Hollywood Icons: Photographs from the John Kobal Foundation

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I FIRST FELT REPRESENTED WHEN I SAW"Bugs Bunny outsmart the status quo with a wink and a witty remark."

In 1973, Sacheen Littlefeather refused Brando’s Oscar on his behalf and highlighted the treatment of Native American by HollywoodBooks : “Deborah Kerr: A Biography” by Michelangelo Capua, “Deborah Kerr” by Sarah Street Lucille Ball I FIRST FELT REPRESENTED WHEN I SAW"As someone who identifies as nonbinary, I’m realizing I don’t think I ever felt represented as a kid — especially because I thought of myself as cis and female at the time. TV mostly made me feel like I wasn’t enough and reinforced a more awful, awkward prism of how women are valued for beauty over most anything else." THE TOP OF MY QUARANTINE BINGE LIST" Feel Good. My good friend Ally Pankiw directed it. And my fellow Canadian Mae Martin wrote and stars in it. Lesbian female director directing a lesbian hero in a story is the perfect remedy to a down day in quarantine." THE PERSON I THINK DOESN'T GET ENOUGH CREDIT FOR THEIR ACTIVISM"Alexandra Billings. I've been making art with her for decades, and she is always raising the voices of the people in the room around her through her art, teaching and advocacy."

I FIRST FELT REPRESENTED WHEN I SAW"In 1987, I was about 18 and very much not out, living at home in Yorkshire before moving to London. My family were away on holiday, so I had the house to myself. On TV, Channel 4 had a season of late night queer programming and were screening Parting Glances. I stayed up until 12 a.m. to watch it. For the first time I saw representations of everyday queer lives in a way that felt like I might be able to lead a fulfilling life with the person I loved without hiding or being ashamed. I could have a job, friends, a life. It was revelatory." I'LL FEEL GOOD ABOUT HOLLYWOOD'S LGBTQ REPRESENTATION WHEN"As much representation as there is, there are very few big gay love stories. I’d love one." Jane Russell was one of Old Hollywood’s greatest stars showing her acting talents, dancing skills and vocal capabilities in a range of her movies. Russell rose to fame from her role in The Outlaw and is probably best known for playing the role of Dorothy Shaw alongside Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Jane Russell went on to have a career in the music industry and even appeared on Broadway. THE PERSON I THINK DOESN'T GET ENOUGH CREDIT FOR THEIR ACTIVISM"Something that gets lost sometimes is that activism can take many forms. I’m always blown away by stories like the one in our recent documentary A Secret Love, a story about two women living out their lives with dignity and honesty."

Few have done more for LGBTQ representation in Hollywood than Murphy. The prolific creator, who has two children with photographer husband David Miller, has devoted his career to telling the kinds of queer stories he never saw on TV growing up. From Glee to American Horror Story to Pose, Murphy has succeeded in building his own inclusive content universe — and he's continuing to add to it at Netflix, where he's dropped queer-centric shows like The Politician and Hollywood and has the upcoming movie The Boys in the Band. During the Golden Age of Hollywood there were five main studios that were producing movies in Hollywood. Each studio used prefered actors and actresses and also often followed a certain genre of film in the majority of their movies. You will recognise these studio names from your favourite Old Hollywood movies; THE PERSON I THINK DOESN'T GET ENOUGH CREDIT FOR THEIR ACTIVISM "Everyone already knows her greatness, but I deeply admire [ Pose's] Mj Rodriguez."

I'LL FEEL GOOD ABOUT HOLLYWOOD'S LGBTQ REPRESENTATION WHEN"We get great big hot superheroes, please. Not sweet representations. But great big horny bastards, male and female." Books :”This Life” by Sidney Poitier, “Life Beyond Measure” by Sidney Poitier, “The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography” by Sidney Poitier Paul Newman THE PERSON I THINK DOESN'T GET ENOUGH CREDIT FOR THEIR ACTIVISM"My friend Tanya Saracho. She created the show Vida and is always fighting the good fight. And educating people. And challenging them. And advocating for underrepresented voices. She’s a superhero."

Shirley Temple is Old Hollywood’s biggest child star starring in many moving musicals. Temple’s dancing numbers and spirited singers got people through the hardships of the Great Depression and her appearance onscreen was a ray of sunshine and escapism for the people of America. Shirley Temple failed to make the transition from childhood stardom to acting as an adult and her acting career came to an end as her teenage years did. Movies : The Great Race, Splendour in the Grass, Miracle On 34th Street, Rebel Without A Cause, West Side Story LGBTQ STORY I'D LOVE TO SEE ONSCREEN"One that makes my blood boil with confusion and rage that I wasn't able to come up with it first, something completely unexpected and impolite." THE PERSON I THINK DOESN'T GET ENOUGH CREDIT FOR THEIR ACTIVISM"One of the unsung heroes of the civil rights movement, Bayard Rustin. Bayard fought alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. but was erased from much of history because he was gay. I’d love to see his Selma story be turned into a film."

Although it didn’t make the Big Five during the Golden Age of Hollywood, Universal Pictures were also in operation at the time and produced some classics.

The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002)

LGBTQ STORY I'D LOVE TO SEE ONSCREEN"Less weepy queers, more intrepid queers! Nothing wrong with being weepy, I'd just like to see a wider gamut."