Catherine O’Hara, the varied comedic actor known for memorable roles in Beetlejuice, Schitt’s Creek, and Home Alone, has died at 71 on Friday, Jan. 30, according to multiple reports. No further details about her death were revealed.

O’Hara’s death comes as a shock to Hollywood, as the Emmy award-winning actor has been recently active, with roles in both The Studio and The Last of Us. For her work in those two shows, she received Emmy nominations for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series and outstanding guest actress in a drama series.

In 2020, O’Hara won the Outstanding Lead Actress in a comedy series award for her work in the celebrated sixth and final season of Schitt’s Creek. She was also known as a queer ally and icon for her theatrical and often campy performances over multiple decades. In Schitt’s Creek, she played Moira Rose, the wig-loving mother of David Rose (played by series creator Dan Levy). David is pansexual, but the characters around him simply accept him for who he is; the show was embraced by the LGBTQ+ community with how naturally David’s sexuality was written and portrayed. That show ran from 2015 to 2020 and helped bring O’Hara and her co-stars into a new phase of their careers.

In a 2019 interview with the Gay Times, O’Hara explained why the show got LGBTQ+ representation right: “Daniel has created a world that he wants to live in, that I want to live in. It’s ridiculous that we live in a world where we don’t know how to respect each other and let each other be. It’s crazy. Other shows should follow suit and present the world and present humans as the best that we can be. It doesn’t mean you can’t laugh, that you can’t be funny in light ways and dark ways. It’s all still possible when you respect and love each other.”

Additional credits include SCTV Network (for which O’Hara won a writing Emmy), Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Six Feet Under, Best in Show, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, and Dick Tracy. O’Hara also lent her voice to The Nightmare Before Christmas, Chicken Little, Monster House, and Elemental. O’Hara was expected to return for Season 2 of The Studio, which started filming earlier this month.

Wallis Annenberg, who passed away shortly after her 86th birthday on July 28th, left behind a legacy that few philanthropists of any era could hope to match. A passionate leader, cultural patron, and unapologetically generous force in Los Angeles, she spent her life championing creativity, compassion, and community. But what often went unsaid, sometimes politely ignored, was that Wallis was also a queer pioneer. In a world that didn’t always make room for women like her, she quietly yet courageously carved out space not just for herself, but for others on the margins, channeling her power and privilege into building a more inclusive world.

Born into one of America’s most influential media families, Wallis Annenberg was raised in Philadelphia with ink practically in her veins. Her father, Walter Annenberg, founded TV Guide and Seventeen, and built a philanthropic legacy as prominent as his publishing empire. After graduating from Pine Manor College in 1959, Wallis dipped a toe into the family business at TV Guide before eventually diving headfirst into the deeper waters of philanthropy. It wasn’t until her father’s death in 2002 that she properly took the reins, steering the Annenberg Foundation into its most impactful era as President and CEO from 2009 until her passing.

Under her leadership, the Foundation funneled a staggering $1.5 billion into a wildly diverse portfolio of causes, from arts and culture to environmental conservation, journalism to gerontology, and yes, even animal overpasses. Her imprint on Los Angeles is practically architectural – the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, GenSpace in Koreatown, PetSpace for animal lovers, the ambitious Wildlife Crossing set to open in 2026, and the science-sparking Annenberg Building at the California Science Center. Her boardroom resume reads like a cultural tour of LA and then some – USC, LACMA, MOCA, the Philharmonic, the Music Center, and Harlem Children’s Zone, to name just a few. In 2022, President Joe Biden awarded her the National Humanities Medal, sealing her place in history as part of the only three-generation family to earn such a distinction, further proof that giving back wasn’t just in the Annenberg bloodline but a full-fledged dynasty.

Most obituaries have captured her vast philanthropic footprint, her roles in the public sphere, and her institutional endowments quite accurately yet have almost entirely glossed over or minimized a central truth: Wallis Annenberg lived as a lesbian woman, and openly supported LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS causes with strategically courageous generosity.

To fully and properly honor Wallis is to acknowledge not only her generational wealth and philanthropic vision but also her very much so queer identity: a lesbian woman whose visibility was moderately limited by her time and place yet meaningful when and where it counted. Her sexuality and identity shaped her empathy toward marginalized people. 

Ignoring that part of her story perpetuates the ever-constant sanitization of queer public figures, simplifying them into neutered benefactors while erasing the very identity that informed the bulk of their charitable giving. Wallis’s lived experience as a lesbian deserves proper and public acknowledgment not merely as a footnote but as integral to her philanthropy, her community care, and her story – a story layered with courage, complexity, and an undertone of quiet and careful defiance.

Wallis faced addiction head-on, and the recovery journey didn’t just save her – it connected her to journalist Karen Ocamb, who became to Wallis a close companion and confidante. Wallis didn’t shy away from vulnerability and fueled that same vulnerable energy into generosity, building a philanthropic approach shaped by her experience rather than detachment. 

