HRC Mourns Loss of Entertainment Icon and LGBTQ+ Activist Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner

WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign is mourning the loss of legendary actor, director and LGBTQ+ activist Rob Reiner and his wife Michele. The Reiners have for years been dedicated supporters of the LGBTQ+ rights movement, co-founding the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) to fight back against Prop 8’s ban on same-sex marriage in California.

HRC President Kelley Robinson issued the following statement: 

“The entire HRC family is devastated by the loss of Rob and Michele Reiner. Rob is nothing short of a legend–his television shows and films are a part of our American history and will continue to bring joy to millions of people across the world. Yet for all his accomplishments in Hollywood, Rob and Michele will most be remembered for their gigantic hearts, and their fierce support for the causes they believed in–including LGBTQ+ equality. So many in our movement remember how Rob and Michele organized their peers, brought strategists and lawyers together, and helped power landmark Supreme Court decisions that made marriage equality the law of the land–and they remained committed to the cause until their final days. The world is a darker place this morning without Rob and Michele–may they rest in power.” 

The Reiners have been longtime allies of the Human Rights Campaign and the entire LGBTQ+ community. They were honored at the 2015 HRC Las Vegas Gala for their work to advance marriage equality. They were also special guests at the 2019 HRC Los Angeles Dinner,  where Rob said “We have to move past singling out transgender, LGBTQ, black, white, Jewish, Muslim, Latino. We have to get way past that and start accepting the idea that we're all human beings. We’re all human beings, we all share the same planet, and we should all have the same rights, period. It's no more complicated than that.”

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The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people, with 3.6 million members and supporters. The HRC Foundation (a 501(c)(3)) works to ensure LGBTQ+ people are safe, seen and supported where it matters most: at school, at work and in every community across the country. From the courtroom to the classroom, from Congress to corporate America, HRC and the HRC Foundation build power through partnerships, storytelling, and action—working to create a future rooted in equity, freedom and belonging for all LGBTQ+ people.