Brian John Coyle (June 25, 1944 – August 23, 1991) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

community leader, elected official, and gay activist. Coyle was one of the founders of the alternative newspaper '' Hundred Flowers''. He later became the first openly gay Minneapolis City Councilmember.

Biography

Brian John Coyle was born on June 25, 1944, in

Great Falls, Montana Great Falls is the List of cities and towns in Montana, third most populous city in the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Cascade County, Montana, Cascade County. The population was 60,442 according to the 2020 United States census, 2 ...

. He was raised in

Moorhead, Minnesota Moorhead ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Minnesota, Clay County, Minnesota, United States, on the banks of the Red River of the North. Located in the Red River Valley, an extremely fertile and active agricultural region, Moo ...

, and graduated from

Moorhead High School Moorhead High School is a public high school in Moorhead, Minnesota, United States. Established in 1883, the school serves approximately 2,000 students in grades 912. The school has a student-teacher ratio of 18.81. Extracurricular activities ...

. He received his BA degree from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

(Minneapolis campus) in 1967. While at the university, Coyle was a member of

Students for a Democratic Society Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was a national student activist organization in the United States during the 1960s and was one of the principal representations of the New Left. Disdaining permanent leaders, hierarchical relationships a ...

and a writer for the ''

Minnesota Daily The ''Minnesota Daily'' is the campus newspaper of the University of Minnesota, published Monday and Thursday while school is in session, and published weekly on Wednesdays during summer sessions. Published since 1900, the paper is currently the ...

''. He organized the first Vietnam '

teach-in A teach-in is similar to a general educational forum on any complicated issue, usually an issue involving current political affairs. The main difference between a teach-in and a seminar is the refusal to limit the discussion to a specific tim ...

' at the university, and originated the Free University. After graduating from the university, Coyle taught humanities at

Moorhead State University Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) is a public university in Moorhead, Minnesota, across the Red River of the North from Fargo, North Dakota. The school has an enrollment of 7,534 students in 2019 and 266 full-time faculty members. MSUM ...

for one year, where he was indicted for failure to register for the draft, but was acquitted as a

conscientious objector A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of conscience or religion. The term has also been extended to objecting to working for the military–indu ...

. He returned to Minneapolis in 1968, worked at the Twin Cities Draft Information Center, and was one of the founders of the alternative newspaper '' Hundred Flowers''. He worked as national office coordinator for the New American Movement and directed the National Campaign to Impeach Nixon, and founded the Progressive Roundtable. During this time (1971), he publicly came out as gay.

1970s and later

Locally, Coyle spent much time in the mid-to-late-1970s working on tenants' rights issues, and campaigning (unsuccessfully) for a rent control ordinance. He was also active in powerline protests in rural Minnesota (along with future Minnesota Senator

Paul Wellstone Paul David Wellstone (July 21, 1944 – October 25, 2002) was an American academic, author, and politician who represented Minnesota in the United States Senate from 1991 until he was killed in a plane crash near Eveleth, Minnesota, in 2002. A m ...

). From 1979 to 1981, Coyle organized with Minnesotans Against the Downtown Dome (MADD), a coalition opposed to the construction of a subsidized sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis. In 1978, Coyle ran as an independent candidate for US Senator, in a special election to complete the term of

Hubert Humphrey Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was an American politician who served from 1965 to 1969 as the 38th vice president of the United States. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Minnesota from 19 ...

(losing to

David Durenberger David Ferdinand Durenberger (August 19, 1934 – January 31, 2023) was an American politician and attorney from Minnesota who served as a Republican member of the United States Senate from 1978 to 1995. He left the Republican Party in 2005 and ...

). In 1979, he ran for Mayor of

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

(losing to DFL'er Don Fraser). He ran for the

Minneapolis City Council The Minneapolis City Council is the Legislature, legislative branch of the city of Minneapolis in Minnesota, United States. Comprising 13 members, the council holds the authority to create and modify laws, policies, and ordinances that govern the ...

(Ward 6) in 1981, but lost to incumbent Jackie Slater in a close race. In 1983, he won election to the City Council, where he concentrated on affordable housing, human rights, economic development, the environment and transportation. Coyle also fought for light rail transportation and domestic partner benefits. He served as council vice president. He was one of 13 openly gay elected officials at the International Network of Lesbian and Gay Officials (INLGO) Conference in 1985. Coyle served three terms on the City Council. He was diagnosed as

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 ...

-positive in 1986, but this was not known publicly until 1991, the same year that he died from AIDS-related complications, aged 47. Ford House is a memorial to Coyle. A

community center, a neighborhood garden and a

Human Rights Campaign The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for L ...

leadership award also carry his name. On October 13, 1996, a commissioned bust of Coyle, created by artist Deborah Richert, was unveiled in the rotunda of Minneapolis' City Hall.

Legacy

Brian Coyle Community Center Coyle has been credited for laying the foundation for LGBT+ politics in Minnesota, including the state's legalization of same-sex marriage. He is the namesake of the Brian Coyle Community Center in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood and Brian Coyle Community Garden in Elliot Park.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Coyle, Brian 1944 births 1991 deaths AIDS-related deaths in Minnesota American conscientious objectors American human rights activists American anti–Vietnam War activists American gay politicians American LGBTQ city council members American LGBTQ rights activists LGBTQ people from Montana LGBTQ people from Minnesota Minneapolis City Council members Minnesota State University Moorhead faculty Politicians from Great Falls, Montana Politicians from Minneapolis University of Minnesota alumni 20th-century Minnesota politicians