Among the many tributes after her passing, it was only Ocamb who celebrated and honored Wallis’ sexuality with clarity and care. In her heartfelt Substack tribute, Ocamb wrote, “Wallis never came out – but she lived out loud, fiercely loving women and channeling her passion into transformative giving.”

Back in 1985, when AIDS was still drenched in stigma and so many people, including health professionals, kept their distance, Wallis stepped forward to co-chair the Commitment to Life dinner. That decision was in no way a headline grab but most certainly was a risk on her part for the time. In a day and age when silence was safest when protecting one’s reputation, Wallis chose to speak out through action. Her courage didn’t need a spotlight. It simply showed up where it mattered most.

Navigating public life came with its own choreography. Wallis maintained what some might call “strategic privacy,” presenting a heteronormative front in certain circles while sharing her life, deeply and authentically, with women in more trusted spaces. It wasn’t about hiding but surviving the era she lived in, and, like so many others, choosing when and how to live freely.

Wallis brought that same intentional care to her philanthropy. While major media celebrated her support for the arts, education, and conservation, far less attention was paid to her contributions to LGBTQ+ elder communities. Initiatives like Gay and Lesbian Elder Housing made a genuine, tangible difference in people’s lives, even if her name wasn’t always highlighted in the coverage.

And through it all, there was Kris Levine—Wallis’s steadfast partner, legally acknowledged near the end of Wallis’s life but largely absent from obituaries. Their relationship, though rarely publicized, was integral. It stood as one more example of how much of Wallis’s real story lived just beneath the surface.

Wallis reshaped what philanthropy could look like. Her leadership turned the Annenberg Foundation toward place-based investments, inclusive community programs, aging and wellness initiatives, and bold infrastructure like GenSpace and the Wallis Center. Her vision made space not just for ideas, but for people too often overlooked. Her presence sent a message, whether spoken or not, that queer women, especially those of her generation, have always helped shape the culture, even when they weren’t given a slot up at the mic. 

Wallis Annenberg leaves behind more than just her sprawling physical legacy. She also leaves us with a moral legacy grounded in generosity extended to communities she truly and deeply cared for, in particular the queer community that she was very much so part of. Let us all remember Wallis not only as a philanthropist, but as a queer woman whose identity was at the epicenter of her compassion. Let this tribute stand as an acknowledgment that she was more than her institutions. She was human, nuanced, hidden, and honest. And let it serve as an invitation to future remembrances. I more than dare you to include the truth of sexuality, the courage of love, and the quiet acts of resistance that defined her.

Wallis Annenberg, may your spirit continue to guide all communities – arts, aging, wildlife, and LGBTQ+ – toward a world that you helped shape for the better. Your gifts were vast. Your love was real. And your full story deserves telling.

Jewel’s Catch One nightclub, affectionately referred to by locals as “The Catch,” has been a vital part of the queer and Black communities since its opening in 1973. It was one of the first Black discos in the US, and the first major Black queer bar in Los Angeles. At its helm was pioneer Jewel Thais-Williams, the first Black woman to own an LGBTQ club in the nation. Jewel passed away on July 7^th, as confirmed by her sister Carol Williams; she was 86 years old.

Thais-Williams was born in Gary, Indiana, and was brought to San Diego after her family members were drafted into the Navy and stationed in San Diego. After high school, she attended UCLA. Seeing the limited possibilities available to Black women, she believed the only way to acquire wealth was to open her own business, and she started a dress shop with her sister.

She came into her sexuality in her mid-twenties and identified as a lesbian. She experienced firsthand the discrimination towards Black folk at gay clubs and purchased the Diana Club in the Arlington Heights district. She renamed it Jewel’s Catch One, and made history. At the time, women couldn’t tend bar unless they owned it.

After proving herself to the nightclub community, Catch One became a thriving safe space for the queer and Black communities. It also became a go-to spot for celebrity performers, with Janet Jackson, Donna Summer, Whitney Houston, Rick James, Madonna, and more.

Thais-Williams wasn’t just a bar owner; she was an activist. During the AIDS epidemic, she made Catch One available for community meetings. She also served on the board of the AIDS Project LA, co-founded the Minority AIDS Project, and co-founded Rue’s House, providing a safe space for women with AIDS and their children.

During her reign at Catch One, she went back to school and got a Master of Science degree in Oriental Medicine from Samra University. This inspired her to open the Village Health Foundation, a non-profit with a mission to educate lower-income communities on nutrition and healthy living.

Thais-Williams served as the Grand Marshal for the 2016 Los Angeles Pride Festival. In 2019, the intersection directly in front of Catch One was renamed as Jewel Thais-Williams Square. There have been two documentaries paying homage to Thais-Williams and her club, Jewel and the Catch, and Jewel’s Catch One. Footage from Jewel and the Catch was used in the opening sequence of season 3 of Amazon’s Transparent.

