Was George Gershwin gay

Answer 1

I doubt it. He was known to be a bit of a "ladies man."

________________

This is still debated. There's no good info either way - while he was involved with some women, his sexual orientation is not clear.

Here's one story:

When Gershwin died in 1937, the subject of his love life did not come up in print, although, in private, individuals such as Irving Caesar talked about it with Lyle Stuart. The two had Manhattan offices in Tin Pan Alley's Brill Building. Stuart worked for Variety (1945-6) and edited Music Business (1946-8). Caesar is the lyricist who put words to "Tea for Two"and "Swanee."

What Caesar told Stuart is that showbiz cognoscenti knew about Gershwin's homosexuality, but the subject was not written about, in order to protect important people's reputations. George was only one of many whose sexual orientation was not mentioned and, in fact, still remains secret.

According to Caesar, George's "beard" was Esther Sillabee, at one time a publicist for the bandleader Vincent Lopez and also for the Plaza Hotel.Esther dated George, Caesar told Stuart, in order that he could be seen with a female companion. But once, when he was half an hour late to an appointment, she blurted out something like "you dirty Jew-bastard", whereupon George ended it.

Answer 2

No. His mother has been incorrectly described as being of Jewish ancestry.

Answer 3

No, George Gershwin was not black. He came from Russian and Lithuaniain Jewish heritage. The family last name was originally "Gershowitz", later Americanized to Gershwin.