Remembering Allan Spear
Filed by: Chuck Wolfe
October 14, 2008 10:00 AM
http://www.bilerico.com/2008/10/remembering_allan_spear.phpImagine the courage it must have taken for an elected state senator to come out of the closet in 1974. Just five years after New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn on that historic night in June, Allan Spear told his local paper that he was gay, becoming the first gay man to serve in any state legislature.
Even more remarkable, Allan's declaration did not end his career. In fact, he went on to become the Senate President, and served until 2000. Today, he is revered as a leader who helped shape Minnesota, and he's among the trailblazers in gay politics who inspire the work of the Victory Fund. We learned this weekend that Allan Spear died at the age of 71 from complications after heart surgery.
