Gay-rights advocate Jean Harris dies

LOS ANGELES -- Jean Harris, a feisty advocate for gay and lesbian rights and longtime Democratic Party activist who helped elect openly gay candidates in California, has died. She was 66.

Harris, who had a number of serious health problems, was found June 25 in her Palm Springs home by her partner, Denise Penn. An autopsy is under way.

An Orange County, Calif., native, Harris played a key role in mobilizing support for the so-called lavender sweep of 1990, when San Francisco voters elected two lesbian supervisors and a gay school board member.

She held prominent leadership posts in Democratic circles, including chief of staff to San Francisco Supervisor Harry Britt, who succeeded gay icon Harvey Milk after his assassination in 1978.

Known as a savvy organizer, Harris became the founding director of Basic Rights Oregon, the state's largest gay-rights organization, in 1996. Under her guidance, the group collaborated with environmental, labor and abortion-rights groups to build a base of 125,000 gay and pro-gay voters that became a decisive force behind the defeat of a 2000 ballot measure to prevent discussions of homosexuality in Oregon schools.

After the victory in Oregon, she returned to California to serve as executive director of the Alliance for Pride and Equality (now called Equality California), which became one of the state's most influential advocacy organizations for the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals. In 2001 she worked to pass AB 25, a landmark bill that granted domestic partners many of the same rights as married couples.

Born in 1944, Harris worked her way through college climbing telephone poles for GTE Corp., eventually rising into the management ranks. In 1971 she entered politics as a field organizer for Sen. George McGovern's presidential campaign.

Once described as "the lesbian Al Sharpton" for her colorful personality and confrontational style, Harris was unabashed about her sexuality and political goals.

"She could be a pain," said John Burton, who chairs the California Democratic Party. "She'd push and sometimes people got upset with her, but she cared enough to not be nice in order to achieve the community's goals."

Harris favored men's clothing, explaining that she wore ties "because I want every man who sees me to know . . . I'm after their power."