Task Force Mourns Loss of LGBTQ Activist Dr. Jean V. Hardisty

WASHINGTON, DC, March 23, 2015 —The National LGBTQ Task Force is mourning the passing of Dr. Jean V. Hardisty, a lifelong LGBTQ activist, and founder and President Emerita of Political Research Associates (PRA)—a Boston-based social justice and LGBTQ issues think-tank.

“It is with a heavy heart that we come to grips with the loss of our good friend Dr. Jean V. Hardisty. Jean brought light, joy, and inspiration to all the lives she touched in the more than 25 years of work she dedicated to advancing freedom, justice, and equality for all. Her courage, leadership, and indomitable spirit will continue motivating us all to strive for long-lasting positive change across the globe. Her family, friends, and loved ones are in our thoughts,” said Sue Hyde, director, National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change, National LGBTQ Task Force.

Hardisty’s work with the National LGBTQ Task Force includes presenting at the annual Creating Change conference, collaborating on the Fight the Right Project in the early 1990s, testifying against the anti-LGBTQ Amendment Two in Colorado in 1993, and participating in the Moral Values Project convening in 2006.

“We have lost one of our best and brightest, Jean Hardisty. My generation of progressive community organizers owes our analysis of the opponents of equality to Jean. She was a visionary—an intellectual heavy weight who also could speak to any audience—and she was a really funny and kind person,” said Kerry Lobel, who served as the National LGBTQ Task Force’s Deputy Director (1995-1996) and as Executive Director (1996 to 2000).

After working at PRA for 23 years, Hardisty took a position as a Senior Scholar at the Wellesley Centers for Research on Women at Wellesley College. A well-known speaker and widely published author, her work focused on women’s rights and civil rights. In 1999, she published a book titled Mobilizing Resentment: Conservative Resurgence from the John Birch Society to the Promise Keepers. Hardisty earned her Ph.D. in Political Science from Northwestern University. To learn more about Hardisty, please visit: http://www.jeanhardisty.com/.

CONTACT:
Jorge Amaro
Media and Public Relations Director
213-842-7564
jamaro@thetaskforce.org