Saturday, December 5, 2009

Rock Hudson's Lover Dies: A Quarter Century Later

The Rock:



Rock Hudson has been dead for years but the man who made his death more famous was alive until yesterday. Hudson, for our younger readers, was a classic Hollywood film star. Male, stunning, well-built. Always playing the role of happily married straight man, on film and in real life. But those who knew him knew better. Rock Hudson was gay. And he died of AIDS in the height of the epidemic, 1985.

Marc Christian MacGinnis was Rock Hudson’s secret lover. McGinnis made legal history by suing Hudson’s estate in 1991, winning a multimillion-dollar settlement, after convincing a jury Hudson had knowingly exposed him to AIDS. He too, has now died, at the age of 56. Christian, who went by his mother's maiden name, made headlines in 1985 when he sued Hudson's estate for $10 million, alleging that he had suffered severe emotional distress after learning about his condition the way the rest of the world did- on a news broadcast that the former matinee idol and television star had AIDS, which was claiming lives throughout the gay community.

Hudson was diagnosed in 1984 but did not publicly acknowledge his illness until July 1985; he died three months later at age 59. Christian tested negative for acquired immune deficiency syndrome several times after learning of Hudson's diagnosis but legally he contended that the star put him at risk of contracting the disease by concealing his illness and continuing to have sexual relations with him.

In 1989, a Los Angeles County Superior Court jury said Hudson had displayed "outrageous conduct" and awarded Christian $21.75 million in damages, later reduced to $5.5 million. The $5.5-million award was upheld by a state Court of Appeal, which called it just compensation for the "ultimate in personal horror, the fear of slow, agonizing death." A private settlement was then reached. That is the way America thought of HIV a quarter century ago.

McGinnis never came across as a hero or whistle blower. Instead, twenty-seven years younger than Hudson, he was portrayed by many as a gold digger. It was a time though, when few had a full grasp of understanding of the need for sexual responsibility. There were no laws on the books making failing to disclose your HIV status a crime. That would come later. But this case opened the door to groundbreaking laws and higher standards.

Several years after the sensational case ended, Christian told People magazine that his purpose was "not to sleaze Rock;" that he even wanted to privately settle. Christian argued that his suit "was to say that if you have AIDS, you ought to tell your partner, whether you're a movie star or a postman." Duh! The significant thing, years later, a few days after World AIDS Day, is that we are still fighting the disease. And no one should be 'sleazed' by getting sick.
Larry King interview in 2001 with McGinnis
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0103/29/lkl.00.html

6 comments:

  1. So the "lover" stole Hudson's estate and we are to blame Hudson for failing to reveal his illness? We don't know what went on between the two, and what responsibility did Christian McGinnis have to PROTECT HIMSELF?? He dug for gold during AIDS Hysteria Panic and got it, denying the true beneficiary of Hudson's will. And ironically STILL died of a slow agonizing disease. Justice served.

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  2. yeah, we DON'T know what went on between the two, besides Hudson not informing his partner of a deadly transmissable disease. ignorant much?

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  3. MARC CHRISTIAN MAGINNIS WAS NO ANGEL BUT AN OUTRIGHT LIAR. ROCK NEVER TOUCHED HIM SINCE 11/1983 AFTER A TRIP TO PITTSBURGH PENNSYLVANIA WHERE MARC DID AN UNSPEAKABLE ACT THAT LANDED HIM IN A WHITAKER, PA JAIL CELL. CHRISTIAN CONTINUED TO TAKE MONEY FROM HUDSON AND REFUSED TO LEAVE HIS HOUSE KNOWING THAT HE WANTED TO SUE HUDSON'S ESTATE WHEN HE NOTICED HUDSON WAS GETTING THINNER. HE THOUGHT HUDSON HAD CANCER OF THE LUNG. CHRISTIAN WAS A SHARK CIRCLING THE TANK JUST WAITING FOR THE KILL AND NOW JUSTICE HAS BEEN DONE THIS PRICK IS NOW DEAD. YOU SEE THERE IS A GOD. YOU GOT YOUR JUST REWARD CHRISTIAN. HUDSON WAS A LEGEND AND SHOULD BE REMEMBERED FOR JUST THAT. NOT A POSTER CHILD FOR AIDS. I BELIEVE MARC CHRISTIAN DID DIE OF AN AIDS RELATED COMPLICATION CALLED PNEUMOCYSTIS CARNII, BUT HE GOT THIS FROM HIS OWN HORRIFIC SLEAZY NATURE NOT BECAUSE OF ROCK HUDSON. IF HE HAD HE WOULD OF DIED YEARS AGO. MAYBE THE UNEDUCATED, UNINFORMED JUDGE SHOULD OF KNOWN THAT BEFORE AWARDING THIS GOLD DIGGER ANY BLOOD MONEY. IF YOUR GOING TO CONDUCT YOURSELF IN A HOMOSEXUAL RELATIONSHIP THIS IS THE PRICE YOU PAY. GOODBYE CHRISTIAN AND GOOD RIDENCE.

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  4. So you know all about rock Hudson do you well he was a fraud because not only was he a liar and could not face the truth he put other innocent people at risk by not having the gut to admit his homosexuality.

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    1. you are an asshole, Nobody HAS to admit they are homosexual if they dont want to, Get over yourself dick head, This is about Admitting to having AIDS, And for all you know that person DOES know all about Rock Hudson, so why not ask questions instead of being a fucking prick, This gold digging son of a bitch was also a homosexual, So what was Rock suppose to do? Admit to his male lover that he was a homosexual? you fucking moron, And to the person that said rock hadn't touched the gold digger since november of 83, How did you come upon this information? Thanks that is all.

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    2. Okay I will because of the fact that I testified in the Rock Hudson also known as Roy Fitzgerald case against Mark Christian also known as mark McGinnis I would have to say that mark McGinnis ran very short of ethyl ethics and shorter with integrity and truth the fact of the matter is if you really want to know about the story you should contact or go to paul cohen the private investigator on the case which show that there had been no sexual activities under the conditions that Rock Hudson was in because there's no way that anybody would want to touch a much less could it was a nurse on on on on the floor in the bed at his home called the council and also he went to France to get test made and of course nobody would come in the house because they were scared however Sarah Davidson that wrote the book left the house because she was scared for her child which is understandable Elizabeth Taylor however came into the house and crawled up and held him and rocked so there's a lot to be said about this but he want to know I mean the man is dead but he gave us a very very hard time and had won the money and unfortunately lost it paul cohen is the one you should be talking to he was the private investigator it would behoove you to know the truth and probably terry sweeney now no longer with the judge which was also the priest there that gave the last rites thank you

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