As most of you know, Bonnie Tinker was killed in a bike accident in Virginia Thursday. Bonnie was an amazing mother, caregiver, activist and woman. She touched so many people, and made great strides for the gay and lesbian community, as well as other causes she stood for.

You can see the ways she touched people in her community in some blog posts we posted below. We offer this page to you, and to start a discussion in remembrance of Bonnie…her great work, her caring and lively spirit, and her fearless way of speaking truth.

From Zundel : I feel a sudden and painful loss, leaving a gaping hole in my fabric of Portland. I don’t know how to describe the absence. She wasn’t my friend. If I flatter myself, I could have once called her colleague and ally: rarer than a friend. I enjoyed working with her. Not for the fun, though she could do that, but for the mental stimulation and her honesty.

She made a fierce ally. I remember sitting with her privately at Friends’ in July ’04 and frankly discussing the stark chance of defeating Measure 36. I remember her the year before in that same room trying to add her integrity and realism to the amorphous coalition opposing the invasion of Iraq.

From Altaira H’s Blog: For me, Bonnie was an ever-reliable voice of reason. She offered me water at that first Pride, and we talked about favorite sunscreen lotions. She struck me as kind, pragmatic, and cautious. I had no idea that she was such a prominent community member. At my first Measure 13 phone bank shift, she helped resolve an argument between other volunteers. Then she suggested we take a break and eat. When everyone else wanted to focus on politics, Bonnie would look at human need.

From Imperfect Serenity Friends described Bonnie’s tireless work for the program Love Makes a Family, which educated people about and advocated for families with gay and lesbian parents. Since that work often brought her into confrontation with people who didn’t share her perspective on the issue, Bonnie’s other passion was teaching people how to communicate across differences in a loving and compassionate way, while still being true to their convictions.

Please feel free to share your thoughts and stories.

Posted by admin on Saturday, July 4th, 2009 at 11:51 am.