Gay rights activist fostered 'sense of community,' dies at age 60

When Jim Huggins first met Randal G. Forrester, the man who would become his partner of 37 years, he was speaking under the pseudonym Frank Woodman at West Virginia University.

Times were different, Huggins said, and homosexuality was still considered a mental illness. But Randy was always Randy.

"Once you met Randy, you would never forget him, because he would make an impact on you," said Huggins, 60, of Fox Chapel. "He was that kind of a person.

"And he spoke his mind with tact, but bluntness. He didn't pull punches if he thought that it was something that needed to be said. And not everybody liked him for that. But they respected him."

Forrester, an icon of the gay rights and AIDS awareness movements in Western Pennsylvania, died Wednesday after a lengthy bout with cancer. He was 60.

Forrester of Fox Chapel boasted an impressive resume.

He founded the region's first gay and lesbian rights organization, the Mattachine Society. In 1972, he and Huggins formed Persad Center Inc., a counseling center dedicated to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.

Later, he served in several statewide organizations, chaired Pittsburgh's Commission on Human Relations and became the first gay person to run for Pittsburgh City Council, friends remembered.

A natural leader, Forrester knew how to reach people, said Chuck Honse, a former president of Lambda Foundation, the fund-raising group for the region's sexual minority, which Forrester also helped form.

"He was a mentor in a great many ways," Honse said. "He instilled that spark of community, that sense of community, in people."

"I think Randy is arguably this region's most influential gay rights figure," said Betty Hill, who succeeded Forrester as executive director of Persad Center. "I can't think of anybody else in this region who has done more for the gay community or the HIV/AIDS community than Randy."

A celebration of Forrester's life will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. May 4 at The Priory, North Side. Forrester requested contributions be made to Persad Center.