We are deeply saddened today to hear news of the death of writer and activist Larry Kramer, who has been such a huge influence on LGBTQ politics, literature, drama, and film. Kramer's tremendous cultural and political impact is documented across the Library's collections. Kramer was pivotal in the founding of Gay Men's Health Crisis and ACT UP, both of whose archives are preserved in the New York Public Library's Manuscripts & Archives Division. His contributions to drama and film are documented in the Library's Billy Rose Theatre Division. 

And, Kramer's very strong encouragement was actually a major impetus to the Library's launching the LGBTQ Initiative to increase access to our extensive LGBTQ history collections and HIV/AIDS activist archives. This past January, Kramer spoke at the Library about his new book The American People: Volume 2 : The Brutality of Fact with Cullman Fellow Bill Goldstein who is writing his biography. It was standing room only, and many of the attendees were his longstanding colleagues in activism and in art. Kramer was a force of nature, constantly goading LGBTQ communities to push forward politically. But after discussing his new book, and his life and career, he ended on this very tender note. “It’s never ending what we have to fight and….I love being gay…and that motivates a lot of this… I think we’re wonderful people, and I wish everyone else acted the same way.”

You can watch the full program below:

And you can read his work through the Library's collections:

Faggots

The Normal Heart and The Destiny of Me

The American People: volume 1 : Search for My Heart

The American People: volume 2 : The Brutality of Fact