This last weekend, Los Angeles Blade was present at Catch One as it served as host to some of the tentpole events of Los Angeles Blade Pride. Executive Director Brandon Anthony shared this statement with the Blade:

With the devastating news of the passing of Jewel Thais-Williams, we honor a true icon and pioneer whose legacy shaped the soul of Los Angeles. For over 40+ years, she stood as a beacon for the LGBTQ community. CATCH ONE offered refuge during the AIDS epidemic, creating safe spaces when none existed, and championed Los Angeles Black Pride with unwavering love, support, and commitment. Her light made room for all of us to shine, and her legacy will forever live on through the mission of LA Black Pride.

California State Assembly member Rick Chavez Zbur also shared this statement:

I’m deeply saddened by the passing of Jewel Thais-Williams—an icon, a trailblazer, and a matriarch of Los Angeles’ Black LGBTQ+ community. Through Jewel’s Catch One, she created a haven of joy and resistance, and through her advocacy, she brought healing to communities devastated by HIV/AIDS. While leading EQCA, I was honored to present her with our Community Leadership Award in 2018. Her legacy lives on in every life she touched. She will be missed.

Catch One’s Instagram posted:

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A post shared by Catch One (@catchonela)

A celebration of her life at Catch One is anticipated; details to follow.

Nanette Kazaoka, a well-known figure in the fight for HIV/AIDS awareness and the rights of marginalized communities, passed away on Oct. 2 at her home in New York City. She was 83. The cause of death was complications from vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, according to a statement from her daughter Kelly Kochendorfer.

Kazaoka was an advocate for justice, particularly in the early days of the AIDS crisis, when she became a member of the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, or ACT-Up. She is perhaps best remembered for her participation in a 2004 protest in front of Madison Square Garden during the Republican National Convention, when she and 11 fellow activists staged a dramatic naked demonstration, demanding debt cancellation for impoverished countries, according to a statement from the family. 

“Bush, Stop AIDS. Drop the Debt Now!” they chanted, with slogans stenciled in black paint on their bodies. The bold protest drew national attention and underscored the urgency of global debt relief as a key element in the fight against AIDS.

She was born Nanette Natalina Bottinelli on June 12, 1941, in New York City. Her father, Angelo, worked as a waiter at the St. Regis Hotel, while her mother, Betty McComb, was a part-time burlesque dancer. 

She married her first husband, Fred Kochendorfer, in 1963, and they had two children together, Kim Skrobe and Kelly, both of whom survive her. 

Kazaoka’s journey to Fire Island marked a transformative period in her life. Kochendorfer wanted to live there, and so they began renting in 1967. Kazaoka then made a bold decision that would shape her future: She left her husband for another man and began living on Fire Island in 1968-1969, with the children attending school in Ocean Beach, according to the family’s statement.

This period coincided with the early days of the gay rights movement, as Fire Island was emerging as a hub for LGBTQ culture. Her experiences during these years contributed to the strong sense of activism and solidarity that would later define her role in ACT-UP and the broader fight for LGBTQ rights.

Kazaoka’s second husband, Katsushiga “Kats” Kazaoka, a Japanese-American psychologist who had been interred during World War II, died of cancer in 1984, pushing her to enter the workforce as a receptionist while studying occupational therapy at Downstate Medical Center. By 1990, she had earned her degree and sought work with AIDS patients.

In 1988, a close friend introduced her to ACT-UP, sparking the start of her full-time dedication to AIDS activism, the family said. Kazaoka became known for her passionate, unrelenting activism, whether protesting at City Hall or challenging anti-LGBTQ policies at St. Luke’s Hospital.

Kazaoka’s activism spanned 35 years, making her a beloved and respected figure within ACT-UP and beyond, the family noted. She was featured in Sarah Schulman’s “Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT-Up New York, 1987-1993” as well as “Act-Up Oral History, No. 162,” a digital history. She was the cover photo of “Fag Hags, Divas and Moms: The Legacy of Straight Women in the AIDS Community,” and was included in The New York Times T Living Magazine story, “LEGENDS PIONEERS AND SURVIVORS.

Her dedication to science continued even after her passing: She donated her brain to the Mount Sinai NIH Brain and Tissue Repository for research to advance the understanding of the human brain health and disease to help end dementia, the family said.

Along with her daughters, Kazaoka is survived by her son-in-law John Skrobe, granddaughter Stella Skrobe and daughter-in-law Christine Arax, all of New York. She and her third husband, Paul Haskell, divorced in 2000. 

The Solidaire Network published this obituary on its website. The Washington Blade is posting it with permission.

