One of my favorite things is getting a glimpse into the past and seeing people who worked to make the world a better place despite the unfavorable odds at that time. Lucky for me, I stumbled across an article of a man who was attempting to do just that in 1977 with a 13 inch, anatomically correct, plastic, male doll. The Gay Bob Doll.
In 1977 inventor Harvey Rosenburg created a doll that he named Gay Bob. It was one of the first gay dolls that he planned to make mainstream and distribute through his company, Gizmo Development. It has been speculated that Rosenburg himself was gay but I couldn’t find any information to support that fact online.
The doll’s appearance is a typical masculine urban cowboy look that most likely would be perceived as a stereotype today. Given that fact just think about what it meant to make a doll like this in the 70’s! Bottom line, producing the Doll took balls. The kind of balls that can also be found on Gay Bob!
The doll wears tight jeans, a flannel shirt, one earring and cowboy boots. He also comes with a catalog to order more clothes but I have not found anywhere if it ever made it to a point possible to do so. Since Gay Bob is anatomically correct its clear there was no shying away from anything when it comes to Bob!
The box that Gay Bob comes inside (no pun intended) includes the text:
“Hi Boys, Girls, and Grownups… I’m Gay Bob the world’s first gay doll. I bet you are wondering why I come packed in a closet. “Coming out of the closet” is an expression which means that you admit the truth about yourself, and are no longer ashamed of what you are. Gay people use the expression “coming out of the closet” to explain they are no longer afraid, or ashamed, of being gay, and no longer hide the fact.”
However my favorite part of the box is when it says:
“…Gay people are no different than straight people… if everyone came “out of their closets” there wouldn’t be so many angry, frustrated, frightened people… People who are not ashamed of what they are, are more lovable, kind and understanding.. It’s not easy to be honest about what you are — in fact it takes a great deal of courage… But remember if Gay Bob has the courage to come out his closet, so can you…”
Unfortunately Gay Bob was shot down incredibly quick, the most notable reason being Ann Landers advice column where she called the doll “disgusting”. She also mentioned that an invention like this would lead to other unfavorable dolls such as, “Priscilla the Prostitute” and “Danny the Dope Pusher.” Since then she has shamefully retracted her words.
Harvey Rosenburg went out on a limb to support the LGBT community in a time and place where it was harder than you can imagine. A gay doll might not be as big of a deal now with gay becoming more accepted but the fact is it would still cause controversy today. Rosenburg risked his business to bring us equality.
