Activist and Poet William Brandon Lacy Campos Dies at 35

PHOTOS: TWITTER/FACEBOOK

Celebrated poet, activist and author William Brandon Lacy Campos has died. Campos' body was discovered in New York City late Friday, according to a Facebook status made by his father. Campos had been HIV positive for the past ten years. He was only 35.

"I am living this life as lovingly as I can be as flawed as I am," Campos reportedly said in one of his last Facebook messages. "My saving grace is that the God in which I believe has sent me more love than I Could believe my due and that love I have been able to share to u. To u amor."

Campos was the co-executive director of Queers for Economic Justice and a prominent figure within the nation's social activist and "artivist" communities. He was also a prolific blogger, social media personality, poet and author. Brandon Campos was the author of the poetry collection It Ain't Truth If It Doesn't Hurt. Campos was also a contributor to the critically-acclaimed 2011 anthology From Macho to Mariposa: New Gay Latino Fiction.

"Brandon Campos was luminous," New York City-based writer, scholar and social activist Darnell Moore told Rod 2.0. Moore is the co-author with former NFL player Wade Davis of a bi-monthly column on Black masculinity for  Huffington Post's "Gay Voices." "Campos was full of love and light. He yearned to be in community with others. "

The Minnesota-born Campos' great-great uncle was the early and preeminent Black historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the second Black man to be awarded a doctorate from Harvard University and the founder of Black History Month. Campos was also a social activist and founding member of the Green Party LGBT caucus.

Campos was multi-racial and discussed the intersections of race, colorism, sexuality and gender while delivering the keynote address at Tuft University's annual Black Solidarity Day on Monday, November 6. The speech was called "A New Kind of Blackness."

"I've spent a long time thinking about blackness. About, roughly, all of my 35 years walking around this planet. I guess that makes me some sort of an expert, but mostly it makes me confused, angry, celebratory, conflicted, colonized, dehumanized, aggrandized, powerful, vulnerable, righteous, and a whole host of other adjectives.

"I am standing in front of you a black, white, Ojibwe, Afro-Boricua, HIV positive, queer man. And I am just as black as any of you. You are my community, you are my salvation. I am in community with my queer and trans black family and being queer or trans doesn't make you less black than anyone else. It's time for us to realize that HIV stopped being a white gay disease a long time ago, it's now a black and Latin[o] disease and it's time to hold up our positive brothers and sisters as our own. No more high yellow and midnight blue conversations when talking about skin unless its to talk about how that high yellow or midnight blue person rocked your socks last night."

"I [initially] thought Brandon was a bit unhinged and too daring at times," Chicago-based poet, author and youth activist Tim'm West told Rod 2.0. The two sat on the November 2010 panel "Live OUT Loud: Men of Color Creating HIV Awareness Through Art and Activism" at New York York University . "Brandon was passionately transparent and committed to embodying a freedom most of us only pay lip service to. I know of no one else like him, which deepens the loss.

In addition to his many literary achievements, Campos' also connected with many people by being honest about his serostatus and battles with crystal methamphetamine, friends and colleagues tell R20. Campos wrote a compelling essay on this for TheBody.com entitled "Queer, Poz and Colored." Campos humorously described himself as a "hot mess."

I went to one of the best public high schools in the United States, and I am a college graduate. I am a writer that has been published in a number of anthologies. I was the only non-Ph.D. candidate to co-author a chapter in a book that will be out this fall concerning queer history in Minneapolis/St. Paul. I have had a play taught at Macalester College, I have guest lectured at a number of colleges and universities, and I had my first magazine column when I was 21 years old.

I am also queer, HIV positive, a recovering meth addict, and on occasion, a hot mess. I developed my meth addiction AFTER testing positive. Following my first and most extreme paranoid episode, where I believed the FBI were on a flight with me from Albuquerque to Minnesota, I called every person I loved, including my mother, while crying in the airport, believing I was about to be arrested and taken to jail, and told each of them that I was a drug addict and HIV positive. I totally went over my minutes that evening. I spent roughly six months in rehab at the Pride Institute in Minneapolis, and to this day, I struggle with recovery.

Campos' last blog for TheBody.com was on Monday. The title: "Why Voting Matters: Barack Obama, I Got You."

News of Campos' death spread quickly across cyberspace. Kenyon Farrow, the author, social actvist and very good friend of the deceased, was among the first to report the tragic news and dozens of tributes have been posted to Farrow's Facebook. "I'm still in shock to find out less than an hour ago that my friend William Brandon Lacy Campos," the former executive director of Queers for Economic Justice said in a Facebook status mesage.  "I'm in a state of disbelief."

