Gay Minnesota Lawmaker and Civil Rights Champ Allan Spear Dies
Allan Spear, a former Minnesota State Senator, and one of the nation's first openly gay legislators, has died. He was 71:
"Friends described Spear as a Renaissance man, with an encyclopedic knowledge of history and a passion for cooking, travel and classical music. He lived with his partner, Junjiro Tsuji, for more than 20 years. Spear's sense of humor was legendary on the Senate floor, where he annually fought against a hunting season for mourning doves by reciting a hilarious recipe that underscored the ridiculously large number of the birds needed to create a meal. 'He was a brilliant thinker and such a generous friend who was deeply committed to economic and social justice,' said Rep. Karen Clark, DFL-Minneapolis. Clark, who worked for years with Spear on a state human rights bill that included protection for people based on their sexual orientation, said Spear became a mentor to gay and lesbian public officials nationwide."
Spear died of complications following heart surgery.
Longtime state senator Allan Spear dies [star tribune]
Ex-Minn. legislator Allan Spear, gay pioneer, dies [ap]
This caught me completely by surprise. I don't live in Minnesota anymore, but try to keep up with the news from my home state. I was shocked to see this last night...a sad day for Minnesota.
Posted by: MAJeff | Oct 13, 2008 7:44:08 AM
One always hoped that, before he died, national gay organizations and gay "historians" would atone for their unpardonable sin and shame of quickly forgetting Spear many years ago. Even GLAAD leaves him out of their timeleine of elected out officials. His place in history was quickly trampled over by the legend of Harvey Milk, and countless accounts still misidentify and mythologize Milk as the first out elected official in the US. Harvey's actual accomplisments were enough that rewriting history isn't necessary.
He was actually fourth, after Spear who came out in 1974, during his first term as a Minnesota state senator, and was reelected in 1976. Milk wasn't elected San Francisco supervisor until the next year.
For the record:
1. Kathy Kozachenko, out when elected to Ann Arbor city council in early 1974.
2. Elaine Noble, out when elected to Massachusetts state legislature in November 1974. She helped convince Barney Frank to first run for office [tho he was still publicly closeted then.]
3. Allan Spear, out when reelected to the MN senate in 1976 [wining with 16 more percentage points than in his first campaign].
4. Harvey Milk, elected SF supervisor in 1977.
Posted by: Michael Bedwell | Oct 13, 2008 2:24:16 PM
WOW. I had no idea of Spear until now. Spear was definitely a pioneer before so many more well known others. I tragic loss to humanity. May you rest in peace, dear Sir.
Posted by: CJ | Oct 13, 2008 4:37:10 PM