Connie Norman

Connie Norman (1949 – July 15, 1996) was an AIDS and gay and transgender rights activist with ACT UP/LA. Beginning in 1991, she was the host of the first daily commercial talk radio show about gay issues in Los Angeles, and also co-hosted a television show. After her death from AIDS, ACT UP scattered her ashes on the White House lawn.

Activism with ACT UP

Norman was a member of the AIDS activism group ACT UP ("AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power"). She also worked with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation to campaign for AIDS services. When California governor Pete Wilson vetoed it, a riot and subsequent protests broke out. She was the first gay rights activist to host a daily talk show about gay issues on a commercial Los Angeles-area station, and the Los Angeles Times said the show "pioneered commercial radio talk shows" about gay issues. John Jude Duran is writing a musical about Norman. The site, named in Norman's honor, will house her childhood teddy bear.