Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Chicago photographer, activist Ed Negron dies [UPDATED]
by Andrew Davis
2021-07-24

This article shared 10394 times since Sat Jul 24, 2021
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Ed Negron—an activist, Army veteran and substance-abuse counselor who served for many years as a dedicated bisexual volunteer, mentor, leader and advocate in the LGBTQ, Latino and recovering communities—passed away in mid-July of natural causes, according to one of his brothers. He was 50.

Negron—who was inducted into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame in 2006—served many organizations as a volunteer or leader, including the Association of Latino Men for Action (now the Association of Latino/as Motivating Action, or ALMA), Orgullo en Accion, Equality Illinois, the Chicago Boys Troop, International Mr. Leather (IML), the Chicago Task Force on LGBT Substance Use and Abuse, the Chicago Crystal Meth Task Force, and Compassion Action. He has also worked on LGBTQ outreach to youth with the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, as well as street and event outreach for other HIV/AIDS service providers. He chaired Chicago's first Latinx LGBT Pride picnic, in 2006.

Seen by many as fearless, Negron had spoken publicly about his life as a former addict, gang member, and drug dealer, to work against the effects of drugs, addiction, homophobia and oppression.

He had also worked at Windy City Times as a writer and photographer, covering many events. He was a freelance photographer at the time of his passing.

Emblematic of his giving nature, Negron was also registered as an organ donor.

The news about Negron's death stunned many.

One of Negron's brothers, Leo Negron Rodriguez, stated on Facebook, "Our family is devastated! He was loved dearly by many."

Negron Rodriguez told Windy City Times, "Ed—who was my best man when I married my wife 20 years ago—was so kind and compassionate. He was so active in the LGBTQ community, and I was so proud of him when I learned he got in the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame when he was so young [35]. I learned through his extended family how active he was.

"Also, he didn't mince words. He would give it to you in the raw but, at the same time, could be so sensitive and kind."

When asked what Negron was like as a kid, Negron Rodriguez started laughing. "We used to laugh a lot when we were growing up," he said. "We were jokesters, and did a lot of stupid shit while we were growing up, like a lot of people do. Unfortunately, we were two of the dumbasses [who] got caught—but we got our records clean. I was proud to see him do that, because I was worried about him."

State Rep. Greg Harris posted on Facebook, "I'm so sad to learn of the passing of one of my oldest friends Ed Negron. We went through the good time and the bad times together. Happily there was way more good ones. Ed was always full of kindness and also unbending determination and just a joyous spirit. All my sympathies to his brothers Leo and Ricardo, his mom and all his family and many many friends. He is gone way too soon and is missed so much."

Leather 6410 owner Eric Kugelman posted, "We here at leather 6410 are devastated and are holding together our family. We have chosen to celebrate Ed's life and spirit and encourage people to do so. There are many amazing pictures of him and especially ones that he's taken.We encourage you to post those pictures online feel free to tag the store so that we can build a great tribute and memorial website for him with all your comments.

"There will be a community event yet to be determined, please give the family time to process. There will be an announcement made on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as well as in the store as to what and when it will all happen.

"We encourage you more than ever to take a moment and tell the people around you that you love them and that you appreciate them in your life and go in in the spirit of Ed—help everybody that you can.

"Peace & Love and raise spirit up in celebration of his life and accomplishments."

Local activist Emmanuel Garcia stated to Windy City Times, "Ed Negron dedicated a large part of his life to creating visibility and support for bisexual communities. He was also a voice for LGBTQ people in recovery from drugs and alcohol. Most recently, in August 2020, he celebrated 21 years clean and sober. I will never forget his smile, kind heart and commitment to Latine LGBTQ communities."

ALMA Board President Julio Rodriguez told Windy City Times, "When I think of the staples of our LGBTQ + community, I think Ed Negron. He was always someone who was present, committed and more importantly ensured that all voices of community were being heard. His work especially within the Latinx LGBTQ + community continued to inspire others to get involved to make us visible to world. I will miss his hugs, smile and his enduring passion."

AIDS Foundation Chicago issued a statement: "AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) mourns the passing of Ed Negron, who was a former staff member, photographer and fierce advocate for the Puerto Rican community, chairing the first Latino/a/x LGBT Pride picnic in 2006. He supported the health and wellness of people who use drugs and consistently championed the LGBTQ+ community, particularly the bisexual+ community.

"At AFC, Ed worked in the housing department, where he was instrumental in the implementation of the partnership between AFC housing and the Low-Income Housing Trust Fund. Ed developed relationships with landlords, helping to ensure individuals experiencing homelessness found a permanent place to call home.

"Ed also contributed regularly to AFC's LifeLube blog about mental, emotional and spiritual health. He was gracious enough to share much of his photography with LifeLube as well. Ed had an in-depth expertise and joy for leather and kink that he brought to the community as well.

"Through his photography, Ed was able to capture moments at various AFC events over the years. Because of Ed's leadership in the LGBTQ+ community, he was inducted into the LGBT Hall of Fame in 2006. While his profound impact on the community will go on, Ed will sorely be missed, and our thoughts are with his family and friends."

