Ric Weiland’s Big Gay Donation
Ric Weiland’s legacy lives on after death. The former Miscrosoft programmer – who committed suicide in 2006 – left $65 million to be dispersed between a number of gay rights organizations. The largest share goes to Pride Foundation, which funds scholarships, grants and the such. They get $ 19 million. One recipient told PageOneQ, ” Ric’s gift is a testament to his generosity of spirit and an example of the generosity he showed during his lifetime.” [AP and PageOneQ]
Ric was a dear friend and his death was such a shock. He was a generous man not only with his money (which few knew the complete extent) but with his enthusiasm for just causes. I’ve thought a lot about Ric lately….mainly because of Lawrence King. He was a great supporter of GLSEN and no doubt would have been outraged by that tragedy. I know his financial contributions will help to raise awareness …but his true legacy was his call to action. In so many ways he was and is an inspiration.