Born and raised on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, Coya was a proud enrolled member of the Sicangu Lakota Oyate or Rosebud Sioux Tribe. From the age of 15, she dedicated her life to advocating for Indigenous and Two Spirit rights, becoming a fierce organizer and a visionary leader in movements for justice. As a founding member of the First Nations Two Spirit Collective, Coya worked tirelessly to uplift Two Spirit youth, support Indigenous reproductive justice, and connect these communities to philanthropic spaces to drive transformative change.  

Coya’s advocacy for Indigenous reproductive justice was rooted in a deep understanding of its inseparability from the fight for Indigenous sovereignty. She saw this work as part of a 500-year history of resistance to colonization, weaving together the rights to access abortion, raise children in safe and sustainable environments, steward healthy lands and waters, practice Indigenous cultures, speak ancestral languages, and govern sovereign communities. Recently she served as a board member for SisterSong and the American LGBTQ+ Museum. Coya was a fierce leader who brought dedication and brilliance, impacting gender and reproductive justice efforts around the world.   

In 2020, Coya’s visionary leadership brought the world’s first fund dedicated to Indigenous reproductive justice, Building the Fire Fund, into existence. Guided by an Indigenous Advisory Council of women and Two Spirit leaders from across Turtle Island, the fund represents a powerful testament to Coya’s dedication and collaborative spirit. Coya co-authored “Tired of Dancing to Their Song: An Assessment of the Indigenous Women’s Reproductive Justice Funding Landscape” with Zachary Packineau. This seminal report provides a critical roadmap for philanthropy to support and grow the emerging field of Indigenous reproductive justice.  

In 2023, Coya brought Building the Fire Fund to Solidaire Network, where we are honored to walk alongside the Advisory Council in advancing this vital work. Coya’s passion, wisdom, and dedication will continue to guide and inspire all of us who were privileged to know her and work beside her.  

To honor Coya’s legacy and her vision for the Indigenous reproductive justice movement, we invite you to contribute to the Building the Fire Fund. Your support ensures that her transformative work will continue, lighting the way for generations to come.  

Coya White Hat-Artichoker’s life was a powerful testament to resilience, love, and unwavering commitment to justice. While her presence will be deeply missed, her legacy will endure as a beacon of hope and strength for all who carry her vision forward. 

He achieved his lifelong dream of becoming a major league baseball player at 23, but Billy Bean gave it all up at 31 because he fell in love with another man. Bean, MLB’s senior vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion, died at home in New York on Tuesday after an 11-month-long battle with acute myeloid leukemia. Major League Baseball announced his death.

Bean was 60, and leaves a husband, Greg Baker.

Bean did not come out publicly until he left the game, in 1999, following an article in the Miami Herald that outed him. That led to even bigger stories in the New York Times and television interviews about being a closeted athlete. He wrote a book, “Going the Other Way.” For decades, Bean was the only living former baseball player to have come out as gay, following Glenn Burke.

Four years ago, Bean recorded an emotional video about coming out and how baseball has changed, titled “Dear Glenn Burke: A Letter from Billy Bean.”

However, the biggest impact Bean had on the game and on all professional sports came in 2014, when he was hired by former Commissioner Bud Selig to be MLB’s first ambassador for inclusion. He spent more than 10 years working for MLB, eventually being promoted to senior vice president.

Bean worked with pro baseball players and their clubs to, in his words, “advance equality for all players, coaches, managers, umpires, employees, and stakeholders throughout baseball to ensure an equitable, inclusive, and supportive workplace for everyone.”

The California native’s athletic career started as a two-time All-American outfielder at Loyola Marymount, then Bean played six seasons of pro ball. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in 1985, but returned to Loyola for his senior year, leading the team to the NCAA Men’s College World Series.

The Detroit Tigers drafted him the following year, and Bean made his debut in 1987 with a four-hit performance that tied a record for a player in his first game. Bean went on to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the San Diego Padres, in Japan as well as in the minor leagues.

But he hung up his mitt in 1995, when the lefty outfielder — who at that time was married to a woman — lost his first partner, Sam. He died of HIV-related causes in Bean’s final season. They had fallen in love on a road trip in Miami.

That 1999 Miami Herald article that outed him was a review of the restaurant he co-owned with his partner at that time. He had already told his parents in 1996, but Bean once told the LGBTQ sports site Outsports he still regretted ending his career in the closet.

“If I had only told my parents, I probably would have played two or three more years and understood that I could come out a step at a time, not have to do it in front of a microphone. And I was completely misguided. I had no mentor. I think that’s where the responsibility comes in for people who have lived that experience, and we take for granted that everybody’s adjusted and gets it. I had no one to confide in and that was the biggest mistake of my professional life was to think that if one person knew, everybody knew.

Just having some kind of ally at that time, I think I would have changed and I think I would have played so much better. You can appreciate the degree of despair when you’re hiding something and you’re on the bubble as it is. It just was a really frustrating time for me.”

