Andrew S. Cray (June 11, 1986 – August 28, 2014) was an American
LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term is a ...
rights activist and political figure. Cray played a central role in securing new nationwide LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections as part of the
Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...
, partnering with the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
and the
Department of Health and Human Services
The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is " ...
to create the Out2Enroll initiative to connect LGBTQ people with health insurance coverage options, assisting with the passage of the HOPE Act to make organ donation and transplantation more accessible to people with
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 immune ...
, and drafting new provisions addressing the needs of LGBTQ youth for the
Runaway and Homeless Youth Act
The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA, originally the Runaway Youth Act) is a US law originally passed in 1974 as Title III of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. The bill sets the federal definition of homeless youth, and forms ...
.
Early life and education
Andrew Cray was born in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, the child of Steven and Ardis Cray. Cray was valedictorian of the
Chippewa Falls High School
Chippewa Falls Senior High School is a public high school located in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. To locals, the high school is referred to as "Chi-Hi". The school belongs to the Big Rivers Conference of the WIAA. The school mascot is the Cardinal.
...
Class of 2004. In addition to achieving high marks academically, he was a multi-instrument musician who played the drums, clarinet, keyboard and trombone. Cray was student director of the school concert band and a recipient of the John Philip Sousa award.
After high school, he received his bachelor's degree from Northwestern University and his J.D. degree from the University of Michigan Law School. During his time at Northwestern, Cray was the activism chair for Rainbow Alliance.
Career
After coming out as a
transgender man
A trans man is a man who was assigned female at birth. The label of transgender man is not always interchangeable with that of transsexual man, although the two labels are often used in this way. ''Transgender'' is an umbrella term that inclu ...
during college, Cray began his career as a legal fellow and policy analyst with the National Coalition for LGBT Health, where he served as the lead researcher and author of the coalition's comprehensive report on LGBTQ veterans’ health. Cray served as a Law Fellow at the
National LGBTQ Task Force
The National LGBTQ Task Force is an American social justice advocacy non-profit organizing the grassroots power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community. Also known as The Task Force, the organization supports act ...
in 2009, where he was tasked with writing recommendations for inclusion in the health reform legislation being debated in the United States Congress. Cray then became a health law and policy fellow at the
National Center for Transgender Equality
The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) is a nonprofit social equality organization founded in 2003 by transgender activist Mara Keisling in Washington, D.C. The organization works primarily in the areas of policy advocacy and media ...
, where he advocated for access to affordable, high-quality health care for transgender people. Andrew was a founding member of Trans Legal Advocates of Washington, which trains attorneys on transgender legal issues and operates pro bono legal clinics for transgender clients.
Beginning in 2012, Cray served as a Policy Analyst for the
Center for American Progress
The Center for American Progress (CAP) is a public policy research and advocacy organization which presents a liberal viewpoint on economic and social issues. It has its headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The president and chief executive officer ...
's LGBTQ Research and Communications Project. Cray's research focused on LGBTQ inclusion and engagement in state implementation of the
Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...
, health insurance policies that improve coverage for LGBTQ families, LGBTQ-inclusive data collection, and LGBTQ youth. Cray spearheaded efforts to obtain transgender-inclusive health insurance policies in several U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Among his federal policy work, Cray played a critical role as a founder of Out2Enroll, a nationwide initiative that connects LGBTQ people and their families with health insurance coverage options.
Cray participated in an event at the White House to celebrate the enrollment of more than 8 million people into health insurance following the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Cray received a standing ovation from attendees. Paulette Aniskoff, director of the
White House Office of Public Engagement
The White House Office of Public Engagement is a unit of the White House Office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States. Under the administration of President Barack Obama, it was called the White House Office of Public ...
, said Cray's contributions to the Affordable Care Act were integral to the successful implementation of the law.
Personal life and death
In August 2014, Cray married future State Senator
Sarah McBride
Sarah McBride (born August 9, 1990) is an American activist and politician who has been a Democratic member of the Delaware Senate since January 2021. She was previously the National Press Secretary of the Human Rights Campaign. After winning ...
after he received a terminal cancer diagnosis.
Episcopal
Episcopal may refer to:
*Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church
*Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese
*Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name
** Episcopal Church (United State ...
Bishop
Gene Robinson
Vicky Gene Robinson (born May 29, 1947) is a former bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. Robinson was elected bishop coadjutor in 2003 and succeeded as bishop diocesan in March 2004. Before becoming bishop, he served as Canon to th ...
presided at their ceremony. Four days after their wedding, Cray died from
oral cancer
Oral cancer, also known as mouth cancer, is cancer of the lining of the lips, mouth, or upper throat. In the mouth, it most commonly starts as a painless white patch, that thickens, develops red patches, an ulcer, and continues to grow. When on ...
.
Cray was the grandson of the late
Seymour Cray
Seymour Roger Cray (September 28, 1925 – October 5, 1996 ) was an American
Cray Research
Cray Inc., a subsidiary of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, is an American supercomputer manufacturer headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It also manufactures systems for data storage and analytics. Several Cray supercomputer systems are listed i ...
.
Legacy
In October 2014,
President Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
posthumously awarded Cray as a "Champion of Change" for his contributions to LGBTQ health. In 2014, the National Center for Transgender Equality created a Law Fellowship and Award in Honor of Cray. In 2017, a scholarship fund in Cray's name was created to support post-secondary opportunities for LGBTQ youth in Wisconsin.