LGBTQs mourn the death of Reverend Jesse Jackson
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srobin21
Feb 20, 2026, 10:15:35 PM (4 days ago) Feb 20
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https://www.ebar.com/story/163336/News/
LGBTQs mourn the death of Reverend Jesse Jackson
by Cynthia Laird, News Editor – Bay Area Reporter- Wednesday, February 18, 2026
LGBTQ and allied leaders in the Bay Area and beyond mourned the death of the Reverend Jesse Jackson, a longtime civil rights leader who twice ran for the Democratic nomination for president. Jackson died February 17 at his home in Chicago at the age of 84.
Media reports stated that a cause of death was not provided by Reverend Jackson’s family, who announced his passing on social media. He had experienced health issues in recent years.
A straight ally to the LGBTQ community, the Reverend Jackson became a leader of the U.S. civil rights movement following the assassination of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. He founded the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition and supported organized labor as well as LGBTQ issues such as marriage equality. He was an inspirational orator and spread the gospel of “common ground,” as the New York Times noted in its obituary.
Media reports stated that a cause of death was not provided by Reverend Jackson’s family, who announced his passing on social media. He had experienced health issues in recent years.
A straight ally to the LGBTQ community, the Reverend Jackson became a leader of the U.S. civil rights movement following the assassination of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. He founded the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition and supported organized labor as well as LGBTQ issues such as marriage equality. He was an inspirational orator and spread the gospel of “common ground,” as the New York Times noted in its obituary.
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Mark Leno, a gay man and former San Francisco supervisor and state legislator, told the Bay Area Reporter that Reverend Jackson a “giant of a man and civil rights leader.”
“He was always bold and courageous, never shy in a fight,” Leno said in a brief interview, adding that Reverend Jackson worked to fulfill his life’s work of seeing everyone enjoy their rights under the U.S. Constitution.
Leno was one of those who joined Reverend Jackson at a San Francisco rally in 2005 during a strike against Sutter Health. He noted that Reverend Jackson was a strong supporter of organized labor.
“He fought for working men and women, certainly,” Leno said.
Gay longtime labor leader Sal Rosselli also mourned Reverend Jackson.
"It gets lost because his legacy is so rich, but Jesse Jackson was one of the great labor allies of our time," stated Rosselli, president emeritus of the National Union of Healthcare Workers, and a former board member of Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. "He slept on the overnight picket line when we struck Sutter in San Francisco, and helped bring Sutter back to the table. Nobody energized workers more.
"The coalition that he built is the exact coalition that we need today to defeat Donald Trump and the forces of fascism,” Rosselli added. “It was inclusive of everyone who believed in racial justice, economic justice and human equality."
Brian K. Bond, a gay man who is CEO of PFLAG National, mourned the loss of “a giant among us.”
“When many refused to acknowledge the existence and struggle of LGBTQ+ people, Reverend Jackson saw us, affirmed us, and demanded equality inclusively,” stated Bond, a former leader of the Democratic National Committee. “In his address to the Democratic National Convention in 1984, Reverend Jackson named us specifically as part of the fabric of the ‘American Quilt.’ He has shown up for and marched with the LGBTQ+ movement through the AIDS crisis, marriage equality, and ever after. Reverend Jackson’s leadership and allyship for LGBTQ+ people will be felt profoundly by his PFLAG family. We will honor his legacy as we continue to strive to achieve justice and equality for all.”
“He was always bold and courageous, never shy in a fight,” Leno said in a brief interview, adding that Reverend Jackson worked to fulfill his life’s work of seeing everyone enjoy their rights under the U.S. Constitution.
Leno was one of those who joined Reverend Jackson at a San Francisco rally in 2005 during a strike against Sutter Health. He noted that Reverend Jackson was a strong supporter of organized labor.
“He fought for working men and women, certainly,” Leno said.
Gay longtime labor leader Sal Rosselli also mourned Reverend Jackson.
"It gets lost because his legacy is so rich, but Jesse Jackson was one of the great labor allies of our time," stated Rosselli, president emeritus of the National Union of Healthcare Workers, and a former board member of Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. "He slept on the overnight picket line when we struck Sutter in San Francisco, and helped bring Sutter back to the table. Nobody energized workers more.
"The coalition that he built is the exact coalition that we need today to defeat Donald Trump and the forces of fascism,” Rosselli added. “It was inclusive of everyone who believed in racial justice, economic justice and human equality."
Brian K. Bond, a gay man who is CEO of PFLAG National, mourned the loss of “a giant among us.”
“When many refused to acknowledge the existence and struggle of LGBTQ+ people, Reverend Jackson saw us, affirmed us, and demanded equality inclusively,” stated Bond, a former leader of the Democratic National Committee. “In his address to the Democratic National Convention in 1984, Reverend Jackson named us specifically as part of the fabric of the ‘American Quilt.’ He has shown up for and marched with the LGBTQ+ movement through the AIDS crisis, marriage equality, and ever after. Reverend Jackson’s leadership and allyship for LGBTQ+ people will be felt profoundly by his PFLAG family. We will honor his legacy as we continue to strive to achieve justice and equality for all.”
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