Saying Goodbye

Remembering Those We’ve Lost

BY TRUDY RING

Beloved actor and comedian Leslie Jordan died October 24 after crashing his car into a building in Los Angeles. Witnesses suspected he may have become ill before the accident, possibly having a cardiac episode, but the Los Angeles County coroner had yet to release a cause of death as of press time. Jordan was 67. He was well known for his roles as Beverley Leslie on Will & Grace and Brother Boy in the film and TV series Sordid Lives, and he amassed many other movie and TV credits. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he gained even more popularity with his Instagram videos, in which he told humorous and heartwarming stories. His last TV role was on the sitcom Call Me Kat.

CAROL LEIGH

Carol Leigh, a.k.a. Scarlot Harlot, was a bisexual woman who fought for the rights of her fellow sex workers and is credited with coining the term “sex work.” She died on November 16 at her home in San Francisco. She advocated for the decriminalization of sex work and was an activist with ACT UP at the height of the AIDS crisis.

NED ROREM

Ned Rorem, a Pulitzer Prize-winning classical composer, died on November 18 at age 99. Rorem was also an acclaimed author, and in books such as 1966’s The Paris Diary of Ned Rorem, he candidly discussed being gay and his many sexual partners. He eventually had a long relationship — 32 years — with composer and musician James Holmes, who died in 1999.

BARBARA LOVE

Barbara Love fought for lesbians to have a place in the feminist movement. After Betty Friedan infamously called lesbians a “lavender menace” to the movement, Love and other activists proudly wore T-shirts emblazoned with the phrase to a National Organization for Women conference in 1970 — and they won much support. She was also a founder of PFLAG as well as a writer and editor. Love died November 13 at age 85 in the Bronx, N.Y. She is survived by her wife, Donna Smith.

DON LUCE

Don Luce was an influential activist who helped end U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Among other things, he exposed South Vietnam’s brutal treatment of political dissidents. He died November 17 in Niagara Falls, N.Y., at age 88. He is survived by his husband, Mark Bonacci.

MICHAEL BUTLER

Michael Butler, the producer who brought Hair to Broadway in 1968, died November 7 at age 95 in Los Angeles. Butler, who was bisexual, was known for relationships with both male and female celebrities, including Tyrone Power and Audrey Hepburn. He was active in Democratic politics in his native state of Illinois and at one point considered a U.S. Senate run but opted to focus on his theater work.

ERIC HAZEN

Gay adult film performer Eric Hazen, known by the stage name Tyler Roberts, died on December 3. Hazen, who has appeared in adult films since 2008, had recently been suffering from organ failure. Survivors include his partner, Aaron Thomas.

JIM KOLBE

Jim Kolbe, a longtime Republican congressman who came out as gay in 1996 amid outrage over his vote for the Defense of Marriage Act, died December 3 after a stroke. He was 80. He was reelected five times after coming out; he represented his Arizona district for 22 years, from 1985 to 2007. He eventually said he regretted his DOMA vote, and in 2018 he left the Republican Party because of Donald Trump and became independent.

MADDY GOLD

Madelaine “Maddy” Gold, an artist, activist, and professor died on November 12 of cardiac arrest after suffering from a rare form of cancer. She was a professor at Drexel University in Philadelphia, a painter, and an advocate for LGBTQ+ youth. Survivors include her wife, award-winning journalist Victoria Brownworth.

Leslie Jordan