Shane Bitney Crone (born December 19, 1985) is an American filmmaker, writer, speaker, and advocate for

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 ...

rights.

Early life

Crone was born in

Kalispell, Montana Kalispell (, Montana Salish: Ql̓ispé, Kutenai language: kqayaqawakⱡuʔnam) is a city in, and the county seat of, Flathead County, Montana, United States. The 2020 census put Kalispell's population at 24,558. In Montana's northwest region ...

. He moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

after high school graduation.

Career

"It Could Happen to You"

Crone made headlines in May 2012 when he released a video on YouTube titled "It Could Happen to You," in which he spoke of the devastation he faced after the unexpected death of his longtime partner, Tom Bridegroom a year earlier. Bridegroom was an actor and songwriter who hosted the TV series ''

The X Effect MTV is an American cable television channel which was the first television channel dedicated to music, music industry and history in the United States upon its founding in 1981. MTV Networks has since produced various original television shows, ...

''. While Crone's family was loving and accepting of his sexual orientation, Bridegroom's family was not, and had gone so far as to threaten Bridegroom with physical violence and to blame Crone for "making" their son gay. After Bridegroom accidentally fell to his death while photographing his friend on the roof of her four-story apartment building, Crone was threatened with physical violence if he attended Bridegroom's funeral and was not mentioned in Bridegroom's obituary or memorial service. Crone had also been denied hospital visitations and other rights accorded married couples because he was not recognized as Bridegroom's partner or as family. Crone's plea for rights for same-sex couples became one of the most widely viewed clips on YouTube shortly after its release. Crone told RadarOnline.com that he made the video as a form of therapy to help him deal with his loss and to further positive change for same-sex couples in the United States."The 10-Minute Video That May Change Your Life," GoPride.com, http://chicago.gopride.com/news/article.cfm/articleid/29206816 . Posted 9 May 2012.

''Bridegroom''

Bridegroom A bridegroom (often shortened to groom) is a man who is about to be married or who is newlywed. When marrying, the bridegroom's future spouse (if female) is usually referred to as the bride. A bridegroom is typically attended by a best man ...

'', a documentary directed by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, based on the story of Crone's and Bridegroom's relationship and the difficulties Crone faced after his partner's death, premiered on April 23, 2013, at the

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was f ...

. Former President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...

introduced the documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival, commenting, "This is really, on one level, a wonderful, sad, heartbreaking yet exhilarating and life-affirming story ... and on another level, it's a story about our nation's struggle to make one more step in forming a more perfect union, for which marriage is both the symbol and substance." ''Bridegroom'' won the Tribeca Film Festival Audience's non-fiction award.

Personal life

On February 15, 2016, Crone announced that he was in a relationship with ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

'' finalist

Rayvon Owen Rayvon Owen (born June 27, 1991) is an American singer and musician. He is notable for appearing on the fourteenth season of ''American Idol'', where he finished in fourth place. Owen served as the host for the reality competition series '' The ...

. He appeared as the romantic lead in Owen's music video "Can't Fight It". They announced their engagement in 2018, after Crone proposed to Owen on stage at a

Demi Lovato Demetria Devonne Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992), known as Demi Lovato, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), Lovato rose to prominence for pl ...

concert.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Crone, Shane Bitney 1985 births 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American writers Activists from California American male film actors American male television actors American gay actors American gay writers Filmmakers from California Filmmakers from Montana LGBT people from California LGBT people from Montana American LGBT rights activists Living people Male actors from Montana Male actors from Los Angeles People from Kalispell, Montana Writers from Los Angeles Writers from Montana