Known as "The Divine Miss M" she is not just a phenomenal talent as an actress, comedienne, and singer, she is a loving soul. She not only fully supports gay rights, she has a belief in the American people, she wants and manages to spread love and beauty where ever she goes.
Starring is ground breaking roles in movies like "The Rose" and "Beaches" she showed everyone that crossing over across careers is not only possible, but worth while. She has always been politically active, striving for life to be better for all people, and though she has endured criticism from the bigots and haters of the world, she remained steadfast and honest and fearless. Thus why she is Divine.
In 1970, Midler began singing in the "Continental Baths", a gay bathhouse in New York City, where she became close to her piano accompanist, Barry Manilow, who produced her first major album, The Divine Miss M, in 1973.
“Despite the way things turned out [with the AIDS crisis], I'm still proud of those days [singing at gay bathhouses]. I feel like I was at the forefront of the gay liberation movement, and I hope I did my part to help it move forward. So, I kind of wear the label of 'Bathhouse Betty' with pride″.
CHARITY WORK
In 1995, Midler founded the New York Restoration Project, a non-profit organization with the goal of revitalizing neglected neighborhood parks in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods of New York City. These include Highbridge Park, Fort Washington Park, and Fort Tryon Park in upper Manhattan and Roberto Clemente State Park and Bridge Park in the Bronx.
In 1999, the city planned to auction 114 community gardens for commercial development. Midler led a coalition of greening organizations to save them. NYRP took ownership of 60 of the most neglected plots. Today Midler and her organization work with local volunteers and community groups to ensure that these gardens are kept safe, clean and vibrant. In 2003, Midler opened Swindler Cove Park, a new 5-acre (20,000 m2) public park on the Harlem River shore featuring specially designed educational facilities and the Peter Jay Sharp Boathouse, the first community rowing facility to be built on the Harlem River in more than 100 years. The organization offers free in-school and after-school environmental education programming to students from high-poverty Title I schools.
She truly cares for the world, and I can't imagine the world now caring, about Bette Midler.
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