After struggling with a brain tumor for more than a year, Sen. Ted Kennedy, who served 46 years in the Senate, died early this morning at his home in Cape Cod’s Hyannis Port. He was 77.
Gay advocates will remember the Massachusetts senator most recently for standing behind a trans-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Bill, a cause he reignited earlier this year. In his remaining weeks in office, and despite an absence on the Hill, Kennedy and his staff was also involved in generating support for a Senate-led repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell; we expect New York’s Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand to continue championing the cause. Kennedy was also a vocal supporter of marriage equality, consistently voting, in 1996 and again in 2006, against bills banning the practice. Kennedy lobbied for AIDS funding, joining then-First Lady Hillary Clinton‘s health care fight. Indeed, he spent much of his career championing health care reform — though it remains to be seen whether his Democratic colleagues will engender that legacy for him.
Was he a perfect politician? Of course not, but God has yet to make one. Kennedy was a voice for gay America when there was no other inside the halls of Washington.
Sen. Kennedy bids adieu to this life, where he kept our kind close to his heart. He will be missed.
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ask ena
Freakin’ bummer.
dgz
“Barack Obama will end the old politics… of group against group… and straight against gay.” – Sen. Ted Kennedy, 2008
let’s hope *we* live to see that.
The Gay Numbers
Sad. Hopefully people will not abandon his legacy. We live in such regressive times. He should be a reminder of what we should strive to be.
Helga von ornstein
His soul WILL rest in peace. Good-bye senator.
robert
A huge loss for the Democratic party, irreplaceable. May he rest in peace. Thank you Senator Kennedy for your undying support of LGBT people and our rights and for your fearless courage to defend us in the face of adversity. You will be eternally missed.
donsnyc
Thank you Sen. Ted Kennedy.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Cobra Act of 1985. (Ever lost a job and still kept your health insurance for 18 months?)
The Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990.
The Family and Medical Leave Act in 1993.
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.
Rest in Peace. Thank you for fighting for the powerless.
Webster
We have lost a unique voice who spoke for those with no voice in the halls of power. We will not see his like again.
John Galt
My condolences to the family of Mary Jo Kopechne.
robert
Lets all email, phone, fax our representatives to rename the Health Care Reform Bill..”The Senator Ted Kennedy Health Care Reform Bill”….a fitting tribute to the pioneer of universal health care in America as far back as the 60s. This will surely shame many republicans and the handful of “wannabe” republicans in the form of conservative democrats. We’ve lost a national treasure, an irreplaceable one. Nobody had the passion or the temerity to stand up to the party of NO, sadly lacking in the White House today and the party.
Xul Zepp
@robert: Forget the Democratic Party. This is a huge loss for America. I’m a libertarian but even I have great respect for the man and all he has done. He stood up for our rights back when 99% of politicians wanted to be seen nowhere near us. Before Gavin Newsom and David Paterson we had this guy and nobody should forget it.
GayGOP
I am a devoted right-wing nutjob, and I join with those calling this loss a great loss for America. Ted Kennedy was, for all his flaws, one of the last Great Senators we have ever seen. While I rarely agreed with his stances, that is irrelevant in recognizing the genuine contributions that Ted Kennedy made. May he be shown mercy, and may he rest in peace.
Popsnap
It takes quite a big heart to stand up for those unable to stand up for themselves, and this man had that big heart. He was one of the greatest politicans this country has seen.
RIP Ted Kennedy.
Dennis
Truly a sad, sad, day for democrats, for LGBT people, and for anyone who wishes, for our country, a political system which works.
Ted Kennedy was a champion for many people…for LGBT people, for those who did not come from his own priviledged background, for those who were outcasts, or scapegoats, and/or for those without much power in our political system.
We NEED many more like him, but the sad truth is all I see is a vacuum, a void. Far too many political hacks, and not enough champions. He will be missed greatly.
CitizenGeek
Really saddened by this news. I admired Sen. Kennedy an awful lot and he was a true ally.
curt newbury
Headlines for Ted Kennedy should run “Death of a Scumbag”. He was a rotten son of a bitch who drunkenly drove a car off a bridge and left a young girl to drown. The mother fucker did not report the incident until he sobered up 10 hours later. And the assholes in Massa2shits kept electing this no good bastard until he dropped dead.
Dennis
@curt newbury:
Yeah, it’s hard to defend his behavior in that incident. Tragic, probably negligent, wholly unfortunate on all levels. And yet, in later decades, his work in government did benefit many people. See post #6 if you have any doubts. Maybe his good works ‘clean up some of his Karma’, I don’t know, as I’m not his final judge or jury…and neither are you.
With all your Kennedy rage, I’m surprised you’re not absolutely foaming at the mouth at Bush and Chenery and that entire posse of goons, thugs, liars, and assholes. With over 3500 Americans dead, and tens of thousands of Iraqi citizens dying in an unneccessary, trumped-up war based on lies, you must be beside yourself with anger over that. Douche.
