Jean Harris

Jean Harris (October 24, 1944 – June 25, 2011), born Kathie Jean Shafer, was an American Democratic and LGBT rights activist.

Harris was raised in Long Beach, California. She married John Lee Harris on July 1, 1966, and went on to have two daughters. During this time, she earned a degree from California State University, Long Beach. After her divorce in 1976, Harris came out and moved to Santa Cruz, California before returning to San Francisco in the mid-1980s. She then undertook post-graduate work at San Francisco State University. Following her time in Oregon, Harris returned to California and created CAPE, the California Alliance for Pride and Equality, today known as Equality California and became its executive director. During her tenure she worked to secure passage of a 2001 law to secure for same-sex domestic partners many of the rights formerly reserved to married couples.

Harris campaigned for Howard Dean during his unsuccessful 2004 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Harris died at her home in Palm Springs, California on June 25, 2011.