“He stood for anybody that didn’t fit in, exaggerated what everybody hated, turned it into a style,

“He stood for anybody that didn’t fit in, exaggerated what everybody hated, turned it into a style, and won.” – John Waters on Divine. Picture: Divine (October 19, 1945 – March 7, 1988), by Greg Gorman, 1987. Divine, also known as Harris Glenn Milstead, who was born seventy-one years ago today, was an American singer, actor, drag queen, and icon, best known for his work in the films of John Waters. Growing up in suburban Baltimore, Divine was the victim of intense bullying. At eighteen, he entered beauty school and found work at local salons, where he specialized in beehives and other upswept styles. In the mid-1960s, Divine, who by then was known for throwing lavish parties, met and befriended John Waters; it was Waters who gave Glenn Milstead the name “Divine,” often introducing his friend as “the most beautiful girl in the world, almost.” From 1966 to 1970, Divine appeared in all of Waters’s early work, including “Roman Candles” (1966), “Eat Your Makeup” (1968), “Mondo Trasho” (1969), and “Multiple Maniacs” (1970 in 1970, he he left Baltimore for a short turn in Provincetown, Massachusetts, and then San Francisco. Returning to Baltimore, Divine next starred in Waters’s infamous “Pink Flamingos” (1972), for which Divine and Waters gained their first significant attention. After “Pink Flamingos,” Divine returned to San Francisco, where he worked with the revolutionary drag troupe, The Cockettes. Divine later appeared in Waters’s “Female Trouble” (1974), “Polyester” (1981), and “Hairspray” (1988). In the late 1970s, Divine became a fixture on New York’s gay disco scene and, by 1981, he embarked on a disco career of his own, ultimately releasing a number of hit singles, including “I’m So Beautiful” and “You Think You’re a Man.” In early 1988, Divine landed a guest role as Uncle Otto on “Married…with Children”; as Divine wanted to be seen as an actor with a range beyond the drag queen persona, the role was very important to him. Filming was set to begin on March 8, 1988; on March 7, Divine died in his sleep, at age forty-two, of an enlarged heart. #lgbthistory #lgbtherstory #lgbttheirstory #lgbtpride #QueerHistoryMatters #HavePrideInHistory #Divine (at Los Angeles, California) -- source link

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