At MLB, Bean led the charge for baseball teams to hold Pride nights, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The beginning of Pride month alongside fans returning to our MLB ballparks is tremendously exciting,” Bean told the Los Angeles Blade in June 2021.  “The past year has been difficult for everyone, and I am so appreciative that our clubs are able to reach out and support the LGBTQ community in such a positive way.”

The league, baseball teams, his alma mater and LGBTQ advocates and allies posted remembrances and tributes to Bean on social media following news of his passing.

We are deeply saddened by the passing of our friend and colleague Billy Bean, MLB’s Senior VP for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion and Special Assistant to the Commissioner. Billy, who fought a heroic year-long battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, was 60.

Over the last 10 years,… pic.twitter.com/dCfFM6hQlE

— MLB (@MLB) August 6, 2024

We mourn the passing of Billy Bean, a former Dodger and pioneering executive who as MLB’s Senior Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion truly elevated the culture and spirit of the game he loved. pic.twitter.com/fFykeWFWbi

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 6, 2024

We mourn the passing of our friend and former Padre, Billy Bean. He was a great ambassador for equality and inclusion in the game of baseball, and our thoughts are with his loved ones at this very difficult time. pic.twitter.com/D2sFHSVLhO

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) August 6, 2024

The #SFGiants are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Billy Bean and join the rest of the baseball community in mourning this incredible loss.

We thank Billy for supporting and creating a more inclusive baseball environment and using our collective platform to elevate… https://t.co/tNdMQYCKHk

— SFGiants (@SFGiants) August 6, 2024

We join the entire baseball community in mourning the passing of Billy Bean.

Our hearts go out to the Bean family at this time. 💚💛 https://t.co/6TgKhC5QXp

— Oakland A's (@Athletics) August 6, 2024

The Washington Nationals join Major League Baseball and its Clubs in mourning the passing of Billy Bean.

It was an honor to host him at Nationals Park for our annual Night OUT in 2023, and we thank him for the many contributions he made to our game. pic.twitter.com/8t47tRhhfj

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 6, 2024

The Tigers organization extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Billy Bean, who made his Major League debut with the Tigers in 1987 and spent three seasons wearing the Olde English ‘D’. https://t.co/BiB0pKpEbj

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) August 6, 2024

Billy Bean brought all of his heart to this game. His courage changed baseball for the better, championing inclusivity and belonging.

Thank you for your friendship, energy and inspiration. You made us a better organization. We will miss you. ❤️ https://t.co/blhQNPJ2VO pic.twitter.com/EpBluffmYM

— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 6, 2024

Billy Bean left an indelible mark with his kindness, sincerity and tireless efforts to advance the causes of diversity and inclusion in baseball. The Players Association extends its heartfelt sympathies to his family and friends throughout the game. pic.twitter.com/6KHvcv4ZcR

— MLBPA (@MLBPA) August 6, 2024

The LMU community mourns the passing of Lions baseball legend Billy Bean.

The two-time All-American led the Lions to their sole appearance in the College World Series in 1986.

Bean was inducted into the LMU Hall of Fame in 1992 and will forever be enshrined in Lions lore. pic.twitter.com/QwJbt3Rfhp

— LMU Baseball (@lmulionsBSB) August 6, 2024

I just learned that Billy Bean is now gone on the same day we buried my father. I always loved working with Billy because, former big leaguer that he was, he was committed to finding positive outcomes, ways to win, big or small, for all #LGBTQ athletes. We should all miss him. pic.twitter.com/F3d2EKjAtL

— Christina Kahrl (@ChristinaKahrl) August 6, 2024

It's a sad day for all sports. Baseball Legend Billy Bean, MLB’s Senior VP for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Special Assistant to the Commissioner, has passed away. Billy, who was 60, fought Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

— R.K. Russell (@RKRelentless) August 6, 2024

Heartbroken to hear of Billy’s passing. A kind man with a formidable enthusiasm for creating change. I’m so grateful for all the times our paths crossed over the years. I’ll always cherish the wisdom he so generously shared that helped shape me into the man & advocate I am today. https://t.co/JtSQDKgMh8 pic.twitter.com/MxRjOJRfQX

— Merts (@ConnerMertens) August 6, 2024

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Funeral arrangements were not announced as of press time.

ROXBURY, Ct. – The man who was heralded as Broadway and theater’s most revered and influential composer-lyricist of the last half of the 20th century with eight Tony awards alone, Stephen Joshua Sondheim, known for landmark musicals such as “Company,” “West Side Story” and “Sweeney Todd, has died at 91.

Sondheim’s death was announced by his attorney, Rick Pappas. who said that the composer died Friday at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut. The day before Sondheim had celebrated Thanksgiving with a dinner with friends in Roxbury, Pappas added.

