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Written just for NKyTribune by Paul A. Tenkotte, PhD
William Bill Kraus was one of the most significant homosexual and lesbian rights activists in American history (1947 1986).
Kraus was born on June 26, 1947, in Cincinnati, and spent his first 14 years of life at his parents’ house, located at 12 Idaho Avenue in Fort Mitchell. He completed the seventh grade at Fort Mitchell’s Blessed Sacrament School.
Kraus finished primary school at St. Anne’s in Colerain Township, Ohio, after the family relocated there. His brother Michael claimed that Kraus was an active member of the St. Xavier Forensics Club at his high school, St. Xavier, in Cincinnati, where he graduated in 1965 (Michael Kraus, Kraus, Bill in Paul A. Tenkotte and James C. Claypool, eds. The Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2009).
After high school, Kraus spent a year at Dartmouth College before transferring to Ohio State University, where he graduated with a BA and an MA in history. He relocated to San Francisco in 1972 and was active in politics there.
In 1977, Kraus was the coordinator of the Harvey Milk Get Out the Vote campaign. After winning the election in 1930, Harvey Milk became one of the first openly gay lawmakers in the country. Kraus later became one of Milk’s assistants.
San Franciscans Against Proposition 6, a state referendum that aimed to restrict the rights of homosexual and lesbian teachers in California, chose Kraus as its co-campaign manager in 1978. Milk and Kraus succeeded in defeating Proposition 6 with the help of an editorial written by former California Governor Ronald Reagan (1911 2004) opposing the measure (Encyclopaedia of Northern Kentucky).
Harvey Milk was killed in November 1978. After being appointed as Milk’s replacement, Karus then worked as a campaign manager and assistant to Harry Britt, who successfully ran for reelection both the first time and the second time. