GLBT Groups Express Gratitude, Sorrow for Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor was an icon of beauty and glamor, the prototypical movie star whose ravishing looks were accentuated by sumptuous jewelry, fashionable clothing, and a life lived in a legendary manner.

To film audiences of the mid-and later-20th century, Taylor was a true Queen of the Screen--never more so than in the movie that nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox, the staggeringly expensive--but stunningly opulent--Cleopatra.

It was on the set of Cleopatra that Taylor met her soul mate, Richard Burton, whom she twice married--and twice divorced--after the pair created a sensation that began as a scandal, but may have given the bidding sexual revolution a critical boost.

Born to American parents in London in 1932 before her family's return to the United States seven years later, Taylor reportedly mulled becoming a British citizen as an adult. As it happened, she did not need to renounce her American citizenship to enjoy one of Britain's high honors: In 1999, Taylor was accorded an appointment as Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, which gave her the privilege of affixing the honorific "Dame" to her name.

For the gay community, Taylor was not only an icon--she was, for some, quite literally a lifesaver, founding two AIDS organizations and lending public support to equality. Her efforts earned her a third Oscar for humanitarian work, following her earlier two top awards for film roles in Butterfield 8 and Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf.

GLBT leaders and organizations joined the rest of Taylor's American--and global--public in mournfully bidding Taylor goodbye upon her March 23 death from congestive heart failure, an ailment she had battled since at least 2004.

"We are deeply saddened by the death Elizabeth Taylor," said Joe Solmonese, the head of the Human Rights Campaign. "Ms. Taylor was a true ally to the LGBT community. She was one of the first public voices to speak up about the AIDS crisis while many others stayed silent in the 1980s and she helped raise millions of dollars to fight the disease.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family, and to all those whose lives have been positively impacted by the life and work of Elizabeth Taylor," Solmonese added.

"The National Minority AIDS Council was deeply saddened to learn that Elizabeth Taylor, long time AIDS advocate and community leader, died this morning at the age of 79," said Daniel C. Montoya, the group's deputy executive director.

"From the onset of the epidemic, Ms. Taylor was an early and fierce advocate for action to combat HIV/AIDS," Montoya continued. "As early as 1984, she organized and hosted the very first fundraiser for AIDS Project Los Angeles.

"Moved by news that her dear friend and fellow actor, Rock Hudson, was dying from the disease, Ms. Taylor co-founded the American Foundation for AIDS Research in 1985 and in 1986, testified before Congress about the need for increased federal funding to combat the epidemic," Montoya recollected. "By 1991, Ms. Taylor had established her own charity, the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, which has raised millions to provide critically needed support services and prevention education across the globe.

"Despite her own deteriorating health in recent years, Ms. Taylor remained committed to the fight against HIV/AIDS, serving as an inspiration to all of us living with and struggling against this disease," Montoya continued. "She was a beacon of compassion and fairness and her light will truly be missed by our community."

The executive director of the Whitman-Walker Clinic, which named one of its Washington, D.C. facilities after Taylor in honor of her efforts on behalf of people living with HIV / AIDS, also issued a statement.

"Elizabeth Taylor was the first major Hollywood star to take up the banner of HIV/AIDS activism," said Don Blanchon. "At a time when most Americans thought of HIV/AIDS as something that didn't affect them, her commitment to the issue and considerable star power helped to take the fight against HIV/AIDS right into the mainstream of American society.

"Her dedication to raising money along with awareness has helped to save countless lives both by helping to treat people living with the virus and by preventing new infections.

"Because of her dedication and commitment, Whitman-Walker named our main facility in northwest Washington after her in 1993," added Blanchon. "Her dedication to the cause led her to be her personally for the dedication. That kind of commitment exemplifies why she was so important in the early days of the fight against HIV/AIDS.

"We will ensure that she is remembered not just for her career but for her unwavering support for a community and a cause that, in the early days, many would not touch."

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)'s Jarrett Barrios praised Taylor as "an extraordinary ally" in a news release that noted, "GLAAD honored Taylor with the Vanguard Award at the 11th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in 2000 for her work to increase the visibility and understanding of the LGBT community.

"For the past several years, she has also served as an underwriter for the GLAAD Media Awards Young Adult Program, where hundreds of young LGBT adults and allies attend the event," the release added.

"Today, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community lost an extraordinary ally in the movement for full equality," Barrios said. "At a time when so many living with HIV/AIDS were invisible, Dame Taylor fearlessly raised her voice to speak out against injustice.

"Dame Taylor was an icon not only in Hollywood, but in the LGBT community where she worked to ensure that everyone was treated with the respect and dignity we all deserve."

The American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) posted a statement on Taylor's passing, as well as a tribute video.

"The board of trustees and staff of amfAR mourn the passing of our beloved Founding International Chairman, Dame Elizabeth Taylor," text at the amfAR site read. "Dame Elizabeth was without doubt one of the most inspirational figures in the fight against AIDS. She was among the first to speak out on behalf of people living with HIV when others reacted with fear and often outright hostility."

"For 25 years, Dame Elizabeth has been a passionate advocate of AIDS research, treatment and care," the amfAR posting continued. "She has testified eloquently on Capitol Hill, while raising millions of dollars for amfAR. Dame Elizabeth's compassion, radiance, and generosity of spirit will be greatly missed by us all. She leaves a monumental legacy that has improved and extended millions of lives and will enrich countless more for generations to come."

Hollywood luminaries also spoke, texted, and tweeted their responses to Taylor's passing.

"I am so terribly sad about the death of Elizabeth Taylor," fellow screen legend Joan Collins said, according to a March 23 E!Online article. "Although everyone here in Hollywood knew that her end was near we are all shocked. She was the last of the true Hollywood icons, a great beauty, a great actress and continually fascinating to the world throughout her tumultuous life and career.

"There will never be another star who will come close to her luminosity and generosity, particularly in her fight against AIDS," Collins added. "She will be missed."