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The man who brought a fictional gay cowboy to life, an outspoken opponent of gay rights and one of the nation’s first openly gay legislators were among the notable deaths of 2008.
Actor Heath Ledger, who played a gay cowboy in “Brokeback Mountain,” died Jan. 22 at age 28. His death was ruled accidental, the result of a toxic combination of prescription drugs.
The Australian actor was on screens this summer in a widely acclaimed performance as the villainous Joker in “The Dark Knight,” the latest installment of the Batman movie series. He was posthumously nominated for a best supporting actor Golden Globe.
Ledger, who played Ennis Del Mar aside Jake Gyllenhaal’s Jack Twist in 2005’s "Brokeback Mountain," earned a best-actor nomination and a place in gay popular culture for the role. In a 2005 interview with the Washington Post, Ledger dismissed the suggestion that he and Gyllenhaal were jeopardizing their careers by taking the roles.
“I never really felt I had anything at risk,” he said. “If, at the end of the day, it is a risk to create a love story … if, in fact, that is a crime and that’s something that’s worth judging someone for, then quite frankly I don’t want to be in an industry that restricts creativity in that way.”
Ledger also noted that he didn’t think the role required bravery.
“In my opinion, New York City police officers are brave. It takes courage to be a firefighter,” he said. “We’re just acting. We’re telling a story. We’re creating.”
U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos of California, the only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress and a staunch supporter of marriage equality, died Feb. 11. He was 80.
Lantos, a Democrat, also advocated for fair treatment of gays abroad. In 2005, he joined others in Congress to call on Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to investigate the execution of two gay teens in northeastern Iran.
The letter also urged the U.S. government to condemn Iran for its national policy that allows persecution of citizens based on sexual orientation and to hold the Iranian government responsible for condoning the torture of gays.
“As the only survivor of the Holocaust to serve in Congress, he had a deep understanding of the consequences of hated and discrimination,” said Joe Solmonese, the Human Rights Campaign president. “Congressman Lantos will be remembered as a tremendous advocate for all people, including the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.”
Jesse Helms, a former U.S. senator from North Carolina who became known as one of Congress’s strongest and most outspoken opponents of gay rights, died July 4 from natural causes. He was 86.
During his 30 years in Congress, Helms championed conservative causes and was given the nickname “Senator No” for his staunch opposition to legislation he considered contrary to the principles of conservatism and traditional values.
In the early 1980s, he took the lead in persuading Congress to block D.C. from repealing its century-old law banning sodomy between consenting adults. He spoke out against all gay rights legislation introduced in the Senate and introduced an amendment calling for the ban of federal funds for AIDS programs that “promote or encourage, directly or indirectly” gay sexual activity. He also tried but failed to block President Clinton’s appointment in 1993 of lesbian attorney Roberta Achtenberg as U.S. assistant secretary of housing.
“He was a bully and a bigot,” said veteran gay rights advocate Vic Basile. “And those who now remember him as just a conservative, I think malign the word conservative.”
Longtime gay rights activist Del Martin died Aug. 27 at age 87. Martin and her partner of 55 years, Phyllis Lyon, were the first couple to wed earlier this year when same-sex marriage was legalized in California.
Martin met Lyon in 1950 when they worked together at a Seattle newspaper. Together they embarked on a lifetime of activism in which they fought for gay rights advances, health care access and support for battered women.
In 1955, the two helped form the Daughters of Bilitis, the first lesbian rights organization, and began publication of The Ladder, the first widely circulated lesbian newsletter. Martin was the first lesbian elected to the National Organization for Women’s board of directors, and helped lead the organization to pass a resolution stating that lesbian issues were feminist issues.
In February 2004, the pair became the first same-sex couple married in California, although the California Supreme Court later voided the license, ruling that San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom exceeded his authority ...
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