Lois Bates 2010. Photo from aidschicago.org.
Lois Bates, a major presence in the transgender community as an advocate for transgender and HIV positive people, is no longer with us. This is a significant loss. Lois has been a supporter of GIFT from the very beginning and was a member of GIFT’s board.
I met Lois in June of 2006 and was struck by how calm and grounded she was; how she put others at ease. I enjoyed her wittiness and keen observations about what was going on around us and in the community at large. We had the chance to connect on two other occasions at conferences. While I didn’t know Lois well, there was comfort in knowing that she respected and supported what GIFT was working to accomplish. Lois supported her communities with creativity, passion, and compassion. We offer our condolences to Lois’ family, the communities she touched, and mourn her passing.
You can learn more about Lois at aidschicago.org and in this interview (pdf) done for The Journal of Test Positive Aware Network (TPAN).
