After a lifelong fight that changed the national
health policy surrounding AIDS and HIV, Larry Kramer died today according to
a New York Times report. Kramer, who is an award-winning
writer, died from pneumonia according to his husband David Webster. The two married
in 2013.
Kramer, who helped to found Gay Men's Health Crisis
and ACT UP, was known for his ornery, sometimes aggressive to activism. And
while his style may have drawn criticism, Kramer's impact on conversations and
policies that impact the trans and queer communities, particularly those who
are living with HIV or AIDS, is immeasurable.
“Once you got past the rhetoric,” Dr. Anthony S.
Fauci, director for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases, told
the New York Times, “you found that Larry Kramer made a lot of
sense, and that he had a heart of gold.”
Kramer, who lived with HIV, was an accomplished
playwright and author. His screenplay Women in Love saw him
nominated for an Academy Award in 1969. His play The Normal Heart was
turned into an Emmy-winning HBO film by Ryan Murphy. He also accepted the
Isabelle Stevenson Award from the Tony's for his "substantial contribution
on behalf of humanitarian, social service, or charitable organizations."
“Larry Kramer’s passing is the saddest news," Sir
Elton John wrote in a
tribute posted to Instagram. "We have lost a giant of a man who stood
up for gay rights like a warrior. His anger was needed at a time when gay men’s
deaths to AIDS were being ignored by the American government: a tragedy that
made the Gay Men’s Health Crisis and ACT UP movements so vital. He never
stopped shouting about the injustices against us. His voice was the loudest and
the most effective. Larry Kramer captured the outrage and spirit of these
turbulent times in his brilliant play The Normal Heart along
with his many other writings. I was proud to know him and his legacy must be
maintained. My heart goes out to his beloved husband David Webster.”
In 2015, Kramer began releasing his life's work, The
American People. The first
volume came in at 800 pages and the second was released in January.
HBO released the documentary Larry Kramer In Love and Anger, in
2015, entered on his life story.
Kramer was has been previously recognized in the Out100,
honored as with a cover
of the issue in 2011. He also was previously
a Power 50 honoree.
SOURCE: OUT
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