Thomas Lawrence Higgins
Born(1950-07-17)July 17, 1950
Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, US
DiedNovember 10, 1994(1994-11-10) (aged 44)
Roseville, Minnesota, US
Occupation(s)Writer, nurse
Years active1967–1994
Known forGay rights activism, pieing Anita Bryant

Thomas Lawrence Higgins (June 17, 1950 – November 10, 1994) was an American writer and gay rights activist, who is credited with coining the term gay pride.[1] He is best known for pushing a pie into the face of anti-gay activist Anita Bryant on live television.[2]

Early life

Higgins was born in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. He attended Catholic elementary school in Minnesota as well as Catholic high schools in Minnesota and North Dakota, before being accepted to the University of North Dakota in 1967 to study in journalism and theater, before he was suspended in 1968 for his involvement in an underground student publication called Snow Job.[3]

Career and activism

In 1969 Higgins became the first person in Minnesota to be granted conscientious objector status from the Vietnam War. Around this time he joined the Fight Repression of Erotic Expression (FREE), where he is credited with coining the term gay pride.[1] He was terminated from his job at the State Radio Services for the Blind as a result of his affiliation with FREE. In response FREE picketed his former workplace, protesting for anti-discrimination protections.[4]

On October 14, 1977, Higgins and his friend and fellow gay rights activist Bruce Brockway attended a televised pre-concert press conference hosted by actress Anita Bryant, who was answering questions about her plan to open a network of Anita Bryant Centers where "homosexuals could go for rehabilitation." During the conference Higgins got up, and pushed a banana cream pie into Bryant's face. Afterwards he and four companions exited the studio to answer questions for the media. Bryant's husband Bob Green noticed one of them holding an unused pie, and pressed it into his face in retalliation. Criminal charges were not filed against Higgins.[5][6]

In 1980, Higgins and Brockway founded the Positively Gay Cuban Refugee Task, in response to an influx of refugees fleeing Cuba. Among these refugees were gay men, who faced legal persecution in their home country. They were all housed in refugee camps, and were unable to leave without an American sponsor. The organization helped mobilize Minneapolis's gay community to sponsor gay refugees, and allow them to leave and resettle.[4]

Death

Higgins died of AIDS on November 10, 1994,[7] following Bruce Brockway, who also died of AIDS in 1984.[8] Higgins is buried in Roseville, Minnesota.

References

  1. 1 2 Ross, Jenna; Nelson, Rick; Hewitt, Chris; Eler, Alicia. "50 Years of Twin Cities Pride". Star Tribune. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  2. ↑ Austin, Tyler. "Today In Gay History: Gay Activist Pies Anita Bryant In the Face". Out Magazine. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  3. ↑ Higgins, Thom. "Thom Higgins Papers Collection". und.edu. University of North Dakota. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  4. 1 2 Aamodt, Britt. "Positively Gay Cuban Refugee Task Force". Mnopedia. Mnopedia. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  5. ↑ Simbro, William (15 October 1977). "Pie shoved in Anita Bryant's face by homosexual here – she cries". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  6. ↑ "Anita Bryant hit by pie in Iowa". Iowa City Press Citizen. 15 October 1977. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  7. ↑ "Thom L Higgins (1950 – 1994)". AncientFaces. October 22, 2022. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
  8. ↑ "In June 2021, the world marked 40 years since the first five cases of AIDS were reported". Rainbow Health. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
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