. What a talented cast of women! It's so sad to think that Bea and Estelle Getty are both gone now.

The first season of Bea's earlier hit show, Maude, was released on DVD a couple of years ago. I'd heard of the show, of course, but I'd never actually seen it at that point. Thanks to Netflix I was able to watch the entire season in about a week's time. I'd wondered if it would seem too dated to really enjoy, given the social and political issues it tackled, but it has stood the test of time very well and many of the issues remain relevant today. It truly was a groundbreaking show, especially in regard to feminism, and it was also incredibly funny.

I'm still waiting impatiently for the rest of the seasons to be released on DVD. It's a shame that the show hasn't lived on in reruns like The Golden Girls has.

Bea Arthur struck television gold twice in her life and we were all richer for it.