Knutson, Donald C

One of the reasons I ended up in San Francisco in 1979 was because of Don and the organization he founded, Gay Rights Advocates, which later became National Gay Rights Advocates. Don and his legal team took on two important legal cases that I was involved in in my native state, Oklahoma. One was about the right to organize a gay student group at the University of Oklahoma and the other one was the Briggs Initiative-made-law, the Helm Bill, which discriminated against gay teachers in Oklahoma. Both cases ultimately ended in gay rights' victories. It is heartbreaking to remember that Don's pride and joy -- NGRA -- imploded in late 1989-early 1990 due to nasty mismanagement, just as Don -- who was no longer directly involved with NGRA -- was losing his own battle against AIDS.

These posted obituaries list the founding of NGRA as a different year than what is commonly accepted. (The Examiner obituary states 1976; the B.A.R. obituary states 1977.) According to the ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives in Los Angeles, which holds NGRA's papers: National Gay Rights Advocates, founded in 1978, was a membership-supported, non-profit, public interest law firm that promoted the rights of gay men and lesbian women throughout the United States. NGRA worked to advance gay and lesbian rights through impact litigation coordinated by professional staff and supported by pro bono assistance from law firms and attorneys. In addition to its work in the courts, NGRA provided legal referral services and publications to educate individuals on such issues as taxation, healthcare, insurance and fair employment practices.

Don Knutson had a longtime companion, Peter Bateman, an Englishman, who predeceased him in 1985 (in London). Bateman lived in San Francisco from 1977-1983, when he moved back to England. Bateman has an online obituary.