Stephen Sondheim, the revered and influential composer-lyricist behind some of Broadway’s most beloved and celebrated shows, has died at 91. https://t.co/LDynQNwHrr

— New York Times Arts (@nytimesarts) November 26, 2021

An online listing of Sondheim’s accolades include nine Tony Awards (including a Lifetime Achievement Tony in 2008), an Academy Award, eight Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, a Laurence Olivier Award, and in 2015, the Presidential Medal of Freedom bestowed on him by former President Barack Obama.

He has a theatre named for him on both Broadway and the West End in London.

Sondheim has written film music, contributing “Goodbye for Now” for Warren Beatty’s 1981 Reds. He wrote five songs for 1990’s Dick Tracy, including “Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)”, sung in the film by Madonna, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Film adaptations of Sondheim’s work include West Side Story (1961), Gypsy (1962), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966), A Little Night Music (1977), Gypsy (1993), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Into the Woods (2014), West Side Story (2021), and Merrily We Roll Along (TBA).

Sondheim did not come Out until he was 40 and did not live with a partner until he was 61 when he was in a relationship with dramatist Peter Jones. His current partner, actor-producer Jeff Romley, whom he married in 2017 and he had been living together for over 6 years at the time of the composer’s death.

David LaFontaine, a professor at Massasoit Community College, wrote about Sondheim’s early years and the critical friendship that would end up impacting his life, career, and American Theatre;

“Stephen Joshua Sondheim was born in New York City on March 22, 1930, the only child of affluent parents who divorced when he was ten. He believes he might have succumbed to depression had it not been for a friendship that began in the summer of 1941 with the Hammerstein family, who lived near Sondheim on the bucolic Highland Farm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

“Dorothy and Oscar Hammerstein became my surrogate parents during my teen years,” says Sondheim, “and that’s essentially how I became a songwriter, because I wanted to do what Oscar did.” During his four years as a student at the George School, Stevie, as he was then called, often spent entire summers at the Hammerstein farm.”

Oscar Hammerstein II was an American lyricist, theatrical producer, and director in the musical theater for almost 40 years. He won eight Tony Awards and two Academy Awards for Best Original Song. Hammerstein along with his partner composer Richard Rodgers created some of the notable musicals in Broadway history including Oklahoma! (1943),  South Pacific (1949), The King and I (1951), and The Sound of Music (1959).

This past September Sondheim was a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, for a conversation that covers a lot of ground, from “Company” to “West Side Story,” to a new show titled, “Square One.”

Stephen Sondheim Is Still Writing New Works, As “Company” Returns To Broadway

SILVERTON, Or. — Stewart “Stu” Rasmussen, the first trans mayor in the United States, died on November 17 after several weeks under home hospice care battling metastatic prostate cancer. He was 73. 

Rasmussen, who used both he/him and she/her pronouns, became the first trans mayor in the nation’s history when he was elected to lead the town of Silverton, Oregon, in 2008, serving until 2014. Before coming out as trans, he served as mayor of the western Oregon town for two terms starting in 1988. 

The current mayor of Silverton, Kyle Palmer, took to Facebook to announce the news and offer his condolences. 

“Throughout his career as an elected official, Stu advocated for many things on behalf of those who shared his vision for Silverton,” Palmer wrote. “Although citizens can debate their support or lack of support for some of those visions, the time for those conversations has long passed. His volume of service to city government, his role as a longtime downtown business owner, and his impact on the LGBTQ population in Silverton and beyond leaves a huge legacy behind.”

Rasmussen, a self-described “gender anarchist,” leaves behind his partner Victoria Sage, who he began dating in 1974 and married in 2014. 

According to Palmer’s Facebook post, Sage noted that “he went bravely into the unknown on his own terms.”

In an email to the Statesman Journal, Sage said that she received many “beautiful and heartwarming” letters from people who said Rasmussen touched their lives.

Born and raised in Silverton, Rasmussen inspired many with his historic 2008 election. His historic 2008 election was covered nationally by People Magazine and Good Morning America. His story was the subject of a stage production in Seattle titled “Stu for Silverton.”

“He set an example for members of our community who needed to see that it was safe to live their lives openly in our community,” said Palmer. 

According to Palmer, Westboro Baptist Church, known for anti-LGBTQ+ picketing, protested Rasmussen’s election in 2008. But they were met with a large crowd of Silverton residents — many of them wearing dresses — who supported the mayor, demanding congregation members leave town. 

Along with public service, Rasmussen also ran a theater in Silverton for most of his life, “managing to preserve the magic of a small town theater even while showcasing the blockbusters that arrived in the late 70’s and navigating the frustrations of studio restrictions that made it harder and harder to turn a profit,” Palmer noted. 

“I’m comforted in the knowledge that he is no longer in pain,” said Palmer.

By Jay Blotcher | NEW YORK – Veteran progressive activist and TV-film-stage producer Scott Robbe died on Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021, according to a statement by Paul Algiers, a longtime friend and the executor of Scott Robbe’s estate. Robbe was in hospice care at the home of his sister, Angela, in Hartford, Wis. He was 66.

