Vernita Gray, longtime Illinois LGBT advocate, passes away at 65

Vernita Gray (L) and Patricia Ewart (R)

Same-sex marriage is set to begin on June 1st in Illinois. 

But back in November, an Illinois judge ruled that longtime LGBT activist Vernita Gray (above left) could marry her partner Patricia Ewert (above right) before that date due to Gray's terminal cancer diagnosis.

Gray passed away yesterday at the age of 65.

Gray died late Tuesday of cancer at the same Chicago home where she married Patricia Ewert in late November, family friend Jim Bennett told The Associated Press. Bennett was among friends who were gathered at the home when Gray died.

Gray's failing health and her wish to marry persuaded a federal judge to order that an expedited marriage license be granted to the couple ahead of the June 1 effective date of the state's gay marriage law. A subsequent judge's ruling then paved the way for more same-sex couples to marry early in some Illinois counties.

Gray worked for gay rights for decades, advocating for same-sex marriage long before many other activists saw it as a possibility, Bennett said. To win over conservatives, she made the case that her Social Security survivor benefits should go to her partner, and her knack for working with people across the political spectrum "made everyone feel that they had a unique contribution to move us forward," Bennett said.

Statement from Chicago Mayor Rahn Emmanuel:

"Vernita Gray was an inspiration to all who crossed her path, from President (Barack) Obama, who knew her by name, to the victims of violence she comforted and the young people for whom she was a fierce advocate.

"Her legacy can be felt in the many institutions she supported and by every LGBT couple in Illinois who is now free to marry the person they love."