Lavender marriage

{{Short description|Marriage to feign heterosexuality for both spouses}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2015}}

[[File:Cornell-McClintic-Library.jpg|thumb|Lesbian actress Katharine Cornell and gay director Guthrie McClintic entered into a lavender marriage in 1921, amid the era of "morality clauses" in the profession.]]

A '''lavender marriage''' is a male–female mixed-orientation marriage undertaken as a marriage of convenience to conceal the socially stigmatized sexual orientation of one or both partners. The term dates from the early 20th century and is used almost exclusively to characterize certain public celebrities' marriages in the first half of the 20th century, primarily before World War II, when public attitudes made it almost impossible for an openly queer person to pursue a public career, notably in the Hollywood film industry.<ref>{{cite book|author=Claude J. Summers|title=The Queer Encyclopedia of Film & Television|publisher=Cleis Press|year=2005|page=132}}</ref> The phrase appears in print at least as early as 1991,<ref>{{cite book |last=Hadleigh |first=Boze |date=1991 |title=The Vinyl Closet:Gays in the Music Industry |location=San Diego, CA |publisher=Los Hombres Press |page=115 |isbn=0-9623497-9-8}}</ref> but lavender's association with homosexuality dates to the 1920s,<ref>{{cite book |last=Green |first=Jonathon |date=2000 |title=Cassell's Dictionary of Slang |location=London |publisher=Cassell & Co |isbn=0-304-35167-9}}</ref> described as the decade when "The lavender marriage seems to have come into its own in Hollywood".<ref>{{Citation |last=Ferris |first=Lesley |contribution= Kit and Guth: A Lavender Marriage on Broadway |editor1-last= Shanke|editor1-first= Robert A. |editor2-last = Marra|editor2-first = Kim| title = Passing Performances: Queer Readings of Leading Players |page=218| publisher= University of Michigan Press|date= 1998}}</ref>

==In the Anglosphere== With the inclusion of morality clauses in Hollywood actors' contracts in the 1920s, some closeted stars entered into marriages of convenience to protect their reputations and preserve their careers. A noteworthy exception that demonstrates the precariousness of being openly queer was that of William Haines, whose career came to a sudden end at the age of 35. He refused to end his relationship with his partner, Jimmy Shields, and get married at the direction of his employer, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.<ref>{{cite glbtq.com|article-url=http://www.glbtq.com/arts/haines_w.html|article=Haines, William 'Billy' (1900-1973)|first=Benjamin|last=Trimmier|date=July 16, 2010|orig-year=2002|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929182923/http://www.glbtq.com/arts/haines_w.html |archive-date=September 29, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Some companies withheld pay from employees found in breach of these clauses. Universal Film Company justified their actions by labeling the actors' behavior as unacceptable, including not only having sexual/romantic relationships with the same sex, but even the simple admission of being attracted to the same sex. With their livelihoods on the line, many queer actors felt they had no choice but to enter into lavender marriages. Lavender marriages also helped preserve the public's image of a celebrity (which, in turn, kept revenue flowing for studios), especially if they were famous for their looks or sex appeal.<ref name=Morgan>{{Cite web|last=Morgan|first=Thad|title=When Hollywood Studios Married Off Gay Stars to Keep Their Sexuality a Secret|date=July 10, 2019 |url=https://www.history.com/news/hollywood-lmarriages-gay-stars-lgbt|access-date=2020-12-03|publisher=HISTORY|language=en}}</ref> The end of the 20th century brought about a change for the LGBTQ+ community, particularly after the 1969 Stonewall riots. Because of this, lavender marriages between celebrities became less common.<ref name=Morgan/>

The term lavender marriage has been used to characterize the following couples/individuals:

