Carl Bean
Carl Bean | |
|---|---|
| Born | May , 1944 |
| Died | September 7, 2021 (aged 77) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | United States |
| Occupation(s) | Minister, singer, and HIV/AIDS activist |
| Organization | Minority AIDS Project |
| Known for | HIV/AIDS activism |
| Notable work | I Was Born This Way |
| Title | Reverend |
Carl Bean (May 26, 1944 – September 7, 2021) was an American singer and activist who was the founding prelate of the Unity Fellowship Church Movement,[1][2] a liberal protestant denomination that is particularly welcoming of lesbians, gay and bisexual African Americans.
Life and activism[edit]
Before founding the first church of the denomination, the Unity Fellowship Church, Los Angeles, in 1975, Bean was a Motown and disco singer, noted particularly for his version of the early gay liberation song "I Was Born This Way." It inspired Lady Gaga's 2011 album and song of the same name.[3] He was openly gay.[4]
In 1982, Bean became an activist, working on behalf of people with AIDS in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles. He was involved with several activist organizations, including the National Minority AIDS Council, which he co-founded alongside activists like Gilberto Gerald, Craig G. Harris, Paul Kawata, Calu Lester, Don Edwards, Suki Ports, Timm Offutt, Norm Nickens, Marie St.-Cyr, and Sandra McDonald in 1987.[5]
Bean founded the Minority AIDS Project in Los Angeles with the goal of supporting people with AIDS, especially young African-American men. It is still in operation.[6][5]
In 1992, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation named an AIDS hospice center in South Los Angeles after him. It was in operation from 1992 to 2006.[7][8]
Bean's autobiography, I Was Born This Way, came out in 2010. He died at the age of 77 in 2021.[9]
References[edit]
- ^ Rapp, Linda (2004), "Bean, Carl", glbtq.com, archived from the original on March 18, 2010, retrieved April 23, 2010
- ^ "Unity Fellowship Church Movement · LGBTQ Religious Archives Network". exhibits.lgbtran.org. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ^ "Lady Gaga celebrates 10 years of 'Born This Way' and the gay Black preacher who inspired it". May 24, 2021.
- ^ Smith, Harrison (September 8, 2021). "Carl Bean, minister and AIDS activist who sang 'I Was Born This Way,' dies at 77". Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ^ a b "Timeline: 30 Years of AIDS in Black America". FRONTLINE. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ^ "Archbishop Carl Bean | Profile". LGBT Religious Archives Network. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
- ^ Genzlinger, Neil (September 10, 2021). "Carl Bean, Gay Singer Who Turned to Preaching, Dies at 77". The New York TImes. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ^ Kenslea, Ged (September 9, 2021). "AHF • AHF Mourns Passing of Archbishop Carl Bean". AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ^ Archbishop Carl Bean has passed away
Books[edit]
- Bean, Reverend Carl (June 1, 2010). I Was Born This Way. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4165-9282-2. – Bean's autobiography
External Links[edit]
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| National | |
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- 1944 births
- 2021 deaths
- HIV/AIDS activists
- American Protestant religious leaders
- American gay musicians
- African-American LGBT people
- American LGBT singers
- LGBT Protestant clergy
- American disco musicians
- Motown artists
- 20th-century American LGBT people
- 21st-century American LGBT people
- 20th-century American clergy
- 21st-century American Christian clergy
- 20th-century African-American male singers
- 20th-century American singers
- 20th-century American male singers
- 21st-century African-American people
- LGBT rights activist stubs