Gloria Johnson: the ‘Gloria Steinem of San Diego’

Gloria Johnson, who died recently at the age of 76, devoted her entire life to the cause of equality for all Americans. She was not just an LGBT activist, but a human rights activist who spoke out and worked for the causes of any people or community who were discriminated against.

Gloria was born in Los Angeles in 1937 and, of course, her birthday was the exact same day as National Women’s Equality Day and women’s causes ran in her blood and she was inducted into the San Diego Women’s Hall of Fame. For more than 30 years Gloria Johnson worked as a social worker and when the AIDS epidemic hit, she became one of San Diego’s first HIV/AIDS social workers and helped and assisted countless HIV/AIDS patients and sadly witnessed the death of many in the early 1980s.

Gloria Johnson was a major leader in the National Organization for Women and was a strong and visible advocate for women’s equality all her life. Gloria was an unabashed “Liberal Democrat” and was a good friend and supporter of many Democratic elected officials and supported them. They could count on Gloria giving 100 percent, once she endorsed a candidate.

Gloria Johnson was so very proud to have been a delegate to National Democratic Conventions and was a strong supporter of Hillary Clinton. In 1984 Gloria was listed in the Advocate Magazine as one of America’s top 400 gay leaders. Gloria was one of San Diego’s true trailblazers and pioneers who helped build our San Diego LGBT community, and she was a role model for everyone who wanted to be an activist. She was a feisty, opinionated and passionate woman who told you exactly how she felt and didn’t believe in sugar coating the truth. She would tell you when she felt you were on the wrong side of the issue. A devoted member and past president of the San Diego Democratic Club, now Democrats for Equality, one of her biggest joys in life was helping Chris Kehoe become the first elected LGBT city councilmember.

This past January, I was proud to nominate and see my friend become the first LGBT citizen to receive the “Mayor’s Living Legend Award.” To me and many others, she was our very own “Gloria Steinem of San Diego,” and our community. Our civil rights movement owes her so very much and because of her leadership so many LGBT citizens and women have more civil rights and live in a better country because of her activism.