2005 San Diego LGBT Community Wall of Honor Posthumous Honoree
"At some point in your life, you're faced with: 'Are you going to shut up and die quietly? Or are you going to shout about it?'"
In 1970 Bell was a founding member of the first Gay Liberation group in San Diego. He was an early director of the LGBT Center and also served on the Center's Board of Directors. He established Our House, the first AIDS residential facility in San Diego, and Blood Sisters, a group for lesbians to donate blood to the Blood Bank.
________________________________________
Albert Bell was such an extraordinary man that he managed to be both an iconoclast and a pillar of his community, simultaneously. In his all too short life, Bell fought tirelessly for gays and lesbians in San Diego, working to promote dialogue on a variety of issues both in and outside of the LGBT community.
Albert was born to Charles Edward Bell & Clara Oldfield, one of eight children, 27 Nov, 1993.
At an early age Bell came into politics and student activism. He founded the first Gay Liberation group in San Francisco in 1970 at the age of 20, a time in America when it was still considered a cultural anathema to be out of the closet. Later, he went on to found gay student unions at San Francisco City College and San Francisco State University. During this period in his life, he also worked on Harvey Milk's successful bid to become the city's first openly gay supervisor.
After his time as a student activist, Bell moved to San Diego. There, as one of the early directors of the Gay and Lesbian Community Center, he was instrumental to keeping it in the public eye and at the forefront of the political scene. He served on its board for seven years, working at the same time on some of the earliest Gay Pride events in the city.
As a spokesman for the community, he was well aware of the power and potential of the media. On one notable television appearance, Bell confronted Channel 10 anchor Ed Quinn on the station's lack of coverage for the 1988 March on Washington. Quinn's cynical response drew a sharp, public condemnation from visiting ABC anchor Peter Jennings. Bell's thoughtful, televised evisceration of the local journalist's apathy led to a meeting with Jennings and the Channel 10 executives, resulting in a substantial change in the way gay issues were presented.
In 1980 he attended the first spiritual gathering of Radical Faeries in Boulder, Colorado. Eventually he became a leading figure of the tribe and a colleague of Harry Hay, one of the founding fathers of gay liberation in the United States. Albert developed a popular course titled "Homospiritual: A Gay Journey to Self Esteem." This course ran for several years and was presented before hundreds of San Diego men.
At the height of the AIDS crisis in the mid 1980's, Albert once again assumed the role of community leader. He estab- lished "Our House," the first residential living facility for peo- ple with AIDS and helped create the AIDS Assistance Fund, and served on its board of directors. At the same time, he helped organize San Diego's first chapter of "ACT UP," bring- ing pressure on local agencies and government so that victims of the disease might get the help they needed. In addition to these projects, Albert also produced the "AIDS Walk for Life" and was an initial supporter of the "Blood Sisters" program with Cynthia Lawrence-Wallace and Peggy Heathers, in which lesbian women donated blood to the San Diego Blood Bank in solidarity with their gay brothers. Up until the very final years of his life, he worked for the county as an HIV health advisor, providing testing and education to those in need.
His reputation as an authority in local politics made him a natural choice as a delegate to the 1992 Democratic Convention in New York. As one of the few delegates with AIDS in attendance, Bell was able to take the issue of gay rights and AIDS to a national stage. He received the first Albert Bell Award for Community Service from the San Diego Democratic Club shortly before his death.
In a self-penned obituary, he listed his cause of death as a "criminal act" by the United States government, citing its failure to find a cure for his disease. Albert Bell died at home of AIDS in 1993 at the age of forty three, surrounded by his friends. Of his remaining siblings (he was one of 8) there are only 3 left (as of 2023).
Albert was posthumously inducted to the San Diego LGBT Community Wall of Honor in 2005.
Source: http://www.thecentersd.org/pdf/woh/woh-programbook-2005.pdf
see also: https://lgbtqsd.news/albert-bell-radical-faerie/
"At some point in your life, you're faced with: 'Are you going to shut up and die quietly? Or are you going to shout about it?'"
In 1970 Bell was a founding member of the first Gay Liberation group in San Diego. He was an early director of the LGBT Center and also served on the Center's Board of Directors. He established Our House, the first AIDS residential facility in San Diego, and Blood Sisters, a group for lesbians to donate blood to the Blood Bank.
________________________________________
Albert Bell was such an extraordinary man that he managed to be both an iconoclast and a pillar of his community, simultaneously. In his all too short life, Bell fought tirelessly for gays and lesbians in San Diego, working to promote dialogue on a variety of issues both in and outside of the LGBT community.
Albert was born to Charles Edward Bell & Clara Oldfield, one of eight children, 27 Nov, 1993.
At an early age Bell came into politics and student activism. He founded the first Gay Liberation group in San Francisco in 1970 at the age of 20, a time in America when it was still considered a cultural anathema to be out of the closet. Later, he went on to found gay student unions at San Francisco City College and San Francisco State University. During this period in his life, he also worked on Harvey Milk's successful bid to become the city's first openly gay supervisor.
