Michael Lynch (1944-1991)

Michael Lynch (1944-1991)

Dr. Michael Lynch, Canadian-American university professor, activist, writer, scholar, father and centerfold model for both Honcho and Mandate magazines, was struck down by AIDS. He taught modern poetry, fiction and writing at St. Michael's College in the University of Toronto from 1971 to 1990. He was one of the first advocates for lesbian and gay studies by teaching one of the first courses with gay themes offered at a Canadian university. He hosted conferences on Walt Whitman and his paper, Here is Adhesiveness: From Friendship to Homosexuality, was awarded the first Crompton-Noll Award from the Lesbian and Gay Caucus of the Modern Language Association in 1981. He served as an early editor of that organization's newsletter from 1981 to 1990. Dr Lynch was founder or early organizer of numerous gay organizations in Toronto: The Gay Alliance Towards Equality, the (Toronto) Gay Academic Union, the Committee to Defend John Damien and Gay Fathers of Toronto. He was a member of the editorial collective that published The Body Politic. When AIDS came to public attention in 1981, Dr. Lynch was one of the first leaders in Toronto to respond to the crisis. His article, Living With Kaposi's caused a stir because it analyzed AIDS from a sex-positive, gay liberationist perspective. Dr. Lynch was a co-founder of the AIDS Committee of Toronto and served as chairperson in 1984. He originated the idea of Toronto's AIDS Awareness Week in 1983 and helped to found AIDS Action Now! In 1988, he was organizer of the Toronto AIDS Memorial and the founder of the Toronto Centre for Lesbian and Gay Studies. In 1989, his book of poetry, These Waves of Dying Friends, was published. (2001 Induction statement)

Professeur, militant, écrivain, universitaire, père de famille et nu des pages centrales.

Gerald Hannon

Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives

2001

Medium: black and white photograph

Dimensions: 17.5 x 23 cm (W x H)

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