Beloved LGBTQ+ activist and GLAAD co-founder Arnie Kantrowitz has passed away.
According to a report from The New York Times, the 81-year-old died at a Manhattan rehabilitation center on 21 January.
Kantrowitz’s life partner, Dr Lawrence D Mass, informed the publication that his cause of death was due to COVID-19 complications.
The critically-acclaimed author started his long journey as a renowned LGBTQ+ activist shortly after the historic 1969 Stonewall riots.
That following year, the Gay Activists Alliance was created – which featured Kantrowitz in the vice-presidential role.
In 1977, he wrote his memoir Under the Rainbow: Growing Up Gay. In the book, Kantrowitz opened up about coming to terms with his sexuality and the challenges he faced being gay in America.
Fifteen years later, he co-founded the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) – which was initially created to combat the negative coverage of the HIV/AIDS crisis.
From 1965 to 2006, Kantrowitz served as a professor and chairperson of the English department at the City University of New York’s College of Staten Island (CUNY). He even created one of the first gay studies courses in the US during his tenure.
Shortly after the news was announced, tributes for the influential figure started to pour in.
The president and CEO of GLAAD, Sarah Kate Ellis, released a statement praising his longstanding activism.
“Arnie Kantrowitz’s activism paved the way for the growing visibility, protections, and acceptance of the LGBTQ community that we see today,” she said.
“At a time when LGBTQ people were villainised in the public sphere, Arnie bravely used his personal story to educate the public about our community and its history, ultimately fighting for the fair and accurate representation of LGBTQ people and our issues in the media.
“His legacy inspires us to continue fighting for a future where the most marginalised among us are seen, heard, and protected.”
James M. Saslow, who also taught at CUNY, described him as a “major role model” to many activists within the LGBTQ+ community.
“For us in the post-Stonewall generation, Arnie was present at the creation, and he was a major role model to me, as to so many others, especially students,” he told Gay City News.
“It’s hard to overestimate the dramatic effect Arnie had on his students at plain-vanilla Staten Island with his effulgent moustache and outspoken queer politics long before the word ‘gay’ had reached there.”
Rest in Power Arnie Kantrowitz.
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