John F. Kennedy�s best friend for three decades was a gay man, according to a new book published in May 2007, by Avalon, the month that would have been the president�s 90th birthday. Titled, Jack and Lem: �John F. Kennedy and Lem Billings. The Untold Story of an Extraordinary Friendship;� the book documents the relationship between the two men from its beginnings at a New England prep school in 1933 until the gunfire in Dallas in 1963. The evidence presented indicates that Jack found out that Lem was gay early in the friendship. Despite his own heterosexuality, however, Jack didn�t reject Lem. On the contrary, the friendship grew and survived against the odds.
I wonder if most every gay man has at one point a deep personal relationship with a straight friend. I did. Some survive the coming out. Mine didn't (distance contributed as well).
But while it lasted, it was a beautiful thing. I still keep his picture in my study.
(Hat tip: Andrew)
