Beards, Merkins, and Murphy, oh my!

With the recent sudden split of Eddie Murphy and Beard extraordinaire Tracy Edmonds (after a commendable 14 days of fake wedded bliss), the term "Beard" has been a frequent topic of discussion. To my surprise, a number of my close friends were not familiar with the term. I have to say most of them did not grow up in American households so I gave the majority of the ig'nant ones a pass...except for one friend who is a Seinfeld die-hard (like me). She gets no pass -- there was an episode where Elaine was a beard and subsequently tried to convert her gay to come over to "our team." The episode was actually entitled "The Beard."

So to inform our readers out there who are still unsure what the term Beard means (let alone Merkin -- who knew?!) I have listed the definition below, taken from Wikipedia (of course):

"In gay slang, a beard is a companion of the opposite sex used to hide a homosexual's sexuality by appearing in public as if the two were a heterosexual couple. The term originated in the mid-1960s[citation needed] and is derived from the notion that a man with a woman on his arm looks more masculine, like a man with a beard. A male companion who accompanies a lesbian is sometimes called a merkin.

In the early years of the gay rights movement, some homophile organizations required members to bring beards with them to meetings, for protection in case the police raided the meeting.[citation needed]

Closeted gay men and lesbians may also take part in this kind of relationship to their mutual advantage. In the past many gay men and lesbians married in order to fit in with heterosexual society; this practice continues today, but less frequently in many countries (particularly in the developed world) where the society has become more accepting of "out" gay men and lesbians.
In the 1920s this type of union was sometimes referred to as a lavender marriage.

This term should not be confused with fag hag."

Famous examples of gays and their beards*:

So...who can give examples of Merkins?

*The Jake and Kelly show is strictly for entertainment purposes. The statements made herein should not be taken as fact. Hear that Scientologists?! Please don't come after me.