After his time as a student activist, Bell moved to San Diego. There, as one of the early directors of the Gay and Lesbian Community Center, he was instrumental to keeping it in the public eye and at the forefront of the political scene. He served on its board for seven years, working at the same time on some of the earliest Gay Pride events in the city.
As a spokesman for the community, he was well aware of the power and potential of the media. On one notable television appearance, Bell confronted Channel 10 anchor Ed Quinn on the station's lack of coverage for the 1988 March on Washington. Quinn's cynical response drew a sharp, public condemnation from visiting ABC anchor Peter Jennings. Bell's thoughtful, televised evisceration of the local journalist's apathy led to a meeting with Jennings and the Channel 10 executives, resulting in a substantial change in the way gay issues were presented.
In 1980 he attended the first spiritual gathering of Radical Faeries in Boulder, Colorado. Eventually he became a leading figure of the tribe and a colleague of Harry Hay, one of the founding fathers of gay liberation in the United States. Albert developed a popular course titled "Homospiritual: A Gay Journey to Self Esteem." This course ran for several years and was presented before hundreds of San Diego men.
At the height of the AIDS crisis in the mid 1980's, Albert once again assumed the role of community leader. He estab- lished "Our House," the first residential living facility for peo- ple with AIDS and helped create the AIDS Assistance Fund, and served on its board of directors. At the same time, he helped organize San Diego's first chapter of "ACT UP," bring- ing pressure on local agencies and government so that victims of the disease might get the help they needed. In addition to these projects, Albert also produced the "AIDS Walk for Life" and was an initial supporter of the "Blood Sisters" program with Cynthia Lawrence-Wallace and Peggy Heathers, in which lesbian women donated blood to the San Diego Blood Bank in solidarity with their gay brothers. Up until the very final years of his life, he worked for the county as an HIV health advisor, providing testing and education to those in need.
His reputation as an authority in local politics made him a natural choice as a delegate to the 1992 Democratic Convention in New York. As one of the few delegates with AIDS in attendance, Bell was able to take the issue of gay rights and AIDS to a national stage. He received the first Albert Bell Award for Community Service from the San Diego Democratic Club shortly before his death.
In a self-penned obituary, he listed his cause of death as a "criminal act" by the United States government, citing its failure to find a cure for his disease. Albert Bell died at home of AIDS in 1993 at the age of forty three, surrounded by his friends. Of his remaining siblings (he was one of 8) there are only 3 left (as of 2023).
Albert was posthumously inducted to the San Diego LGBT Community Wall of Honor in 2005.
Source: http://www.thecentersd.org/pdf/woh/woh-programbook-2005.pdf
see also: https://lgbtqsd.news/albert-bell-radical-faerie/
2005 San Diego LGBT Community Wall of Honor Posthumous Honoree
"At some point in your life, you're faced with: 'Are you going to shut up and die quietly? Or are you going to shout about it?'"
In 1970 Bell was a founding member of the first Gay Liberation group in San Diego. He was an early director of the LGBT Center and also served on the Center's Board of Directors. He established Our House, the first AIDS residential facility in San Diego, and Blood Sisters, a group for lesbians to donate blood to the Blood Bank.
________________________________________
Albert Bell was such an extraordinary man that he managed to be both an iconoclast and a pillar of his community, simultaneously. In his all too short life, Bell fought tirelessly for gays and lesbians in San Diego, working to promote dialogue on a variety of issues both in and outside of the LGBT community.
Albert was born to Charles Edward Bell & Clara Oldfield, one of eight children, 27 Nov, 1993.
At an early age Bell came into politics and student activism. He founded the first Gay Liberation group in San Francisco in 1970 at the age of 20, a time in America when it was still considered a cultural anathema to be out of the closet. Later, he went on to found gay student unions at San Francisco City College and San Francisco State University. During this period in his life, he also worked on Harvey Milk's successful bid to become the city's first openly gay supervisor.
After his time as a student activist, Bell moved to San Diego. There, as one of the early directors of the Gay and Lesbian Community Center, he was instrumental to keeping it in the public eye and at the forefront of the political scene. He served on its board for seven years, working at the same time on some of the earliest Gay Pride events in the city.
As a spokesman for the community, he was well aware of the power and potential of the media. On one notable television appearance, Bell confronted Channel 10 anchor Ed Quinn on the station's lack of coverage for the 1988 March on Washington. Quinn's cynical response drew a sharp, public condemnation from visiting ABC anchor Peter Jennings. Bell's thoughtful, televised evisceration of the local journalist's apathy led to a meeting with Jennings and the Channel 10 executives, resulting in a substantial change in the way gay issues were presented.
In 1980 he attended the first spiritual gathering of Radical Faeries in Boulder, Colorado. Eventually he became a leading figure of the tribe and a colleague of Harry Hay, one of the founding fathers of gay liberation in the United States. Albert developed a popular course titled "Homospiritual: A Gay Journey to Self Esteem." This course ran for several years and was presented before hundreds of San Diego men.
