‘Golden Girls’ Writers Felt the Need to Stay in the Closet, Despite Show’s Massive Gay Following

While nan classical ’80s sitcom “The Golden Girls” has amassed a ample cheery following, erstwhile writer Stan Zimmerman said that nan group itself was not arsenic unfastened arsenic immoderate mightiness assume. One co-worker moreover told Zimmerman to pain thrifted sweaters from a car shed waste because they had astir apt belonged to “somebody that died of AIDS.” But nan writer — who later worked connected “Gilmore Girls” — said that was conscionable “the ambiance then.”

“I cognize you spot each these progressive scenes and you think, ‘Oh, it was 1 large cheery statement there,’ but we couldn’t beryllium who we really were,” Zimmerman explained during a Pride LIVE! Hollywood sheet (via The Hollywood Reporter). He said that their representatives moreover advised them to enactment successful nan closet. But he added location was 1 titular “Golden Girls” cheery unit members couldn’t fool.

“Our first time connected nan set, we noticed Estelle [Getty] travel moving toward us, and she’s for illustration … ‘I know. Your secret’s safe pinch me. You’re 1 of us.’ I thought she meant Jewish,” he laughed. “But she meant gay. She wasn’t gay, but she was astir apt nan first state ever.” Getty was already profoundly entrenched successful nan queer community, having played Harvey Fierstein’s mother successful Broadway’s “Torch Song Trilogy,” nan landmark play (and later film) astir a gay, Jewish resistance performer.

Bea Arthur, too, seemed to person a finely tuned queer radar. Script supervisor Isabel Omero would later travel retired arsenic transgender decades later, and astatine 1 constituent during nan show’s agelong tally Arthur offered Omero a sari she had received connected a travel to India.

“In my closeted, panicked, paranoid brain, each I knew is that astatine that infinitesimal Bea Arthur was offering maine a dress to deterioration astir nan house, and I wish I had been successful a spot wherever I could person said something, to moreover judge nan gift without ever utilizing it, conscionable truthful I could definitive thing to someone,” Omero said during nan panel. “But fearfulness and shame is simply a large thing.”

Despite nan secrecy of nan era, co-producer Jim Vallely said that nan series’ accumulation squad was alert of its ample cheery following. Several episodes addressed queer issues, including a two-episode arc wherever Blanche’s (Rue McClanahan) relative came retired and — in an particularly progressive infinitesimal — married his partner. “I deliberation [we did nan episodes] because we knew… we had a cheery audience,” Vallely said. “They would play [the show] successful [gay] bars crossed nan country.”

“The Golden Girls” is currently streaming connected Hulu and Disney+.