Monday, August 3, 2009
News Thoughts on passing of Atlanta LGBT rights leader Allen Thornell
Posted by Patrick Saunders on Mon, Aug 3, 2009 at 6:28 PM
As reported earlier, local LGBT rights activist Allen Thornell passed away this morning of a stroke. In addition to Southern Voice's post, there is extensive coverage on local LGBT blog Project Q Atlanta:
Thornell, openly gay and HIV positive, lived with his partner in East Atlanta and served as policy communication director for CARE, a humanitarian organization that combats global poverty based in Atlanta. Thornell resigned as executive director of Georgia Equality in 2004 after two years to become deputy regional political director of the Service Employees International Union. Thornell moved to East Atlanta in 1995.
Beth Cope, Thornell's former business partner at Talking Heads Media, issued a statement saying, in part, "Concerned with the welfare of so many others, [Thornell] was a tireless advocate for the LGBT community. Our prayers are with his family and our community, as his loss will create a void for so many." Cope also told CL that Thornell's stroke was not HIV-related, but was rather due to previous open-heart surgery and other medical conditions.
Thornell was also on the campaign board of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, whose president issued a statement saying:
Allen wasn’t just a candidate, colleague and supporter of the Victory Fund, he was our friend. He was a genuine leader–someone who could speak out when it really mattered, but who also understood that working quietly behind the scenes was important to making real change. We will miss him greatly, and we hope his friends and family are comforted by the fact that Allen lived a profound life almost singularly dedicated to expanding freedom, fairness and equality for others.
Tributes continue to pour in on Thornell's Facebook page.
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