Gay man beard

Often, in the early to midth century, a beard companion was used by homosexual individuals to conceal one's sexual orientation through the disguise of a heterosexual relationship. This relationship typically was between a lesbian and a gay man in an attempt to dispel rumors of homo-orientation. [2].

A beard is a person who – knowingly or unknowingly – dates or marries a gay person so that that individual can hide their sexuality. By appearing as though they are part of a heterosexual relationship, the idea was to negate any possibility of them being seen as queer.