You can honor LGBTQ+ icon David Mixner’s legacy & support queer youth at the same time

Longtime LGBTQ+ activist, author, and political consultant David Mixner died on Monday at the age of 77 due to complications from COVID-19’s long-term effects.

But before his death, the ever-active icon surrounded himself with friends, chosen family, and a cause. He had championed allowing LGBTQ+ people to serve in the military and same-sex marriage, but his final wish was to protect the future of the community.

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“In peak David fashion, he was an activist until the very end,” friend Kevin Wells wrote to Mixner’s colleagues and acquaintances. “As David’s health deteriorated, it was his final wish that his passing be used to continue his life’s work of activism and advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community.”

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“Throughout the years, he worked closely with the Ali Forney Center whose mission is to support and protect LGBTQ+ youth from the harms of homelessness. David raised over one million dollars in support of this incredible mission. 

“Before David passed he pulled together a committee of close friends to build the David Mixner Memorial in support of the Ali Forney Center,” Wells continued. “These past few weeks, with a mix of laughter and tears, it has been an honor to support David’s vision for his legacy. I can think of no better way to honor the impact of David Mixner than through activism and philanthropy.”

Mixner’s stories, history, and role in shaping the modern movement have often been overlooked in favor of the politicians and activists he supported. For example, Mixner helped Harvey Milk get elected to San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors in 1977.

In 1991, he co-founded the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund (now called the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund), the first national organization to actively support queer political candidates. He believed queer politicians would help the government respond more urgently to the LGBTQ+ community’s needs.

The following year, Mixner led LGBTQ+ fundraising for then-presidential candidate Bill Clinton and became the first out gay public surrogate for any presidential campaign. Mixner later publicly criticized Clinton’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on LGBTQ+ military service members and was arrested in front of the White House during a July 19, 1993, march against the policy.

Mixner helped organize the October 2009 National Equality March for LGBTQ+ rights in Washington, D.C. In 2017, he staged his play, 1969, and in 2018, his one-man show Who Fell into The Outhouse? raised over $175,000 for the Ali Forney Center.

And now, Mixner’s support for the center has come full circle. Even in death, the queer icon is trying his best to support the youth who need it most.

“His passing will reverberate for generations as we navigate this difficult time for the LGBTQ+ community without his leadership and advocacy. He will be dearly missed,” Wells said.

You can donate at this page set up in Mixner’s honor.

Services for Mixner will be held on March 25 at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in New York City.