Robbe died of complications from Myelodysplastic Anemia, a blood cancer he had battled for more than a year. He had undergone stem-cell treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston in April of this year.

Robbe was a prominent member in the founding of two direct-action groups in New York City: ACT UP and Queer Nation. Robbe was a member of an ACT UP undercover team, led by activist Peter Staley, that secretly gained access to the New York Stock Exchange in September 1989. Their goal was to protest and publicize the record high price of AZT, then the sole approved treatment for HIV/AIDS. Burroughs Wellcome eventually bowed to this nationally publicized activist pressure and lowered its drug price — then the highest in medical history — by 20 percent.

“Scott was a fearless activist, always on the front lines, whether he was protesting pharmaceutical company greed or homophobia at the Oscars,” said ACT UP New York veteran Ann Northrop. “And he was a total sweetheart.”

“Scott was one of those activists who didn’t flinch when our lawyers would warn us of all the possible charges and maximum sentences we’d face for infiltrating a powerful institution,” said Peter Staley, who chronicled his ACT UP days in the new memoir, “Never Silent”. “When it came to fighting for his dying gay brothers, he’d always reply, ‘I’m in.’”

In 1991, Robbe relocated to the West Coast and co-founded Out in Film, a Los Angeles-based group to battle homophobia in Hollywood filmmaking. At the time, several high-grossing films offered stereotypic and unflattering depictions of gay characters, including Jonathan Demme’s “Silence of the Lambs”, Oliver Stone’s “JFK” and Paul Verhoeven’s “Basic Instinct”.

Out in Film demanded equity for LGBTQ people on both sides of the camera. Robbe and Lesbian Avengers member Judy Sisneros created a pioneering protest at the Oscar Awards in March 1991, during which demonstrators outside the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion called for increased queer visibility and fairness in career opportunities.

The Oscars protest was one highlight of a life devoted to progressive activism. It began in his teen years, when Robbe took part in 1960s marches for the environment, for civil rights and against the Vietnam War. Over the four decades that followed, Robbe’s career encompassed both community organizing and producing dozens of works in theatre, film and television. 

Scott Douglas Robbe was born on Feb. 16, 1955, in Decorah, Iowa, to Helen, a homemaker, and James Robbe, a construction supervisor. The family relocated to Hartford, Wis., the following year. Robbe was a graduate of Hartford Union High School in Hartford, and entered the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1974, where he majored in theater arts. Located in the state capital, the college was known for its progressive student population, and Robbe took part in numerous protests.

After he graduated in 1978, Robbe moved to New York City, where he met his first boyfriend, a Bennington College student. They lived together in the East Village from 1978 to 1984. At the time, Robbe was helping to renovate the Orpheum Theatre on Second Avenue in the East Village. At the same time he produced at the neighboring Entermedia Theatre his first theatrical production, “False Promises” by the San Francisco Mime Troupe. At the famed La MaMa ETC, Robbe workshopped Harvey Fierstein’s “Fugue in a Nursery,” which forms the middle segment of “Torch Song Trilogy.” That production won wide acclaim both there and after it moved to the Orpheum Theater. Robbe also produced several plays off-Broadway, followed by the Harvey Fierstein play “Safe Sex” on Broadway.

Robbe joined ACT UP New York after seeing the group protest at the White House in October 1987 during the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. He joined the group’s Media Committee and took part in numerous protests. He also joined the newly-formed Queer Nation in March of 1990, helping to mount demonstrations across New York City aimed at queer visibility. Robbe was diagnosed as HIV-positive in the early 1990s.

In late 1990, Robbe relocated to Los Angeles to produce TV commercials for Japanese television. His first film job was an associate producer role for 1982’s “In the King of Prussia”, depicting the Berrigan Brothers’ pioneering anti-war efforts and starring Martin Sheen.

Robbe’s extensive television credits include the first-ever LGBTQ comedy special for Comedy Central in 1993, called “Out There,” and hosted by Lea DeLaria. Robbe was on the creative team for the groundbreaking 2003 series “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.” He also produced shows for Lifetime, Comedy Central, VH1, Children’s Television Workshop and American Playhouse.

In 2005, Robbe was named executive director and film commissioner for Film Wisconsin, Inc. During his tenure, Robbe brought 28 TV and film projects to the state, including the 2009 film “Public Enemies” by Michael Mann, starring Johnny Depp and Channing Tatum. Most recently, Robbe worked with activists in Cuba to bring pressure on the American government to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine in the country. Robbe was also involved in grassroots activism in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where he had a second home.

Scott Robbe is survived by his mother, Helen, and his siblings and their spouses, Royce (Donna), John (Ken Hall), Jay (Francine), and Angela. Also surviving him are his uncle Peter Coffeen (Steve Getz), as well as several nieces, nephews and cousins.