Windy City Times entertainment writer Jerry Nunn shared a photo of Negron and himself, posting, "Sad to hear about the passing of Ed Negron. I just hugged him a month ago at Pride North. You never know the last time you will see someone…"

Negron is survived by brothers Ricardo Negron and Leo Negron Rodriguez; sisters Marisabell Negron and Monica Rodriguez; mother Osnaida Rodriguez; and many other relatives and friends.

Negron Rodriguez said that details of a funeral and fundraiser (to help defray costs) have not yet been finalized, but should be available shortly, adding, "One of the main things for us is having the services in the LGBTQ community because he was so active in it. While he has a blood family, I know how much his extended family meant to him."

UPDATE: According to Negron Rodriguez, Negron's funeral will take place at Drake & Son Funeral Home, 5303 N. Western Ave. Visitation will be Monday, Aug. 2, 4-9 p.m. Services will be Tuesday, Aug. 3, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Afterward, there will be a procession through North Halsted Street in the area known as Boystown/Northalsted.


This article shared 10394 times since Sat Jul 24, 2021
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

PASSAGES Dorothy Elizabeth McGroarty 2024-03-14
- Dorothy Elizabeth McGroarty, 82, of The Breakers at Edgewater Beach, and a former resident of Andersonville, passed away Feb. 16 surrounded by her loving family. Born in Dearborn, Michigan, Dorothy was raised on Chicago's South and ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Bryan Dean Wilson 2024-03-14
- Bryan Dean Wilson, 64, of Chicago, passed away March 11. Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Bryan graduated from Washington High school in Cedar Rapids before earning his B.S. in Biology from Mount Mercy University, also in ...


Gay News

PASSAGES: Former Chicago Commission on Human Relations chair Clarence Wood 2024-03-13
- LGBTQ ally and former Chicago Commission on Human Relations (CCHR) Chair and Commissioner Clarence N. Wood died March 5. He was 83. Wood was born April 14, 1940, in Alabama. While primarily raised in Alabama, Wood ...


Gay News

Longtime LGBTQ+-rights activist David Mixner dies at 77 2024-03-12
- On March 11, longtime LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS activist David Mixner—known for working on Bill Clinton's presidential campaign but then splitting from him over "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT)—died at age 77, The Advocate reported. ...


Gay News

LGBTQ+ Victory Fund remembers co-founder David Mixner 2024-03-12
--From a press release - Today, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund President & CEO Mayor Annise Parker released the following statement on the passing of LGBTQ+ civil rights activist and LGBTQ+ Victory Fund co-founder David Mixner: "Today, we lost David Mixner, a founding ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Charles R. Tobin 2024-03-03
- Charles R. Tobin, 81, peacefully passed away on Dec. 23, 2023, in the company of his husband, after living with Lewey body dementia for several years. Charlie was born and raised in the Fernwood neighborhood on ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Trailblazing judge and attorney Patricia M. Logue passes away 2024-02-26
- The Honorable Patricia Logue ("Pat" to her friends, Trish" to her family) was a brilliant lawyer, a trailblazing jurist and a hero to the LGBTQ community. Pat's legacy includes numerous landmark cases she litigated over her ...


Gay News

Oklahoma non-binary student dies after being assaulted 2024-02-21
- Officials acknowledged there are unresolved questions about a 16-year-old non-binary Oklahoma student who died one day after a fight in a high school bathroom, NBC News noted. Chuck Hoskin Jr., principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, ...


Gay News

GLAAD remembers Cecilia Gentili, transgender Latina, actress, activist, health care activist, journalist 2024-02-06
--From a press release - (New York, NY - February 6, 2024) GLAAD, the world's largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, is responding to the death of transgender actress and advocate Cecilia Gentili and elevating voices of transgender and political leaders honoring ...


Gay News

More information emerges about death on Atlantis gay cruise 2024-02-04
By Lu Calzada - Further details have emerged following the death of a Chicago man on a Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas Atlantis cruise targeted towards gay men. Following a Reddit post by the man's sister — which has ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Imperial Court's Scott Archer remembered as selfless, devoted 2024-02-04
By Alec Karam - As the old saying goes, we all have an angel on one shoulder, and a devil on the other. Well, Scott Archer was all angel, his best friend Herman Coen believes. "Everybody wanted to talk to Scott, because Scott was Scott," ...


Gay News

Broadway star Chita Rivera dies at 91 2024-01-30
- Chita Rivera—a Broadway legend with more than seven decades of credits—has died at age 91 after a short illness, People Magazine reported. "It is with immense personal sorrow that I announce the death of the beloved ...


Gay News

PASSSAGES Chef Michael Thomas Zito 2024-01-02
- Chef Michael Thomas Zito, 55, ("Chef Bear Italia" and "Big Chef") passed away December 12, 2023, unexpectedly at home in Chicago's Belmont Gardens neighborhood. Born in Kentucky to Pentecostal missionaries from New York, Mike began cooking ...


Gay News

Gay political trailblazer Ken Sherrill passes away at age 81 2023-12-30
- Kenneth Sherrill—a pioneering political scientist who was also the first out gay elected official in New York history—died in early December at age 81 from surgical complications, Gay City News reported. He is survived by his ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Paris Johnson 2023-12-29
- Paris Johnson, 29, of Chicago's West Loop neighborhood, passed away unexpectedly Nov. 28. He would have celebrated his 30th birthday Dec. 20. Born into a military family in Sacramento, California, Paris moved often in his youth, ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.