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Carl Bean

For the sports announcer, see Carl Beane.
Carl Bean
Born(1944-05-26)May 26, 1944
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
DiedSeptember 7, 2021(2021-09-07) (aged 77)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Minister, singer, and HIV/AIDS activist
OrganizationMinority AIDS Project
Known forHIV/AIDS activism
Notable workI Was Born This Way
TitleReverend

Carl Bean (May 26, 1944 – September 7, 2021) was an African-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

Bean was born on May 26, 1944 in Baltimore, Maryland.[3] 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.[4] He was openly gay.[5]

In 1982, Bean became an activist, working on behalf of people with AIDS in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles, coinciding with the rise of the AIDS epidemic.[5] 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.[6]

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.[7][6]

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.[3][8]

Bean's autobiography, I Was Born This Way, came out in 2010. He died at the age of 77 on September 7, 2021.[5][3][9]

References

  1. ^ Rapp, Linda (2004), "Bean, Carl", glbtq.com, archived from the original on March 18, 2010, retrieved April 23, 2010
  2. ^ "Unity Fellowship Church Movement". LGBTQ Religious Archives Network. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Genzlinger, Neil (September 10, 2021). "Carl Bean, Gay Singer Who Turned to Preaching, Dies at 77". The New York TImes. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  4. ^ "Lady Gaga celebrates 10 years of 'Born This Way' and the gay Black preacher who inspired it". Today. NBC Universal. May 24, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Smith, Harrison (September 8, 2021). "Carl Bean, minister and AIDS activist who sang 'I Was Born This Way,' dies at 77". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Timeline: 30 Years of AIDS in Black America". Frontline. PBS. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  7. ^ "Archbishop Carl Bean | Profile". LGBT Religious Archives Network. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  8. ^ Kenslea, Ged (September 9, 2021). "AHF Mourns Passing of Archbishop Carl Bean". AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  9. ^ Jackson-Fossett, Cora (September 7, 2021). "Archbishop Carl Bean has passed away". Los Angeles Sentinel. Retrieved June 4, 2024.

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