* The English broadcaster and journalist Nancy Spain considered entering a lavender marriage to disguise her relationship with Joan Werner Laurie, a magazine and book editor.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Collis|first1=Rose|title=A Trouser-wearing Character: The Life and Times of Nancy Spain |date=1997 |publisher=Casell |page=251 |isbn=9780304328796 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=baVZAAAAMAAJ&q=%22lavender+marriage%22 |access-date=January 18, 2015}}</ref> * Actor Rock Hudson, troubled by rumors that ''Confidential'' magazine was planning to expose his homosexuality, married Phyllis Gates, a young woman employed by his agent, in 1955. Gates insisted until the time of her death that she had had no idea the marriage was anything other than legitimate.<ref>{{cite book|first=David|last=Bret|title=Rock Hudson|publisher=Robson Books|year=2004|page=121|isbn=9781861055576|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hnodAQAAIAAJ}}</ref> * Actress-director Sondra Locke married gay sculptor Gordon Leigh Anderson in 1967, and remained married to him until she died in 2018.<ref name=Telegraph>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2018/12/14/sondra-locke-actress-appeared-clint-eastwood-hit-films-1970s "Sondra Locke, actress who appeared with Clint Eastwood in hit films of the 1970s such as 'Every Which Way but Loose' and 'The Gauntlet' – obituary"]. ''The Telegraph''. December 14, 2018.</ref><ref name=Independent>White, Adam (May 26, 2024). [https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/sondra-locke-clint-eastwood-b2550936.html "Sondra Locke, Clint Eastwood and the tragic disappearance of a Hollywood trailblazer"]. ''The Independent''.</ref><ref name=TheBlast>Trock, Gary; Walters, Liz (December 15, 2018). [https://theblast.com/clint-eastwood-sondra-locke-death-certificate-cardiac-arrest "Clint Eastwood's Longtime GF, Sondra Locke Died from Cardiac Arrest"]. ''The Blast''.</ref> Locke only actively bearded for Anderson during the first few years of their marriage, and eventually said that they had never consummated it.<ref name=Levy>{{cite book|first=Shawn|last=Levy|title=Clint: The Man and the Movies|year=2025|publisher= HarperCollins|isbn=9780063251021}}</ref><ref name=FilmInk>Harrison, John (December 16, 2018). [https://www.filmink.com.au/fond-farewell-sondra-locke-1944-2018 "A Fond Farewell to Sondra Locke (1944 – 2018)"]. ''FilmInk''.</ref> Although the spouses were living together at the time of Locke's death,<ref name=TheBlast/> both had engaged in long-term extramarital affairs throughout their 51-year union, notably Locke's 1975 to 1989 cohabitation with Clint Eastwood.<ref name=Telegraph/><ref name=Independent/><ref name=FilmInk/> * American theater actress and producer Katharine Cornell married stage director Guthrie McClintic in 1921. She appeared only in productions he directed, and they lived together in their Manhattan townhouse until his death in 1961.<ref>{{cite book|author=Mosel|title=Leading Lady: The World and Theatre of Katharine Cornell|url=https://archive.org/details/leadingladyworld00mose|url-access=registration|publisher=Little, Brown & Co|year=1978|isbn=9780316585378}}</ref> * Swedish Hollywood actor Nils Asther and vaudeville entertainer Vivian Duncan had a brief marriage of convenience that resulted in one child; Asther was a well known homosexual who had a relationship with actor/stuntman Kenneth DuMain.<ref>Nils Asther memoirs "Narrens väg - Ingen gudasaga", 1988, Sweden.</ref>

Although lavender marriages are typically associated with queer celebrities, people of all backgrounds have used them for protection and convenience. Some individuals have found solace on websites where they can express discontentment about their marriages of convenience, but not many have talked about their experience outside of the offline, apart from an article in ''The Guardian'' in November 2019, asking individuals to share their reasons for marrying for convenience.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Guardian community team |date=2019-11-26|title=Are you in a marriage to hide your sexuality from others?|language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/nov/26/are-you-in-a-marriage-to-hide-your-sexuality-from-others |access-date=2020-12-03 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> In November 2017, an article was published by the BBC about marriages of convenience in Asian LGBTQ+ communities in the UK.<ref name=bbc>{{Cite news|date=2017-11-08 |title=LGBT Asians turning to marriages of convenience |language=en-GB |publisher=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-41899363 |access-date=2020-12-03}}</ref>

The BBC article and its participants refer to a "marriage of convenience" rather than a lavender marriage, but they are still referring to a marriage that hides one partner's sexuality or that of both. Individuals reported that family expectations and keeping up an image were some of many reasons they had a marriage of convenience. Awemir Iqbal, a gay man from Pakistan, residing in West Yorkshire, stated that he understood why people had a marriage of convenience. The fear of tarnishing the family name or being disowned if their sexuality was discovered, led some to enter into one of these marriages. There exist groups, namely "Karma Nirvana", with the goal of supporting individuals (including queer people) who wish to escape forced marriages. Karma Nirvana's founder, Jasvinder Sanghera, says there are likely more marriages of convenience than are reported. Websites such as Mocmatch, Saathinight, and Al-Jannah are places where individuals can find partners to partake in a marriage of convenience.<ref name=bbc/>

== In the Sinosphere == {{Main|Tongqi|Tongfu}} Lavender marriages are known as ''Xinghun'' (nominal marriage) with the non-homosexual partner in the marriage being called ''Tongqi'' or ''Tongfu'' in China, where same-sex marriages or the LGBTQ+ community are not usually accepted. During the Chinese New Year, people travel home to celebrate with their families; however, young people also have to worry about pressures surrounding marriage (''Cui Hun'') and having children. For queer Chinese people, societal pressure to enter into and maintain a heterosexual relationship can be so profound that they often turn to lavender marriages or "cooperative [marriages]". Some gay men and lesbians choose to marry each other to meet societal and parental expectations and ease some pressure.<ref name=":0" /> Many couples report that the lavender marriages do more harm than good if individuals deny themselves the expression of their sexuality outside of the marriage.

A dating app called "Queers" was developed specifically for forming lavender marriages between LGBTQ+ individuals in China to help alleviate external pressures to enter heterosexual marriages. However, it was discontinued as it was not profitable. Despite this, former members continue to approach the app's founder, Liao Zhuoying, for matchmaking help with partners of the opposite sex.<ref name=":0">{{cite news|title=Why aren't you married?: In China, gay men and lesbians pair off to keep parents off their backs|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/pretending-to-be-straight-for-chinas-lunar-new-year-homecoming/2018/02/15/dc4caa3e-0fc7-11e8-827c-5150c6f3dc79_story.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=19 November 2020}}</ref>

==See also== {{Portal|LGBTQ}} * Beard (companion) * Boston marriage * He never married * Hollywood marriage * Mariage blanc * Sham marriage

==References== {{reflist}}

Category:LGBTQ and society Category:LGBTQ terminology Category:Sham marriage Category:LGBTQ marriage