Armistead Maupin, the Gay Author who was Liberated by Being Gay

Armistead Maupin is an American novelist best known for his Tales of the City series, which chronicles the lives of the eccentric inhabitants of an flat complex, affectionately called by its address, 28 Barbary Lane, in 1970s San Francisco. Maupin, probably one the greatest and most influential gay authors grew up in North Carolina and showed an early interest in film and theatre.

His adolescent years were complicated by his growing awareness of his homosexuality. He worked as a newspaper reporter in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1970–71, before he was assigned to San Francisco. Maupin’s career as a fiction writer was launched when his Tales of the City was published as a serial in the San Francisco Chronicle in 1976–77 and then as a book in 1978. The story, set in San Francisco, focuses on three characters—Mary Ann Singleton, a naive young woman from Cleveland, Ohio; Michael (“Mouse”) Tolliver, her homosexual friend; and their motherly landlady, Anna Madrigal, a transgender woman.

The gay author’s compassion for his characters and his lively humorous style made Tales of the City a cult favourite. Five popular sequels followed: More Tales of the City (1980), Further Tales of the City (1982), Babycakes (1984), Significant Others (1987), and Sure of You (1989), all but the last of which were initially serialized in San Francisco newspapers. 

Armistead Maupin – Personal Life and Professional Achievements

In 1997, the gay author received the Bill Whitehead Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Publishing Triangle of New York. In 2002 he was honoured with the Trevor Project’s Life Award “for his efforts in saving young lives.” Maupin was the first recipient of Litquake’s Barbary Coast Award for his literary contribution to San Francisco. In 2012 he was awarded Lambda's Pioneer Award which is bestowed on individuals who have broken new ground in the field of LGBT+ literature and publishing. In 2014, he received an honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. He also received the Visionary Award from the 2014 Outfest Legacy Awards for his collected novels. Maupin lives with his husband or 12 years, Christopher Turner, a website producer and photographer. 

Michael Tolliver, Maupin’s Tales of the City Character - the Heartfelt Statement of the Gay Author’s Own Coming Out

“These aren't radicals or weirdos, Mama. They are shop clerks and bankers and little old ladies and people who nod and smile to you when you meet them on the bus. Their attitude is neither patronizing nor pitying. And their message is so simple: Yes, you are a person. Yes, I like you. Yes, it's all right for you to like me, too.” Just one poignant extract of one of the most real and touching moments in of LGBT+ history. 

Michael Tolliver, Maupin’s Tales of the City Character - the Heartfelt Statement of the Gay Author’s Own Coming Out

In 1977, Armistead Maupin wrote a letter to his parents that he had been composing for half his life. He addressed it directly to his mother, but rather than send it to her, the gay author published it in the San Francisco Chronicle, the paper in which he had made his name with his loosely fictionalised Tales of the City, the daily serial written from the alternative, gay world in which he lived. I highly recommend listening to the full brave and powerful coming-out letter read by Sir Ian McKellen in the LETTERS LIVE series. Click here for the utterly moving YouTube video. 

Tales of the City - What you Need to Know Before Watching the Netflix Revival

The ground breaking and LGBT+ inclusive franchise, Tales of the City started out as a serialised narrative in the San Francisco Chronicle before gay author Maupin expanded the story into books that were later adapted into a limited series. First airing on Channel 4 in 1993, Tales of the City returned for two more instalments in 1998 and 2001, all three of which starred Laura Linney as a naive newcomer called Mary-Ann Singleton who tried to navigate life in '70s San Francisco. Tales of the City was the first network to break new barriers for gay sex and nudity on the small screen and to depict LGBT+ love as something to be celebrated and be proud of. 

Tales of the City 2019 – Netflix’s Original Limited Series

Created by producer and writer Lauren Morelli, best known for another Netflix’s original TV series Orange is the New Black and wife to Samira Wiley, one of the main characters of the prison drama, Tales the City’s 28 Barbary Lane, jumps ahead 23 years after Mary-Ann left San Francisco behind to further her career. Along with Laura Linney, Olympia Dukakis and Barbara Garrick have both reprised their roles on the show along with a host of new actors including Oscar nominee Elliot Page, who plays Mary-Ann's now grown up daughter, Shawna.

Pics courtesy of IMDB, Netflix and Armistead Maupin's official website.