Ralph Paul Gernhardt | |
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Born | 1934 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
Died | (aged 72) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
Known for | Co-founder of Gay Chicago |
Ralph Paul Gernhardt (1934-2006) was an American publisher who co-founded Gay Chicago. [1] [2]
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]