SAN DIEGO – Gloria Johnson, an iconic figure within the San Diego LGBT community has died at the age of 76. Johnson, who died on Sunday, was a past president and longtime board member of San Diego Democrats for Equality. For more than four decades, Johnson was known as one of California’s most strident activists for feminist and lesbian issues and Democratic politics.
In 1976, Johnson became the first openly LGBT person to serve on the San Diego County Democratic Central Committee. She joined the club (then known as the San Diego Democratic Club) in 1977, served a term as president in 1980, and held numerous leadership positions within the club. She was elected as a delegate to the 1980, 1996 and 2000 Democratic National Conventions, and she also served as co-chair of the LGBT Caucus of the California Democratic Party. Through the years she worked on dozens of political campaigns for Democratic candidates.
Johnson served as the San Diego co-chair of the committee to defeat the Briggs Initiative (Proposition 6 on the 1978 ballot) that would have banned gays and lesbians from teaching in public schools.
Johnson began her political activism in the women’s movement especially in regards to the Equal Rights Amendment. She was an active member of the National Organization for Women for more than thirty years fighting for the rights of women and the LGBT community.
Last June Johnson had a bad fall which prevented her from attending Pride, her favorite holiday. She sent a message to the community through Nicole Murray Ramirez, expressing her disappointment at not being able to attend Pride which she referred to as “Our Time.”
A Gloria Johnson Memorial Page has been set up on Facebook.
A date for memorial services has not been set.
