Michael Lynch (1944 – July 9, 1991) was an American-born

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

professor, poet, journalist, and activist,Robert Aldrich and Garry Wotherspoon, ''Who's Who in Contemporary Gay and Lesbian History'', vol. 2: ''From World War II to the Present Day''.

Routledge Routledge ( ) is a British multinational corporation, multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, academic journals, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanit ...

, 2005. . most noted as a pioneer of

gay studies Queer studies, sexual diversity studies, or LGBTQ studies is the study of topics relating to sexual orientation and gender identity usually focusing on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender dysphoric, asexual, aromantic, queer, questi ...

in Canadian academia and as an important builder of many significant

LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, Gay men, gay, Bisexuality, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the Capital punishmen ...

and

HIV/AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

organizations in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Early life and education

Lynch was born and raised in

Dunn, North Carolina Dunn is the most populous city of Harnett County, North Carolina, Harnett County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 8,446 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is, along with Harnett County, part of the Anderson Creek ...

. He studied at

Goddard College Goddard College was a Private college, private college with three locations in the United States: Plainfield, Vermont; Port Townsend, Washington; and Seattle. The college offered undergraduate and graduate degree programs. With predecessor ins ...

and the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

and wrote his doctoral dissertation on the poetry of

Wallace Stevens Wallace Stevens (October 2, 1879 – August 2, 1955) was an American modernist poet. He was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, educated at Harvard and then New York Law School, and spent most of his life working as an executive for an insurance compa ...

Career

From 1971 to 1990, Lynch taught in the Department of English at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

at both the main and Erindale College campuses."Out & Proud"
''U of T Magazine'', Summer 2009. After coming out as a gay man in 1973, Lynch was a writer and a contributing editor for ''

The Body Politic ''The Body Politic'' was a Canadian monthly magazine, which was published from 1971 to 1987. It was one of Canada's first significant gay publications, and played a prominent role in the development of the LGBT community in Canada. ''The Body Po ...

''. In 1974, he taught the first gay studies course offered at a Canadian university, through the University of Toronto's School of Continuing Education. He was a founding member of the Toronto chapters of

Gay Alliance Toward Equality The Gay Alliance Toward Equality, or GATE, was one of the first gay liberation groups in Canada.Ed Jackson and Stan Persky, ''Flaunting It! 1964-1982: A Decade of Gay Journalism from The Body Politic''. Pink Triangle Press, 1982. Formed in spr ...

and the Gay Academic Union, and a founding member of Gay Fathers Toronto. In 1980, he convened the first academic conference on the topic of

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman Jr. (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist; he also wrote two novels. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature and world literature. Whitman incor ...

's 1880 visit to

London, Ontario London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River (Ontario), Thames River and N ...

."Inventory of the Michael Lynch Papers (Fonds)"
(finding aid).

Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives The ArQuives: Canada's LGBTQ2+ Archives, formerly known as the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives, is a Canadian non-profit organization, founded in 1973 as the Canadian Gay Liberation Movement Archives. The ArQuives acquires, preserves, and pro ...

, November 14, 1996. Archived fro
the original
on February 3, 2007. He helped found the Toronto Centre for Lesbian and Gay Studies (now the Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies), which continues to offer an annual academic grant in his name. He published a collection of poetry, ''These Waves of Dying Friends'', in 1989. At the time of his death, he had an unfinished gay studies manuscript, ''The Age of Adhesiveness: From Friendship to Homosexuality'', in development. The book was an expansion of an earlier academic paper, for which he won Crompton-Noll Award from the Lesbian and Gay Caucus of the

Modern Languages Association The Modern Language Association of America, often referred to as the Modern Language Association (MLA), is widely considered the principal professional association in the United States for scholars of language and literature. The MLA aims to "str ...

in 1981. He also served as the editor of the Lesbian and Gay Caucus's ''Gay Studies Newsletter''.

Personal life

Lynch married Gail Lynch ( Jones) on July 5, 1969. At this point, he had known for years that he was attracted to men; he had told Gail as much, and they both agreed that his attraction to men did not deter them from wanting to be married. He moved to Toronto with Jones in 1971 in order to take a job as an English professor at the

. Lynch and Gail had a son, Stefan, in 1972. Lynch came out as a

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

man in 1973, and in 1977, he and Gail separated. Lynch was a close friend of fellow

queer studies Queer studies, sexual diversity studies, or LGBTQ studies is the study of topics relating to sexual orientation and gender identity usually focusing on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender dysphoric, asexual, aromantic, queer, question ...

scholar

Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick (; May 2, 1950 – April 12, 2009) was an American feminist academic scholar in the fields of gender studies, queer theory, and critical theory. Sedgwick published several books considered groundbreaking in the field of quee ...

. Sedgwick wrote her May 1991 essay "White Glasses" as a memorial for Lynch while he was still alive. Lynch ultimately died later that same year, on July 9, 1991.

Activism

Lynch was a committed AIDS activist from the dawn of the

AIDS crisis The global pandemic of HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) began in 1981, and is an ongoing worldwide public health issue. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2023, HIV/AIDS ...

in 1981 until his death in 1991, including as a founding member of AIDS Action Now!,"Gay Activist Michael Lynch Helped Found AIDS Groups". ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

'', July 11, 1991. the

AIDS Committee of Toronto The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a preventable disease. It can ...

and the AIDS Memorial in Toronto's

Barbara Hall Park Barbara Hall Park (formerly Cawthra Square Park) is a park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The park was renamed to commemorate Barbara Hall in 2014. An AIDS memorial is installed in the park. The memorial was vandalized in 2023. See also * List ...

Honours and awards

In honour of his role as a significant contributor to LGBT culture and history in Canada, a portrait of Lynch by

Gerald Hannon Gerald Hannon (July 10, 1944 – May 9, 2022) was a Canadian journalist whose work appeared in major Canadian magazines and newspapers.Robert Aldrich and Garry Wotherspoon, eds., ''Who's Who in Contemporary Gay and Lesbian History''. Routledge, 2 ...

is held by The ArQuives: Canada's LGBTQ2+ Archives' National Portrait Collection. A biography of Lynch, ''AIDS Activist: Michael Lynch and the Politics of Community'', was published by Ann Silversides in 2003."AIDS Activist: Michael Lynch and the Politics of Community, by Ann Silversides"
''

Quill & Quire ''Quill & Quire'' is a Canadian magazine about the book and publishing industry. The magazine was launched in 1935 and has an average circulation of 5,000 copies per issue, with a publisher-claimed readership of 25,000. ''Quill & Quire'' reviews ...

'', August 2003.

References

External links

Michael Lynch fonds
- Archival records at The ArQuives: Canada's LGBTQ2+ Archives {{DEFAULTSORT:Lynch, Michael 1944 births 1991 deaths 20th-century Canadian poets 20th-century Canadian male writers AIDS-related deaths in Canada American emigrants to Canada Canadian male poets Canadian non-fiction writers Canadian gay writers Goddard College alumni Canadian LGBTQ journalists LGBTQ people from North Carolina Canadian LGBTQ poets Canadian LGBTQ rights activists LGBTQ studies academics People from Dunn, North Carolina Writers from North Carolina Poets from Toronto University of Iowa alumni Academic staff of the University of Toronto Canadian male non-fiction writers Gay academics 20th-century non-fiction writers 20th-century Canadian LGBTQ people Gay poets Canadian LGBTQ academics