~ Arthur C. Clarke, Science Fiction Author and Gay Man, Dies ~

March 19, 2008
Wednesday


Dear BAY WINDOWS Editor,

Likely the present-day world's most famous science fiction author, 
Arthur Charles Clarke died in Sri Lanka on early Wednesday, March 19, 
2008 at the age of 90.  Born in England in 1917, he had lived in Sri 
Lanka since 1956.

Among the many things Sir Clarke, who was knighted in 1998, is known 
for is his novel 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (made into the classic film of 
the same name), and that in 1945 was the first person to suggest the 
concept of communication satellites, which are a common reality 
today.  Also in the 1940s, Clarke predicted humanity would land on 
the moon before the year 2000, an idea at the time that was 
considered absurd.

Sir Clarke was a gay man.  Thought he never made a public statement, 
it was well known in his community - science fiction fandom - that 
Clarke was gay.  He included gay male characters in several of his 
novels, including IMPERIAL EARTH and 2010, the sequel to his famous 
space odyssey.  As commonly happens in Hollywood productions, this 
and the character's love story with a same-sex crewmate were removed 
from the movie version of 2010.  (Recently this happened in the film 
THE MARTIAN BOY, based on an award-winning story by science fiction 
author and gay father David Gerrold.)

In 1988, when I was Director of the newly formed Gaylactic Network, 
an association of organization for gay science fiction fans and their 
friends, I wrote Sir Clarke as I thought he would be interested in 
it.  He was and in fact wrote me a very nice letter in reply, in 
which he included a news article from a Sri Lankan newspaper titled 
"Foreign fags arrive next week" about the importing of cigarettes. 
Ever the gifted writer, Sir Arthur added the handwritten note, 
"TOURIST DRIVE!"

In the early 1990s, I lead a letter-writing campaign to Gene 
Roddenberry, creator of STAR TREK, to have openly gay character to 
appear in STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION that received worldwide 
attention.  I contacted Sir Clarke about this effort and he wrote 
back to me that he had "dropped a line to my old friend Gene R." in 
support.

(This campaign resulted in a promise by Mr. Roddenberry that gay 
crewmembers would be seen on the starship "Enterprise" during the 
series' 5th season.  Unfortunately Mr. Roddenberry died shortly 
before that season began and his promise was turned into the very 
poor episode, "The Outcast", that failed to include even one gay 
character.)

One of Arthur Clarke's most famous remarks and appears in BARTLETT'S 
FAMILIAR QUOTATIONS is "Any significantly advanced technology is 
indistinguishable from magic."  For many readers on this Earth, we 
have lost some of the magic in our books.

            -- Franklin Hummel in Boston, Massachusetts

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