Gore Vidal has died : (

[T. Brown 1st MRB]

Link

He was a big influence for me in my pursuit of writing/journalism/integrity. The City and the Pillar, '48, was a brave depiction of homosexuality that, in my opinion, helped fuel the early beginnings of acceptance for that not only that lifestyle (I'm not gay, but I fully support gay rights), but equal rights for all repressed individuals. To publish something of that magnitude in that day and age was incredibly risky, but he did it anyways, because that is what this art is all about; pushing people to imagine things they wouldn't normally be able to conceive of, to challenge perceptions that need to be challenged, and standing up for things no one else would stand up for.

His first novel, Williwaw, was one of the first about WWII and sparked a huge literary movement and change in the documentation of such violent conflicts.

He is more influential to our concept of journalism and writing than I can ever properly represent here, so I encourage anyone not familiar with his work to read up on him in honor of all that he has done for the world.

RIP Eugene, you have left a great legacy, and will be remembered for a long motherfuckin' time.