Gay icon a prototypical portrait of a tortured closet case." Due to Saint Sebastian's status as a gay icon, Tennessee Williams chose to use the saint's name for the martyred character Sebastian in his play, "Suddenly, Last Summer". The name was also used by Oscar Wilde—as Sebastian Melmoth—when in exile after his release from prison. Wilde, an Irish writer and poet, was about as "out of the closet" as was possible for the late 19th century, and is himself considered to be a gay icon. Marie Antoinette was an early lesbian icon. Rumors about her relationships with women circulated in pornographic detail
Garrison Melmoth tank, with a total of of fuel carried, giving a range of . To make use of the long endurance an autopilot was fitted, for comfort the cockpit was in width. Its span rectangular wing with an aspect ratio of 6:1, employed an NACA 65A316 airfoil, mounted double-slotted flaps and adjustable-incidence ailerons. The engine was a Continental IO-360-A producing , driving a Hartzell constant speed propeller of diameter. Control was via center control sticks. The Melmoth was registered with the US FAA in the "Experimental-Amateur-built" category. Over time the aircraft was modified to include IFR avionics, an automatic fuel tank