Bea Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak and Betty White as Rose Nylund in The Golden Girls episode entitled Scared Straight, originally broadcast by NBC on December 10th, 1988. Both actresses were strong gay allies in real life, as were series co-stars Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty. After Bea lost close friends during the 1980s AIDS crisis, she became very involved with fundraising and left $300,000 in her will to the Ali Forney Center, a New York City organization which provides safety and shelter for homeless LGBTQ+ youth. In 2017, The Bea Arthur Residence was opened in her memory, an 18-bed shelter in Manhattan for young LGBTQ+ people, most of whom are sadly rejected by their families and kicked out of their homes after coming out. In addition to her well-known and admirable work as an animal advocate, Betty was also a vocal proponent of gay marriage, going on record stating: "I don't care who anybody sleeps with. If a couple has been together all that time - and there are gay relationships that are more solid than some heterosexual ones - I think it's fine if they want to get married. I don't know how people can get so anti-something. Mind your own business, take care of your affairs, and don't worry about other people so much."