Douche.
robert
I find it quite revealing that in spite of Senator Kennedy’s past involving the unfortunate death of a young woman, I didn’t see the moral outrage from the right over Mark Sanford, David Vitter, Newt Gingrich, Henry Hyde, John Ensign and the rest of the double-standard hypocrites who are wired to vote down anti-discrimination and equality legislation for LGBT people, a party that claims it is inclusive. Since when?
I can’t name any republican who has done as much as Senator Kennedy in the past 40 years, most certainly NOTHING when it comes to defending and supporting our full equality. I wonder why?
In the final analysis, libertarians will vote for a republican, no matter how bad he or she is. They’re nothing more than loyal, disgruntled republicans when push comes to shove. Their outrage at Kennedy is so misguided when it is their own party they should be aiming their anger at, a party they pretend to no longer support.
M Shane
I know that much of the Kennedy’s inspiration for Civil Rights came from having been themselves people who were exposed to strong and even inhumane bigotry: the Irish imigrants. When his brother was running for President there was major disagreement as to whether an Irish Catholic could win in America. Even when he was president he was advised not to visit his ancestors home in Ireland for fear of causing public discent.
My parents were in about the same generation as Ted and my entire extended family except my parents moved from the midwest, because, despite being well educated, they were refused employment. We were taught tolerance as a result for all people. I suspect Kenedy was similar.
The Irish came here in Coffin ships to escape the famine , and were used for jobs judged too dangerous for slaves–like clearing swamps. They fought and scrapped their way to the top but even my parents lived with the memory of the bigotry of other white people.
M Shane
@Xul Zep: I did read about the Four Asian Tigers; Impressive of course. The underlying psychology though is Confucian, and almost Socialist in spirit.
I think that you are enamored of a dream not unlike that which my father and forbearers had before big business here saw their progreessas being the product of the destruction of others, rather than cooperation.
bigjake75
He is dead. I’m not. He was a pig of man for most of his life. Only in the last couple decades was he not a hedonistic shit head. Good for him cleaning up at the end. He actually treated his widow decently.
But know we get to listen to the statists demand government health care in his honor. Screw that. RIP Teddy.
jimmy mullen
May Kennedy burn in hell!!!!!!!!!
rudy
@jimmy mullen: Jimmy, all the best people are going to hell.
May you and Anita Bryant enjoy eternity together.
Robert, NYC
To: Jim Mullen, BigJake75 and others like you…
You’ve demonstrated some mighty christian charity in your judgement of Senator Kennedy. I don’t care what he’s done in the past, he’s more than made up for a lot of it. Name one republican or democrat that has accomplished so much and authored so many bills that were legislated and passed?
If you don’t want a public option, you don’t have to participate, nobody is forcing anybody. Ditto for those of you who think that medicare is not a government run health care program. Don’t use it, turn in your card and go out and buy more private insurance. Wait and see what happens when insurance companies reject you because of a pre-existing condition and if one or two are willing to cover you, which I doubt, you’ll be paying an exorbitant premium, in fact you may not even be able to afford it unless you’re a republican of course. That is your right but if you want to be gouged and part with your money, so be it. You have a choice, which is what a public option is all about.
If you don’t like so called “socialized” medicine, then support Congressman Anthony Weiner’s symbolic legislation he’s going to introduce to abolish medicare since the republicans are so against any form of government run programs. Urge your representatives to vote for it. What about abolishing the remainder of our government “socialized” programs such as medicaid, the military, the police, the fire department, public schools, public libraries, the FDA, FAA, CAA, FBI and a host of others and let private industry fund them instead?
Republican representatives already use government run health care themselves, a better plan than the rest of us enjoy. What a bunch of moronic hypocrites.
jimmy mullen
Ted Kennedy was a dirt bag. He was a no good scum bag. He drunkenly drove that car off the bridge and left Mary Jo Kopechne to drown. There were cottages near the scene of the accident where he could have gone for help. But his avoiding a DWI was more important to him than trying to save Mary Jo. He was typical of all democrats and liberals. SCUM BAGS…Party of savage niggers, butt fucking faggots, heartless pro-abortion ass-holes, THEY SHOULD ALL BE SHOT.
jimmy mullen
Ted Kennedy’s burial was like shit being flushed down the toilet.
robert
@jimmy mullen:
With comments like that, is it no wonder your party of hate and obstruction is in the political wilderness? Why do right wing shills like you deliberately seek out a gay blogsite to vent your anger and venom? What is your point? Why not rant on a straight site instead? You seem to be protesting far too much which leads me to conclude that you have some deeply rooted issues with your sexual orientation. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be here let alone feel bothered by LGBT people. Get to therapy fast and take care of that anger. You could well be tomorrow’s terrorist or fringe group leader calling for politicians to be shot. Mighty christian of you.
jimmy mullen
Gays are perverts
DeAnimator
@jimmy mullen: Thank you! Someone who understands. Finally. Clearly, ‘gays’, as you so elegantly put it, are the perverts here. Not 12 year old males who have nothing to do all day but whack off to furry porn, contemplate what crappy album they’re going to buy the next day, and troll queer news sites. You, sir, are a prince among men.