Larry Frankel, the former executive director and legislative director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania who's been missing since Wednesday, was found dead in a Washington park over the weekend, dressed in jogging clothes and said to have died of "natural causes." He was 54. Last year, Frankel joined the national ACLU as its state legislative counsel and top lobbyist. In remembering Frankel, State Rep. Mark Cohen writes Frankel was "a proud gay man, he was militant on the issue of gay marriage, believing that it was far more important to keep the legal option of gay marriage by defeating a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage than to enact civil unions legislation, an uphill battle that some, including myself, thought was winnable. His views on gay marriage were somewhat vindicated when four New England states and the state of Iowa legalized gay marriage this year."
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A sad loss, apparently of a heart attack or similar while jogging…the ACLU has repeatedly worked for our benefit, and challenged all sorts of discrimination against LGBT's. (tho also occassionally taking on a right-wingnut cause to honor the true tradition of free speech and equal protection in our country.)
Hopefully, his past work is vindicated in continued victories for our cause.
This is a huge loss. Larry was a fierce advocate and an enjoyable, interesting and funny man. We'll miss him dearly.