Bea Arthur

As much as I might have protested my love for the Golden Girls years ago, I had a thing for those old ladies on the TV.  It wasn’t until several years after that show ended that I learned about the various legacy’s of the actresses on that show, most of whom had quite seller careers.  Bea Arthur, or Dorothy, as I knew her on TV was one such woman you didn’t want to trifle with.  The generations before me would know her best from the shows All in the Family and then in Maude (both shows before my time).  She was gentle but tough and strong headed and as if you didn’t expect it coming from me on this blog, she was also a strong proponent for gay rights and equality.  The GLBT community has always had sort of a campy relationship with the Golden Girls, that show was one of the first in prime time to broach the subject of gay rights and it was done with charm and candor that really went unmatched until Will and Grace arrived in the 90′s.  The clip below is from a Golden Girls episode.  Bea Arthur died today at the age of 86 due to complications from cancer.