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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | SEPTEMBER 2025 51 This month our selection for the Famous LGBT Americans series is Robin Tyler, the first lesbian or gay comic to come out on television. This occurred in 1978 on a Showtime special hosted by Phyllis Diller. Tyler (née Arlene Chernick) was born in Winnipeg, Canada. In 1962, at age 20, she moved to New York. She began a comedy duo with her then- girlfriend, Pat Harrison. Regarding the Stonewall Riots, Tyler later said, "That's when Robin Tyler the activist was born." She used comedy with her activism: "When I speak at the marches, I always do humor first and then I do a speech. … The comedy disarms people. Humor is the razor-sharp edge of the truth. It's pain and anger made funny." Tyler and Harrison experienced violence. Once, at The Troubadour in West Hollywood, a waiter attempted to stab them with a knife. In New Zealand, an individual shot at them in a hotel. Tyler became a U.S. citizen to go to Vietnam with the USO. Describing her 1970 show with Harrison, she said, "We drew huge crowds because there were so many gay people out there. And they knew we were gay." Tyler and Harrison separated in 1974 but remained close. Tyler produced and emceed the first National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1979 (which drew 100,000 people) and other marches in 1987 and 1993. In 2001, Tyler and Diane Olson sued the state of California for the right to be married. After seven years, they won their lawsuit and became the first lesbian couple to be married in Los Angeles. In an article in GOMAG dated March 15, 2025, Tyler expressed her views on being lesbian: "I never was in the closet, ever, ever. I didn't come out because I wasn't in. I've had a magnificent life. I always say, if I weren't born gay, I would have chosen it … because it gave me a chance to have a free life, to choose what I wanted to be." Tyler is 83 years old. Olson died in 2019. They were together for 25 years and lived in Los Angeles. For more information and for the sources for this article, please go to the Rainbow Group's Facebook page or request a copy via our email (rainbowgroup@myyahoo.com). The locations and times of Rainbow Group events are available via our Facebook page or email. ~ Dan Hazeltine and Frank Galvan Rainbow Group e Classic Film Group presents a special event featuring the making and screening of Walt Disney's 1959 animated classic Sleeping Beauty. It bears the distinction of being the rst to be shot in 70mm widescreen format. e score borrows much from Tchaikovsky's classic ballet based on the Brothers Grimm tale. e art is beautiful, inspired by medieval art. e curse is cast … the magic is real … and one kiss will change everything! Fall under the spell of Sleeping Beauty, the ultimate princess fairy tale that is now part of the acclaimed Walt Disney Signature Collection. Showing at e Lodge eater on Sept. 23 and Oct. 7 at 6 pm. e Wednesday Western Matinee showcase Firecreek. is is the story of the farmer/sheri (James Stewart) who'd faced one gun too many … As a peace-loving, part-time sheri in the small town of Firecreek, he must take a stand when a gang of nasty outlaws takes over his town. is showing will be on Sept. 10 at 2 pm at e Lodge eater. ~ Paul Plamondon, 4seasonsmoviegroup@gmail.com Classic Film Group