If it werent for the fierce, fab gays of the fashion industry (Think: Tom Ford, Dior, Dolce, Zac Posen, Michael Kors and brassy ‘Runway’ upstarts like Christian Siriano) there would be a whole lot fewer designers out there, and thus, barely any variety on the red carpet. Look a Chanel. Look, another Chanel! (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Carrie without Stanford. Grace without Will. Buffy without Willow. The world would be a far less funny (and a lot less fashion-forward) place. (Carlos Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
The end of ballet
No one to carry the ballerinas, and no one to fill in the seats. Not to mention, nothing more from Matthew Bourne, who reimagined “Swan Lake” as something more carnal, visceral and haunting, and “Edward Scissorhands” as something to leap to. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
Pop music has just a little less pop
Crocodile Rock? Saturday Nights Alright for Fighting? Stricken from the record. And by losing Elton John, we also lose the music to The Lion King. But thats not all, as 80s pop icon George Michael, oddball pianist Rufus Wainwright and indie rock guitar hero Bob Mould are just a few notable gay musicians. And dont forget the ardent gay fanbase, which loyally follows such mainstream acts as Britney Spears, Madonna, Celine Dion and Cher, among many others. Vacations to Las Vegas would be forever ruined. (AFP/Getty Images)
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No gay moguls? No luck for charities
In 2004, openly gay billionaire entertainment mogul David Geffen told Forbes magazine that he planned to donate whatever money he made from then on to charity. If Geffen were to go away today, any do-gooders looking for a windfall would have to look elsewhere, such as moguls like Rupert Murdoch (who has six children looking for an inheritance) or Ted Turner (five kids). (Paul Hawthorne / Associated Press)
A lot less jazz on the Great White Way
What’s been more successful on Broadway in recent years than “Hairspray,” starring Harvey Fierstein and composed and written by life and work partners Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman? Than “Avenue Q,” a puppet musical in which the sweetest relationship is between messy, jobless Nicky and his roommate and closeted Republican investment banker Rod? Than “The Producers,” Mel Brooks’ “Keep It Gay” song-and-dance megahit? Not a whole lot. (David Hobby / Baltimore Sun)
Target loses its taste
When did it become hip to shop at Target? Right about when design powerhouses Todd Oldham and Isaac Mizrahi decided to lend their talent and taste to everything from housewares to shoes and clothing. (Leo Sorel / For The Times)