Saddest news in a while: Bob Kohler has died

You might remember that in June of last year I wrote about the big anti-violence rally and march through the streets of Manhattan in the wake of the anti-gay attack against queer singer Kevin Aviance.

At the time I said that I was surprised by the numbers of people who showed up for the rally considering the apathetic state in queer rights activism today. What I didn't say was that I also was awe-struck when I noticed long-time queer rights hero Bob Kohler as he watched the crowd head down to Christopher Street along 7th Avenue.

I caught up to him just as he asked trans activist Melissa Sklarz (pictured next to Bob above) what the march was about. When Melissa explained how people had shown up in support of Kevin and in anger against hate crimes, he just beamed that incredible smile of his and said "Oh, good! That's good!" probably amazed that something could move people to action.

A few minutes ago I got a message announcing that Bob, who was already into his 80's, had passed away this morning. He joins another personal hero of mine, Marc Rubin, who passed away in his 70's back in March.

Who was Bob Kohler? Well, he was a Stonewall veteran for one, and was amongst the founders of the seminal queer rights organization Gay Liberation Front. He also stood up for struggling transgender activists such as Marcia P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera and a myriad of causes including Sex Panic!, the queer youth organization The Neutral Zone, Fed UP Queers, Irish Queers, ACT UP and Fierce [The Village Voice's Runnin' Scared blog has more information here; Gay City News has the most comprehensive coverage here].

Funeral arrangements and memorial services are still in the works. I will update this post when more details become available.

UPDATE: Here's a video shot this past summer at the Stonewall Inn in which Bob, Danny Garvin and Tommy Lanigan-Schmidt talk about the life of Marsha P. Johnson. Thank you Marti Abernathey for pointing it out to me.

UPDATE (from Joo-Hyun Kang & Imani Henry): "Bob was an amazingly funny, politically principled and kind person (well, maybe not always kind if he thought you weren't being politically principled….). You always knew you could count on him to show up at a picket, rally, meeting, or special scouting mission that could be helped by an older white man with blue eyes who just needed to use a bathroom in that corporate headquarters…. He was in many ways a bridge for and to many communities, and an example of what it could mean to be a white ally to communities of color. He was honest and cranky as hell, and we loved him for it."

POLITICAL FUNERAL
for
BOB KOHLER
-----------
Sunday, December 9, 2007

Meet 4pm at the LGBT Center (the one that eventually had to let Sylvia back in!)
March at 5pm to Christopher Street & to the pier
- Demand space for queers & queer youth of color in the Village.
- Demand a cure for AIDS, HASA for all,* and housing & respect for PWAs
- Demand respect for "the crazies" who (as Bob liked to point out) are the ones who usually lead the way.

There will be a memorial for Bob in a few weeks, in addition to this action. For info, e-mail bobsqueers@gmail.com.

Updates: Aviance attackers guilty, IL unease on Obama and gays, Orozco gets a break in Canada

Din Da Da: Four people have pleaded guilty in last summer's attack against performer Kevin Aviance (pictured) and are expected to be given prison sentences ranging from six to fifteen years when they are sentenced in early April. They had faced prison sentences of up to 25 years if convicted of first degree assault as a hate crime.

Obama unease in IL: It has been ten days since the Chicago Tribune reported that General Peter Pace - the current joint Chief of Staff and military leader in Iraq - called homosexuality "immoral." Today, the Tribune explores the lingering unease among lesbian and gay supporters of presidential candidate Barack Obama over how the Illinois Senator first responded to the General's comments.

Late word from the Chicago Sun Times blogs is, though, that the Obama camp might be forming a "gay advisory panel"(courtesy of Lynn Sweet).

Canadian court defers removal of gay Nicaraguan: A young Nicaraguan gay man who made his way to Canada as a teen and was denied political asylum back in February, in part because the court said he wasn't gay enough, has been granted a second removal deferral which means that he can stay in Canada up until August 9th, 2007. This undoubtedly gives his legal team precious additional time to build his case and appeal the ruling on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.

If you would like to help Alvaro Orozco stay in Canada, please visit his website for additional information.

Kevin Aviance at Washington Hts LGBT Pride Picnic

As we do pretty much every single year since we began living in New York, on Sunday we headed over to Washington Heights for the 16th Annual Dominican/Latino LGBT Pride Picnic and Health Fair put together by the Gay and Lesbian Dominican Empowerment Organization (GALDE) under the majestic George Washington Bridge.

The hot and sunny weather had everyone turning out for the event which seemed to have the largest attendance in memory. There was some trouble with the stereo system but the performances were pretty cool. The highlight was to see Kevin Aviance come out and perform once again (see first picture above) following the assault he suffered over the summer. I'm not sure that most of the Latino families out with their kids knew exactly who he was but for many it was truly moving to see him sing again, particularly when he bid the crowd good-bye with an accapella rendition of "Din Da Da."

Additional photos of the picnic can be seen here.

UPDATE: Turns out Kevin Aviance has joined the blog-o-spehere. Just head over to Kevin Aviance World.