Eric Rofes, 1954-2006

When I came out (belatedly, at age 35) in 1993, Eric Rofes was one of the first "gay authors" I read on a regular basis, mostly in venues such as Southern Voice, the gay weekly newspaper in Atlanta. He was intelligent, a good writer, compassionate, and someone who celebrated the sexuality of gay men. Cool! It didn't hurt that (well, from what I could tell by his mugshot) a hunky, handsome fella!

I was saddened to learn that Eric, an outstanding role model for the gay male activist / educator for more than 30 years, passed away this week while vacationing in Provincetown. The cause of death: heart attack at age 51, short a month or so shy of his 52nd birthday.

Some links:

Obituaries here:

http://www.gay.com/news/article.html?2006/06/27/1

http://pageoneq.com/news/2006/rofes_062706b.html

His website:

http://www.ericrofes.com/index.php

Condolence messages:

http://ericrofes.blogspot.com/

As with so many gay man, he leaves us much too soon. My heart goes out to his partner, Crispin.

Remember to tell the ones you love you love them.