Andrew S. Cray (June 11, 1986 – August 28, 2014) was an American
LGBTQ rights activist
A list of notable LGBTQ rights activists who have worked to advance LGBTQ rights by political change, legal action or publication. Ordered by country, alphabetically.
Albania
* Xheni Karaj, founder of Aleanca LGBT organization and recipien ...
and political figure. Cray played a central role in securing new nationwide LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections as part of the
Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and informally as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...
, partnering with the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
and the
Department of Health and Human Services
The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the US federal government created to protect the health of the US people and providing essential human services. Its motto is ...
to create the Out2Enroll initiative to connect LGBTQ people with health insurance coverage options, assisting with the passage of the HOPE Act to make organ donation and transplantation more accessible to people with
HIV
The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...
, and drafting new provisions addressing the needs of LGBTQ youth for the
McKinney–Vento Homeless Assistance Act
The McKinney–Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 is a United States federal law that provides federal money for homeless shelter programs.National Coalition for the Homeless"Fact sheet on The Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act" Ju ...
.
Early life and education
Andrew Cray was born in
Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin
Chippewa Falls () is a city located on the Chippewa River (Wisconsin), Chippewa River in Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 14,731 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Incorporated as a city in 1869, it is the ...
, the son of Steven and Ardis Cray. He was the grandson of
Seymour Cray
Seymour Roger Cray (September 28, 1925 – October 5, 1996) – was an American
Cray Research
Cray Inc., a subsidiary of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, is an American supercomputer manufacturer headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It also manufactures systems for data storage and analytics. Several Cray supercomputer systems are listed i ...
. Cray was
valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title for the class rank, highest-performing student of a graduation, graduating class of an academic institution in the United States.
The valedictorian is generally determined by an academic institution's grade poin ...
of the
Chippewa Falls High School
Chippewa Falls Senior High School is a public high school located in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. To locals, the high school is referred to as "Chi-Hi". The school belongs to the Big Rivers Conference of the WIAA. The school mascot is the Cardinal.
...
Class of 2004. In addition to achieving high marks academically, he was a multi-instrument musician who played the drums, clarinet, keyboard and trombone. Cray was student director of the school concert band and a recipient of the John Philip Sousa Award.
After graduating from high school, he received his bachelor's degree from
Northwestern University
Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...
and his
Juris Doctor
A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...
degree from the
University of Michigan Law School
The University of Michigan Law School (branded as Michigan Law) is the law school of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1859, the school offers Master of Laws (LLM), Master of Comparati ...
. During his time at Northwestern, Cray was the activism chair for Rainbow Alliance.
Career
After coming out as a
transgender man
A trans man or transgender man is a man who was assigned female at birth. Trans men have a male gender identity, and many trans men undergo medical and social transition to alter their appearance in a way that aligns with their gender identit ...
during college, Cray began his career as a legal fellow and policy analyst with the National Coalition for
LGBT Health
Within the healthcare sphere, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people face specific challenges and hardships that make access to healthcare less equitable. According to the US Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA), so ...
, where he served as the lead researcher and author of the coalition's comprehensive report on LGBTQ veterans’ health. Cray served as a Law Fellow at the
National LGBTQ Task Force
The National LGBTQ Task Force (formerly National Gay Task Force; National Gay and Lesbian Task Force) is an American social justice advocacy non-profit organizing the grassroots power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBT ...
in 2009, where he was tasked with writing recommendations for inclusion in the health reform legislation being debated in the United States Congress. Cray then became a health law and policy fellow at the
National Center for Transgender Equality
The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) is a nonprofit social equality organization founded in 2003 by transgender activist Mara Keisling in Washington, D.C. The organization works primarily in the areas of policy advocacy and media ...
, where he advocated for access to affordable, high-quality health care for transgender people. Andrew was a founding member of Trans Legal Advocates of Washington, which trains attorneys on transgender legal issues and operates
pro bono
( English: 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. The term traditionally referred to provision of legal services by legal professionals for people who a ...
legal clinics for transgender clients.
Beginning in 2012, Cray served as a Policy Analyst for the
Center for American Progress
The Center for American Progress (CAP) is a public policy think tank, research and advocacy organization which presents a Modern liberalism in the United States, liberal viewpoint on Economic policy, economic and social issues. CAP is headquarter ...
's LGBTQ Research and Communications Project. Cray's research focused on LGBTQ inclusion and engagement in state implementation of the
Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and informally as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...
, health insurance policies that improve coverage for LGBTQ families, LGBTQ-inclusive data collection, and LGBTQ youth. Cray spearheaded efforts to obtain transgender-inclusive health insurance policies in several U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Among his federal policy work, Cray played a critical role as a founder of Out2Enroll, a nationwide initiative that connects LGBTQ people and their families with health insurance coverage options.
Cray participated in an event at the White House to celebrate the enrollment of more than 8 million people into health insurance following the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Cray received a standing ovation from attendees. Paulette Aniskoff, director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, said Cray's contributions to the Affordable Care Act were integral to the successful implementation of the law.
Personal life and death
On August 24, 2014, after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis, Cray married
LGBTQ rights
Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality.
Nota ...
activist
Sarah McBride
Sarah Elizabeth McBride (born August 9, 1990) is an American activist and politician who is the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Delaware's at-large congressional district. A member of the Democratic Party (United ...
, who is also transgender.
Episcopal
Episcopal may refer to:
*Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church
*Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese
*Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name
** Episcopal Church (United States ...
bishop
Gene Robinson
Vicky Gene Robinson (born May 29, 1947) is a retired bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. Robinson was elected Coadjutor bishop, bishop coadjutor in 2003 and succeeded as bishop diocesan in March 2004. Before becoming bishop, he se ...
presided at their ceremony. Four days after their wedding, Cray died from
oral cancer
Oral cancer, also known as oral cavity cancer, tongue cancer or mouth cancer, is a cancer of the lining of the lips, mouth, or upper throat. In the mouth, it most commonly starts as a painless red or white patch, that thickens, gets ulcerated ...
.
Legacy
In October 2014,
President Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. Ob ...
posthumously honored Cray as a "Champion of Change" for his contributions to LGBTQ health. In 2014, the National Center for Transgender Equality created a Law Fellowship and Award in Honor of Cray. In 2017, a scholarship fund in Cray's name (the Andrew Cray Memorial Scholarship) was created to support post-secondary opportunities for LGBTQ youth in Wisconsin.
Andrew
Andrew is the English form of the given name, common in many countries. The word is derived from the , ''Andreas'', itself related to ''aner/andros'', "man" (as opposed to "woman"), thus meaning "manly" and, as consequence, "brave", "strong", "c ...