There will be no funeral. Arrangements were handled by Milwaukee Cremation Society. A celebration of Robbe’s life will be broadcast online early in 2022. Donations in Scott’s memory may be made to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and ACT UP New York.

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Jay Blotcher is an American activist, journalist, and editor. He was active in the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power in its early years, serving as chair of the media committee, and was a founding member of Queer Nation.

Photo via ‘I’m From Driftwood’ LGBTQ+ stories video archive.

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WASHINGTON – Paulette Goodman, a nationally recognized advocate for LGBTQ people and their families in her role as president of the national group Parents, Friends and Families of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) from 1988 to 1992 and her earlier role as the lead founder of PFLAG’s Metro DC chapter in 1983, died Aug. 15 of natural causes at her residence at the Riderwood retirement community in Silver Spring, Md. She was 88.

In an Aug. 16 statement, the national PFLAG group said Goodman was born into a Jewish family and grew up in Nazi occupied Paris until the family moved to the United States in 1949. People who knew Goodman have said her experience growing up in an atmosphere of potential danger to her and her family helped shape her response when her daughter came out to her as a lesbian in 1981.

Goodman first became involved with PFLAG in 1981 and helped to found the PFLAG Metro D.C. chapter in 1983, serving as its first president.

During her tenure with the local PFLAG group Goodman counseled families of LGBT people, answered calls on the PFLAG helpline, and led a campaign to display PFLAG ads on D.C. area Metro buses, according to the National PFLAG group.

She later appeared on radio and TV news programs and was the subject of stories in local newspapers, including the Washington Blade, which reported on her efforts to lobby the Maryland General Assembly and the U.S. Congress in support of LGBTQ equality. She also helped to start other PFLAG chapters in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia.

In its statement on Goodman’s passing, the national PFLAG group points to a 2019 interview that Goodman gave to The Atlantic magazine in which she told how her own upbringing in Nazi occupied France shaped her response to her daughter, Cynthia Goodman’s, coming out.

“When I found out about my gay child, I realized it was the same situation,” The Atlantic quoted her as saying. “You’re guarded about who you are, because you don’t know who’s going to be supportive…I didn’t want my child to go through what I went through – being in the closet is stifling.”

The PFLAG statement says, “It was her understanding, passion, and success with PFLAG Metro D.C…that led PFLAGers to vote her in as president of the national organization.”

The statement notes that in her role as national PFLAG president, Goodman drew national attention to the issues facing LGBTQ people and their families when she wrote to then first lady Barbara Bush to tell of her experience as a parent to a gay child during the peak of the AIDS epidemic. In her letter, she asked Bush to “speak kind words to some 24 million gay Americans and their families, to help heal the wounds and to keep these families in loving relationships.”

In a development that created a stir in Republican political circles and the White House, Bush responded with her own letter, which stated, “I firmly believe that we cannot tolerate discrimination against any individuals or groups in our country. Such treatment brings with it pain and perpetuates intolerance.”

According to the PFLAG statement, Bush’s letter, which was inadvertently given to the Associated Press, caused a “political maelstrom” but was possibly the first gay-positive comment to come from the White House during the administration of President George H.W. Bush.

In her later years, the PFLAG statement says, Paulette Goodman retired but continued her advocacy work by, among other things, starting the first-ever chapter of PFLAG at her retirement home at Riderwood in Silver Spring along with a fellow PFLAG member.

In 2013, Goodman received recognition of her work with PFLAG from officials in Montgomery County, Md., where she lived, and from then Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley. She received numerous other honors of recognition from organizations that include the Human Rights Campaign, the Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists, the Greater New York Bar Association for Human Rights, and the LGBTQ Catholic group Dignity Washington.

“Paulette Goodman showed the world what it means to be a loving PFLAG parent and ally,” said PFLAG National Executive Director Brian K. Bond. “PFLAGers everywhere can look to her as a role model, for once she went through her experience with her own child and got the support she needed, she used that experience to educate others and then advocate for the wellbeing and equality of all LGBTQ+ people,” Bond said.

“She was the embodiment of what we tell PFLAG members,” said Bond. “Once you no longer need PFLAG, PFLAG needs you,” he said. “PFLAG needed – and was so lucky to have – Paulette Goodman. Our hearts are with her family and all who knew and loved her.”

Goodman was predeceased by her husband, Leo Goodman. She is survived by her daughter Cynthia Goodman and son Claude Goodman and his wife Toni Goodman; her grandson Max Goodhart and his wife Laurel Goodhart; her granddaughter Hannah Goodman; her niece Sue Einhorn; and her longtime friends Millie Spector, Tom Bull, David Feltman, and Peter Froehlich.

No immediate plans were announced for a memorial tribute or funeral arrangements.