""She was the best friend you could ever have," says Tim Mendelson, a gay man who worked for Taylor from 1990 until her death in 2011 and is now co-trustee of her estate and an officer of the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. For National Coming Out Day, he speaks to The Advocate about how Taylor created a safe space to be out and about her involvement in the fight against HIV and AIDS at a time when few high-profile people would get involved."
"Mendelson went to work for Taylor at the suggestion of a friend after a short time in the film business as a production assistant. His position with Taylor didn't really have a name, but "I was her right-hand person and by her side," he says. "Being in her life was like living in a movie every day," he notes, with events such as her tour to promote White Diamonds perfume and her 60 th birthday party, which took over Disneyland."
The film industry was often hostile to LGBTQ+ people throughout the 20th century, where being out could end careers. Elizabeth Taylor acted as a prominent ally and created a safe space for gay people. Tim Mendelson worked for Taylor from 1990 until her death in 2011 and served as her close aide and later co-trustee of her estate. He describes being her right-hand person and living in her life like a movie, attending events such as the White Diamonds perfume tour and her Disneyland-centered 60th birthday. Mendelson experienced childhood bullying, realized he was gay, and felt fully free to be out while working for Taylor.
Read at Advocate.com
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