Robert Andrew "Bob" Kohler (17 May 1926 – 5 December 2007) was a gay rights pioneer. Born and raised in Queens, New York, Kohler was a lifelong activist in New York City. He was at the Stonewall riots,[1] and was a friend to many of the activists in groups like the Gay Liberation Front and Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries.
Bob Kohler | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 17, 1926 |
| Died | December 5, 2007 (aged 81) |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | LGBT rights activism |
Life
editKohler served in the U. S. Navy in the South Pacific Theater during World War II, was the manager of the New York gay bathhouse, Club Baths, and was among the first agents to represent previously unknown Black artists. He owned and ran the popular gay store The Loft on Christopher Street.[1][2]
Activism
editThough Kohler is best known for his role at the Stonewall riots,[1] and his early involvement with the Gay Liberation Front, where he wrote for their newsletter Come Out!. He was active with many movements and groups, including the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the Black Panther Party, Act Up, Sex Panic, the Neutral Zone, the New York City AIDS Housing Network (NYCAHN), Irish Queers, Fed Up Queers, animal rights groups, and FIERCE![citation needed]
Death
editKohler died of lung cancer on December 5, 2007, at the age of 81, in the Charles Street (West Village) apartment that he had lived in for 45 years.[3]
Notes
edit- ^ a b c Lee, Trymaine. On West Village Streets, Tears for a Gay Activist The New York Times (December 10, 2007). Retrieved July 27, 2011.
- ^ Clancy, Thomas. Bob Kohler, Gay Rights Pioneer, 1926-2007 Archived 2015-03-29 at the Wayback Machine Village Voice (December 6, 2007). Retrieved July 27, 2011.
- ^ Schindler, Paul Bob Kohler Dead at 81[permanent dead link] Gay City News (December 6, 2007). Retrieved July 27, 2011.
References
edit- Carter, David (2004). Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked The Gay Revolution. St. Martin's Press, New York. ISBN 0-312-34269-1.
- Duberman, Martin (1993). Stonewall New York, Dutton, New York. ISBN 0-452-27206-8.
- Deitcher, David (1995). The Question of Equality: Lesbian and Gay Politics in America Since Stonewall. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. ISBN 0-684-80030-6.
- Shepard, Hayduk and Benjamin, Ronald (2002). From ACT UP to the WTO: Urban Protest and Community Building in the Era of Globalization. Verso, London. ISBN 1-85984-356-5.
- Sycamore, Mattilda Bernstein (2008). That's Revolting: Queer Strategies for Resisting Assimilation. Soft Skull Press, Inc., New York City. ISBN 1-932360-56-5.