Author and editor La Marr Jurelle Bruce also posted the news late last night. "[Campos] was a prism that shined love," wrote Bruce, a doctoral student in African-American history at Yale University and a contrbuting editor to For Colored Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Still Not Enough. "He gladly received it when you beamed it back to him. Surely he's swimming, floating, twirling, dancing and glowing inside unspeakable, unfathomable love right now."

Campos had many talents and "will have an incredible lasting legacy," Virginia-based novelist Rodney Lofton told R20. "The last time I saw Brandon, we were in New York City shooting a documentary together for [filmmaker] Maurice Jamal. A number of years had passed since we worked on queer youth issues with the National Youth Advocacy Coalition. But Brandon was still the same man I met in 2000," said the author of No More Tomorrows and The Day I Stopped Being Pretty. "Focused, determined, energetic and passionate. He took lemons and made lemonade."

Chicago-based writer and cultural critic L. Michael Gipson also knew Campos for many years. "I met Brandon when he was about 22 years old. I knew him to be a fierce and courageous warrior for LGBTQ rights, a drop dead gorgeous man, and one of the brightest lights you ever had the privilege to see," Gipson told R20.

"His death has made reminded me how short life can be," added Gipson, the editor of Soultracks.com and curator of a popular Facebook micro-blog. "It's frightened me into wondering if we will see another wave of premature gay male deaths like in the 1980s. It feels like I've begun burying a steady trickle of people, none who've made 50."

Brandon Lacy was 35-years-old. There is no word yet on burial or final arrangements.

Comments

[Eugene]

How did he die???

[Concerned Friend]

This is distasteful and upsetting. A day has past and already the charlatans who did not know Brandon are constructing their own narrative of his life, and posturing themselves as close friends. It pains me to see this... It is so disrespectful and disingenuous.

[DT]

I only met Brandon once but was immediately impressed by him. So sorry for the loss. And as always, beautifully written Rod.

[GRA]

so, so sorry to hear this news. i did not know him but have read his work.

[Faith]

I didn't know Brandon but noticed a post by my friend on facebook about his death. Googled him and noticed that as of June 2012, he began anti-HIV drug treatment for the first time on the advice of his doctor. In spite of having been asymptomatic for years. I suspect the drug treatment was not good for him. (understatement)...

[Nathan James]

It was my privilege to.know Brandon, and to participate with him (and Taylor Siluwe) in the PANIC! literary series here in NYC. Brandon was a gifted writer, and a passionate activist. The anthologies in which our works appear are living memories of his artistry. He, like too many other friends, is gone far too soon. God bless you, Brandon, and rest your soul.

[LJ]

I do remember him from way back in Minneapolis when we were both gay youth who went to District 202, a center for GLBT youth. I thought he was a little snot with an elitist attitude and entitlement complex, and had no interest talking to someone who grew up with more than 10 of us combined and at the same time went on and on about racism and all this other bullshit - sorry, I didn't like the guy.
However, I don't wish any harm or bad endings to anyone's life. But I do leave you with this: as gay men, we often treat each other horribly and then wonder why nobody shows up to help while we are going through our own personal hell, or don't want to live anymore, or whatnot. It's the WAY YOU TREAT PEOPLE while you're alive that decides that. If you want to be respected, loved, cherished, and comforted during your worst moments, it's not that hard - you can start by losing the attitude that you're rich, overeducated and better than everyone else.

[jab]

To Faith (who posted Nov. 10 at 22:03):

It is grossly irresponsible of you to wildly speculate without any evidence that being on HIV medication for a few months is what killed Mr. Campos.

[Former COGIC]

Co-signing what Jab said. Faith's comment is very irresponsible. We have no idea how or why Brandon died. It is also very reckless to push the meme that antiretrovitrals kill people who are "asymptomatic for years."

And I'm sorry, but I find it ridiculous and outrageous to even suggest that in this day and age, someone is diagnosed as HIV positive and NEVER took any medications for ten years.

Girl, have a seat. Take several seats.

[Andy]

How did he pass?

[genaro]

lo siento no lo conoci pero estamos en la misma

[adult onesie australia]

That's sad. Whenever people die, it's always a sad thing. It just so happens that he is one big part of the art community and he died in that fashion. It's hard to deal with.

[iAm(A)ga(Y)te-keeper]

WOW THIS IS A SURPRISE, RIP.

