Brian John Coyle (June 25, 1944 – August 23, 1991) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

community leader, elected official, and gay activist. Coyle was one of the founders of the alternative newspaper ''

Hundred Flowers The Hundred Flowers Campaign, also termed the Hundred Flowers Movement (), was a period from 1956 to 1957 in the People's Republic of China during which the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) encouraged citizens to openly express their opinions of t ...

''.

Biography

Brian John Coyle was born on June 25, 1944 in

Great Falls, Montana Great Falls is the third most populous city in the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Cascade County. The population was 60,442 according to the 2020 census. The city covers an area of and is the principal city of the Great Falls, M ...

. He was raised in Moorhead, Minnesota and graduated from Moorhead High School. He received his BA degree from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

(Minneapolis campus) in 1967. While at the University, Coyle was a member of Students for a Democratic Society and a writer for the '' Minnesota Daily''. He organized the first Vietnam ' teach-in' at the University, and originated the Free University. After graduating from the University, Coyle taught humanities at

Moorhead State University Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) is a public university in Moorhead, Minnesota. The school has an enrollment of 7,534 students in 2019 and 266 full-time faculty members. MSUM is a part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities s ...

for one year, where he was indicted for failure to register for the draft, but was acquitted as a

conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to object ...

. He returned to Minneapolis in 1968, worked at the Twin Cities Draft Information Center, and was one of the founders of the alternative newspaper ''

''. He worked as national office coordinator for the New American Movement and directed the National Campaign to Impeach Nixon, and founded the Progressive Roundtable. During this time (1971), he publicly came out as gay.

1970s and later

Locally, Coyle spent much time in the mid-to-late-1970s working on tenants' rights issues, and campaigning (unsuccessfully) for a rent control ordinance. He was also active in powerline protests in rural Minnesota (along with future Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone). From 1979-1981, Coyle organized with Minnesotans Against the Downtown Dome (MADD), a coalition opposed to the construction of a subsidized sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis. In 1978, Coyle ran as an independent candidate for US Senator, in a special election to complete the term of

Hubert Humphrey Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was an American pharmacist and politician who served as the 38th vice president of the United States from 1965 to 1969. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Mi ...

(losing to

David Durenberger David Ferdinand Durenberger (born August 19, 1934) is a retired American politician and attorney. Durenberger represented Minnesota in the United States Senate as a Republican from 1978 to 1995. He left the Republican Party in 2005 and has become ...

). In 1979, he ran for Mayor of

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

(losing to DFL'er Don Fraser). He ran for the

Minneapolis City Council The Minneapolis City Council is the lawmaking body of Minneapolis. It consists of 13 members, elected from separate wards to four-year terms, via a ranked-choice method. The council structure has been in place since the 1950s. In recent elections ...

(Ward 6) in 1981, but lost to incumbent Jackie Slater in a close race. In 1983, he won election to the City Council, where he concentrated on affordable housing, human rights, economic development, the environment and transportation. Coyle also fought for light rail transportation and domestic partner benefits. He served as council vice president. He was one of 13 openly gay elected officials at the International Network of Lesbian and Gay Officials (INLGO) Conference in 1985. Coyle served three terms on the City Council. He was diagnosed as

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 ...

-positive in 1986, but this was not known publicly until 1991, the same year that he died from AIDS-related complications, aged 47. Ford House is a memorial to Coyle. A

community center, a neighborhood garden and a

Human Rights Campaign The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for LGB ...

leadership award also carry his name. On October 13, 1996, a commissioned bust of Coyle, created by artist Deborah Richert, was unveiled in the rotunda of Minneapolis' City Hall.

Notes

External links

Brian Coyle Community Center
in

Cedar-Riverside, Minneapolis Cedar-Riverside, also referred to as the West Bank, or simply Riverside, is a neighborhood within Minneapolis, Minnesota. Its boundaries are the Mississippi River to the north and east, Interstate 94 to the south, and Hiawatha Avenue and Inters ...

Brian Coyle Community Garden
in

Elliot Park, Minneapolis Elliot Park is a neighborhood within the larger Central community in Minneapolis. It was the home of some of Minneapolis's wealthiest citizens in Minneapolis's early years. As the city grew and encompassed the neighborhood, most of the wealt ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Coyle, Brian 1944 births 1991 deaths 20th-century American politicians AIDS-related deaths in Minnesota American conscientious objectors American human rights activists Anti–Vietnam War activists Gay politicians American LGBT city council members American LGBT rights activists LGBT people from Montana LGBT people from Minnesota Minneapolis City Council members Minnesota State University Moorhead faculty Politicians from Great Falls, Montana Politicians from Minneapolis University of Minnesota alumni