David mixner biography
Fabrice Houdart | A weekly newsletter on LGBTQ+ Equality
This evening, we mourn the passing of David Benjamin Mixner, a giant in the global struggle for LGBTQ+ rights and a man of tenacity and heart. Mixner's death was announced earlier on his Facebook page. From his early days campaigning for John F. Kennedy to his final acts of courage, Mixner’s legacy shaped a nation at great cost to himself. Here are some thoughts on a life driven by principle and an unyielding pursuit of justice
David’s most significant accomplishment as an activist was that he retained his moral authority through thick and thin. That’s why, until the end, his endorsement and advice remained valuable to political candidates and LGBTQ+ organizations alike, who made the pilgrimage to Hell’s Kitchen to obtain his blessing.
“You live your principles, and there’s a price sometimes. And sometimes there’s a great price,” he once said about the consequences of his stance on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell(DADT).
Long before DADT in 1978, Mixner and his partner Peter Scott convinced then-Governor Ronald Reagan to oppose Proposition 6, a far-right legislation that aimed to “protect children from homosexual teachers." While Mixner later described Reagan as “one of the most gracious men in politics I have ever met,” he also said, “There’s no question in my mind — none — that if Ronald Reagan had acted on AIDS ... most of my friends would still be alive today”. Reagan’s neglect of the HIV/AIDS epidemic ultimately led Mixner to support Bill Clinton and indirectly guide the federal government to address the epidemic.
When Mixner met Clinton, he saw potential. Few politicians accepted political contributions from gays in the early 1990s. Mixner introduced the Clintons to queer America in 1991 and convinced Bill to court the gay community, something no presidential candidate had ever done before. Mixner raised several millions from the community to support Clinton’s campaign. His reputat DM: The first thing that I actually did was as a freshman at Arizona State. It was on behalf of the garbage workers in Tempe, Arizona, who were mostly getting 25 cents per hour back then and were almost, at that time, totally Hispanic in this small college community. They went on strike, and no one was paying any attention to them, and I went to the picket line with them, and I said, you should get some students down here, and they said, no, the students will never join us. So, I went back and got four or five of us to plot something – we were going to stage a rally on the campus, and it was the first march I ever organized on my own.We did interviews, and we did everything, and it’s ironic because when we got there the day of the march on the campus to go picket that line with the garbage workers, maybe there were 30 or 40 there, and it was kind of disappointing, but,you know, 30 or 40 is something to build on. And then the university overreacted, having seen all of this publicity that we were going to march and they went nuts and suddenly a quarter of the way into the rally,100 police arrived at that rally site with hoods, shields, and nightsticks and immediately we ended up with 1,500 students, mostly because those cops came in. I was able to take 1,500 people two miles to the picket line, and the workers got a huge lift. DM: Yeah, before I got involved in the anti-war movement in Vietnam, I was involved in the civil rights movement. I did go down South. I got arrested a lot, and you all remember it was an enormous number, starting in 1964, of college students who went South to give witness to the old Quaker tradition of giving witness and going to jail and opening freedom schools and supporting people as Skip to main content Collection Call Number: MS 1862 The papers consist of personal materials, correspondence, compiled family letters, clippings, subject and writing files, photographs,Vietnam protest memorabilia, and audiovisual materials that document David Mixner's life as a gay male, leader in the gay rights movement, author, and political consultant and advisor. There is also a manuscript of the Mixner family genealogy by Patricia Mixner Annison, David's sister; addenda/errata to the family genealogy; and get well cards and photographs of David Mixner, circa 1950s-1960s. The papers are closed until January 1, 2031, unless researchers receive permission in writing to access them from the donor, the person holding power of attorney for the donor, or the executor of the estate of the donor. Researchers wishing to request access should email beinecke.library@yale.edu requesting specific box numbers in order to initiate the permission process, which may take several weeks. Original audiovisual materials, as well as preservation and duplicating masters, may not be played. Researchers must consult use copies, or if none exist must pay for a use copy, which is retained by the repository. Researchers wishing to obtain an additional copy for their personal use should consult Copying Services information on the Manuscripts and Archives web site. Original computer files may not be accessed due to their fragility. Researchers must consult access copies. Copies of commercially produced audiovisual materials contained in this collection cannot be made for researcher use outside of the repository. Original computer files may not be accessed due to their fragility. Researchers must consult access copies. Copyright is retained by David Mixner for unpublished works he has authored or otherwise produced. After the lifetim American political activist and author (1946–2024) David Benjamin Mixner (August 16, 1946 – March 11, 2024) was an American political activist and author. He was best known for his work in anti-war and gay rights advocacy. Mixner played a key role in defeating Proposition 6 in California, which sought to ban gays and lesbians from being schoolteachers. He also organized the Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam in 1969, drawing millions of protesters nationwide. Mixner later became involved in Bill Clinton's presidential campaigns but criticized Clinton's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, which led to a rift between them. Mixner continued his activism throughout his life, focusing on issues like nuclear disarmament, AIDS awareness, and LGBT rights. He was honored for his activism and writing, including receiving an honorary doctorate from Washington College in 2015. Mixner was born on August 16, 1946, and grew up in the small town of Elmer, New Jersey. His father Ben worked on a corporate farm, and his mother Mary worked shifts at a local glass factory and later took a job as a bookkeeper for the local John Deere dealership. Mixner had two older siblings, Patsy Mixner Annison and Melvin Mixner. Mixner attended Daretown Elementary School, then Woodstown High School, where he got involved in the Civil Rights Movement, by participating in picketing and sending his own money to Martin Luther King Jr. In his memoir, Stranger Among Friends, Mixner explains that his parents were "livid" over his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, claiming his activism embarrassed them. When Mixner told them he wanted to go south during the summer of 1963 after following the events in Birmingham, Alabama, his parents forbade him. In the fall of 1964, Mixner enrolled at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, where he soon became involved in civi
much as they could.
I think I went to jail seven times down there, and, at one point, I was housing with a civil rights legend and most people don’t know her – Fannie Lou Hamer. I was staying at her house in Mississippi. She was a pig farmer and h David Benjamin Mixner papers
Scope and Contents
Dates
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
Conditions Governing Use
David Mixner
Early life
Career
College and early activism