[MG]

It's not unusual for someone to go ten years without symptoms or reaching the CD4 levels that are used as a guide for when to begin HIV treatment. But what has become increasingly understood over the last decade is that lack of symptoms does not mean a lack of damage to the body. Specifically, HIV infection--like other viral infections such as CMV--dramatically increases levels of inflammation, and inflammation damages organs and blood vessels (this is seen in a wide spectrum of conditions and is not specific to HIV). This is why when intermittent HIV treatment based on preserving CD4 counts was studied in a huge randomized trial (the SMART study, involving 5,000+ people), interrupting treatment doubled the risk of cardiovascular disease. I don't want to contribute to the speculation about the cause of William Brandon Campos's death, but I think in the face of attempts by AIDS denialists to promote their BS it's important to note that sudden cardiac death is a one possible manifestation of cardiovascular disease (risk is increased about 4-fold in people with HIV). By suppressing HIV replication, HIV treatment greatly reduces inflammation, and the ongoing START trial of earlier vs. later initiation of therapy should answer the question of whether this can reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (and other inflammation-related conditions).

[Demetrius]

Mr.Campos' death is very sad to hear and most certainly an incredibly terrible loss to those who knew and loved him. Regardless of cause of death, it was still premature and while I did not completely share his views of life, his pain in living at times I can relate to. May he rest from his battles and come back one day with renewed life and new hopes.

[B.L.Fowler]

I'm sorry to hear about this death. But I'm curious to learn what caused his death; it surely wasn't his HIV, and certainly could not be anything associated with, So when you have the facts, pleas be sure to post it.

Thank you,
B.L.Fowler
www.authorblfowler.blogspot.com

[jim]

this is the first i have ever heard of him. And WOW.... THE WORLD HAS LOST SOMEONE GREAT AND YOUNG... I hope his dreams, and visions can carry on....I can only thank him for being him, and my thoughts our with his family..... They should be very proud... And he would want them to be happy, and celebrate his life. And thank them for being part of it.... This will be hard for his mother and father... as he was and always will be their baby... But Mom and Dad you gave the world this great man. I thank you....

[Warry]

Didn't know him or his work yet I feel a great loss in his passing at 35. Why bother to want to know how he passed? Get a life if you're curious!(That information is for his for his family) How would knowing that change the situation that he's gone. Just so so sad. Condolances to his family for their loss :(.

[Tony]

35? It could have been HIV. Wow.

[Tony]

Or it couldn't have been HIV? Could it?

[K. Mclean]

Pull the claws in folks. Two things are obvious. 1) A gay brother was lost and will be missed by the many who knew him...RIP Brother! 2) In 2012 there is STILL so much misinformation about this disease which many of US deal with on a daily basis. Rod, I know you and this site can not be everything to everybody but would you ever consider a separate section of this board where people could ask questions to hiv/aids DOCTORS or people from the CDC who could answer these questions with facts? To many falsehoods are eroding the conversation at a time when the black community is being greatly compromised by this disease. Maybe Dr Malebranch(CDC) or someone else there would be willing to answer questions free of charge. Just a thought.

[Mark]

In the case of our amazing, talented departed soul Brandon, the cause of death is important to know and to share. He went to great lengths to share his life struggles with us, and was painfully honest about race, gay life, his HIV and his drug addiction. To wallpaper over the cause of death because it might somehow diminish his life seems to miss the point -- his point -- entirely.

Those of us in recovery have a saying, "we are as sick as our secrets." However Brandon died, it should be known, shared, and discussed openly, because Brandon was a great teacher and he might have one more important lesson for us all.

Mark
MyFabulousDisease.com

[David]

I agree Mark! The fact that his cause of death has not been released only leads to speculation and for those of us who are healthy and on meds, we'd like to know that this sort of thing won't happen to us. I know as gay men we all have our little secrets and some of us live lives that not even our best friends know about. With so many temptations out there in our community, it is so easy to be sidetracked. Even if it is just for one night of bliss. Healthy young POZ men do not just up and die any more for no cause. There is a lot not being said here. I think the family should just swallow their pride and come out with it. It won't change who he was or what he did for our community. WE'RE ALL HUMAN. And nobody has the right to pass judgement. But for our own well-being and health...out with it already! How did he die!?

[David]

In response to "MG" in regards to the effects that HIV has on your system with no apparent increase in viral load etc...I was undetectable for over three years on my own without any meds, and even without these meds, I was seen by my doctor every three months to monitor my health. Blood work was down each time. So, I understand that HIV may have effects on the body, but if someone is getting routine checkups, detecting cardiovascular disease should be easy. Most HIV+ people are able to battle and overcome most diseases because they get check ups more often than HIV- people, and therefore can treat and attack the illness before it gets out of hand. I didn't know William, but he doesn't sound like someone who would neglect his health to the point where he would just die. Just saying...

[Adam]

Just because he is dead doesn't mean it was hiv or aids related..Y can't you believe he might of died naturally who knows couldve been a homicide.