Ralph Paul Gernhardt
Born1934 (1934)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died (aged 72)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Known forCo-founder of Gay Chicago

Ralph Paul Gernhardt (1934-2006) was an American publisher who co-founded Gay Chicago.[1][2]

Life

Born in Chicago, Gernhardt served in the U.S. Air Force and pursued a career in radio.[3] He married Marilyn Ridgedale, with whom he had two children.[3] After relocating to Chicago in the early 1970s, Gernhardt taught radio broadcasting before embarking on his LGBT career.[3]

Throughout his career, Gernhardt co-organized the Gay Athletic Association, sponsored sports teams, and was a founding member of the Gay and Lesbian Press Association.[3] He promoted safer-sex practices, supported anonymous HIV testing, and distributed free condoms.[3] He co-founded "Strike Against AIDS," raising significant funds for HIV/AIDS research, and presented the Gay Chicago Magazine Awards from 1977 to 1992.[3]

In 1975, Gernhardt launched a telephone information line and established the Gay Chicago News in 1976, followed by co-publishing the Gay Chicago Magazine with Dan Di Leo in 1977.[1][3]

Gernhardt died from lung cancer at his home in Chicago on June 4, 2006, at the age of 72.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 "Ralph P. Gernhardt, 72; Co-Founder of Gay Chicago Magazine". Los Angeles Times. June 8, 2006.
  2. ↑ "Obituaries in the News". AP NEWS.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "RALPH PAUL GERNHARDT – Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame".
  4. ↑ "Ralph Paul Gernhardt". Chicago Tribune. 6 June 2006.
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