At the height of the AIDS crisis in the mid 1980's, Albert once again assumed the role of community leader. He estab- lished "Our House," the first residential living facility for peo- ple with AIDS and helped create the AIDS Assistance Fund, and served on its board of directors. At the same time, he helped organize San Diego's first chapter of "ACT UP," bring- ing pressure on local agencies and government so that victims of the disease might get the help they needed. In addition to these projects, Albert also produced the "AIDS Walk for Life" and was an initial supporter of the "Blood Sisters" program with Cynthia Lawrence-Wallace and Peggy Heathers, in which lesbian women donated blood to the San Diego Blood Bank in solidarity with their gay brothers. Up until the very final years of his life, he worked for the county as an HIV health advisor, providing testing and education to those in need.
His reputation as an authority in local politics made him a natural choice as a delegate to the 1992 Democratic Convention in New York. As one of the few delegates with AIDS in attendance, Bell was able to take the issue of gay rights and AIDS to a national stage. He received the first Albert Bell Award for Community Service from the San Diego Democratic Club shortly before his death.
In a self-penned obituary, he listed his cause of death as a "criminal act" by the United States government, citing its failure to find a cure for his disease. Albert Bell died at home of AIDS in 1993 at the age of forty three, surrounded by his friends. Of his remaining siblings (he was one of 8) there are only 3 left (as of 2023).
Albert was posthumously inducted to the San Diego LGBT Community Wall of Honor in 2005.
Source: http://www.thecentersd.org/pdf/woh/woh-programbook-2005.pdf
see also: https://lgbtqsd.news/albert-bell-radical-faerie/
"At some point in your life, you're faced with: 'Are you going to shut up and die quietly? Or are you going to shout about it?'"
In 1970 Bell was a founding member of the first Gay Liberation group in San Diego. He was an early director of the LGBT Center and also served on the Center's Board of Directors. He established Our House, the first AIDS residential facility in San Diego, and Blood Sisters, a group for lesbians to donate blood to the Blood Bank.
________________________________________
Albert Bell was such an extraordinary man that he managed to be both an iconoclast and a pillar of his community, simultaneously. In his all too short life, Bell fought tirelessly for gays and lesbians in San Diego, working to promote dialogue on a variety of issues both in and outside of the LGBT community.
Albert was born to Charles Edward Bell & Clara Oldfield, one of eight children, 27 Nov, 1993.
At an early age Bell came into politics and student activism. He founded the first Gay Liberation group in San Francisco in 1970 at the age of 20, a time in America when it was still considered a cultural anathema to be out of the closet. Later, he went on to found gay student unions at San Francisco City College and San Francisco State University. During this period in his life, he also worked on Harvey Milk's successful bid to become the city's first openly gay supervisor.
After his time as a student activist, Bell moved to San Diego. There, as one of the early directors of the Gay and Lesbian Community Center, he was instrumental to keeping it in the public eye and at the forefront of the political scene. He served on its board for seven years, working at the same time on some of the earliest Gay Pride events in the city.
As a spokesman for the community, he was well aware of the power and potential of the media. On one notable television appearance, Bell confronted Channel 10 anchor Ed Quinn on the station's lack of coverage for the 1988 March on Washington. Quinn's cynical response drew a sharp, public condemnation from visiting ABC anchor Peter Jennings. Bell's thoughtful, televised evisceration of the local journalist's apathy led to a meeting with Jennings and the Channel 10 executives, resulting in a substantial change in the way gay issues were presented.
In 1980 he attended the first spiritual gathering of Radical Faeries in Boulder, Colorado. Eventually he became a leading figure of the tribe and a colleague of Harry Hay, one of the founding fathers of gay liberation in the United States. Albert developed a popular course titled "Homospiritual: A Gay Journey to Self Esteem." This course ran for several years and was presented before hundreds of San Diego men.
At the height of the AIDS crisis in the mid 1980's, Albert once again assumed the role of community leader. He estab- lished "Our House," the first residential living facility for peo- ple with AIDS and helped create the AIDS Assistance Fund, and served on its board of directors. At the same time, he helped organize San Diego's first chapter of "ACT UP," bring- ing pressure on local agencies and government so that victims of the disease might get the help they needed. In addition to these projects, Albert also produced the "AIDS Walk for Life" and was an initial supporter of the "Blood Sisters" program with Cynthia Lawrence-Wallace and Peggy Heathers, in which lesbian women donated blood to the San Diego Blood Bank in solidarity with their gay brothers. Up until the very final years of his life, he worked for the county as an HIV health advisor, providing testing and education to those in need.
His reputation as an authority in local politics made him a natural choice as a delegate to the 1992 Democratic Convention in New York. As one of the few delegates with AIDS in attendance, Bell was able to take the issue of gay rights and AIDS to a national stage. He received the first Albert Bell Award for Community Service from the San Diego Democratic Club shortly before his death.
In a self-penned obituary, he listed his cause of death as a "criminal act" by the United States government, citing its failure to find a cure for his disease. Albert Bell died at home of AIDS in 1993 at the age of forty three, surrounded by his friends. Of his remaining siblings (he was one of 8) there are only 3 left (as of 2023).
Albert was posthumously inducted to the San Diego LGBT Community Wall of Honor in 2005.
Source: http://www.thecentersd.org/pdf/woh/woh-programbook-2005.pdf
see also: https://lgbtqsd.news/albert-bell-radical-faerie/
