June is Pride Month.

A respected columnist for the Los Angeles Times and a regular contributor to The Advocate, The Village Voice and Salon, Norah Vincent created her most ambitious work in 2006.

Norah chronicled her eighteen-month “experiment” of living as a man in her book Self-Made Man. Using the name “Ned,” Norah joined an all-male bowling club, joined a men’s therapy group, went to a strip club, dated women, and used her knowledge as a lapsed Catholic to visit monks in a monastery. She compared her experience to that of John Howard Griffin’s 1961 account of living as an African-American in his book Black Like Me.

Norah revealed that, for the first time in her life, she was viewed as “feminine” while she posed as a man. She explained that she was assumed to be gay by her colleagues, something she found amusing and intriguing.

Norah’s next project was 2008’s Voluntary Madness, in which she recounted her time in three different institutions for the mentally ill. And later, Norah wrote two novels — a comedic thriller and a work of historical fiction featuring Virginia Woolf as the main character.

Norah lived with depression her entire life. She died by assisted suicide in Switzerland in 2022. She was 53.

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June is Pride Month.

Thierry Mugler launched his eponymous fashion house in the early 1970s. He gained attention for his avant-garde, often theatrical, designs. Thierry was groundbreaking in his insistence of diversity in his runway shows, featuring drag queens, porn stars, and transgender women as models. Thierry created signature looks for a number of celebrities, including Michael Jackson, Madonna, Duran Duran, Grace Jones, David Bowie and Diana Ross, to name just a few. He also directed and designed outfits for George Michael’s “Too Funky” video.

In the early 2000s, Thierry left the fashion world, focusing his attention of directing live performance like Cirque du Soleil shows and concert tours. He also re-entered the designer fragrance market after great success in the 90s with his Angel perfume.

Later in life, he became reclusive and devoted most of his time to his life-long passion of bodybuilding.

Thierry passed away in January 2022 of natural causes at the age of 73.

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Brian Wilson was the embodiment of “tortured genius” – both parts of that description are undeniable.

Here’s a story, as related by shock rocker Alice Cooper, that illustrates Brian Wilson’s tortured genius.

I was sitting backstage after the 1974 Grammys with Bernie Taupin (Elton John’s lyricist) and John Lennon. This was when Brian was really having some mental issues.

During the course of the conversation, I kept seeing Brian out of the corner of my eye, just kind of staring at us from different angles. Finally, he came up to the table, bent down and whispered in my ear ‘Hey Alice, introduce me to John Lennon.’ I couldn’t BELIEVE that these two men had never met!

They were virtually neck and neck in the 60’s as the greatest bands on the planet, and I’m SURE they must have crossed paths at some point. But then I thought to myself, ‘Wow, if they REALLY have never met, I’m going to be the one to introduce them and become a part of rock history!’

So I merely said, ‘Brian Wilson, this is John Lennon. John Lennon, this is Brian Wilson.’ Lennon was very cordial and polite, saying things like ‘Hello Brian, I’ve always wanted to meet you. I’ve always admired your work, and Paul and I considered Pet Sounds one of the best albums ever made.’ Brian thanked him and walked away, at which point Lennon went right back to his conversation like nothing had happened.

About ten minutes later, Brian came by our table again, leaned down and whispered something to Bernie, and all of a sudden, Bernie was saying ‘Brian Wilson, this is John Lennon. John Lennon, Brian Wilson.’ Lennon was just as cordial and polite as the first time, saying essentially the same thing about always wanting to meet him.

As soon as Brian walked away, John looked at both of us and casually said in his typical Liverpudlian accent, ‘I’ve met him hundreds of times. He’s not well, you know.’

Brain Wilson passed away on June 11, 2025 — a little more than a week shy of his 83rd birthday. Although no cause of death had been made public, Brian was diagnosed with dementia in early 2024.

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June is Pride Month.

Tom Spanbauer, the author of five novels, created a concept known as “dangerous writing.”

His writing often focused on themes of race and sexual identity. As a teacher, he encouraged his students to overcome their fears and write painful personal truths. In his courses, he spoke of bringing one’s inner life out of the closet and reading aloud to a group.

Tom was a member of the Peace Corps and brought his philosophy all over the world.

He suffered with Parkinson’s Disease for eight years before dying from heart failure in September 2024 at the age of 78. His legacy lives on through his students – forty of whom published memoirs inspired by Tom’s philosophy.

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Aspiring actress Mariana Levy landed her first role as a teenager, playing “Veronica” in the Mexican soap opera Vivir Enamorada. After taking a year off, Mariana returned to the small screen. She appeared in a long string of telenovelas, including a stint playing three different characters in Yo compro esa mujer.

Mariana appeared with her mother as co-host of the variety series Nuestra Casa. She took a role in the hugely-popular historical telenovela Amor Real before retiring to raise a family.

On April 29, 2005 in Mexico City, Mariana was approached by an armed assailant attempting to steal her watch. The incident was too much for her and she suffered a fatal heart attack on the spot. Mariana was 39 years old.

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Joel Fluellen took some small jobs while he pursued his dream of becoming an actor. After a few appearances on the New York stage, he moved to Hollywood and landed an uncredited role in the film Cabin in the Sky. As an active member of the Screen Actors Guild, Joel fought for more meaningful parts for African-American actors. Although he had no trouble finding work, he was mostly relegated to roles of waiters or servants or taxi drivers. Every so often, Joel managed to get a more substantial part. He played the main character’s brother in The Jackie Robinson Story, a businessman in Raisin in the Sun and James Earl Jones’ coach in The Great White Hope.

Joel continued to act in films and on television into the end of the 1970s. After leaving show business, he continued his efforts for the rights of African-American actors. His actions were instrumental in securing a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for film star Dorothy Dandridge.

In February 1990, his health and vision failing, Joel shot and killed himself in his Los Angeles home. He was 82.

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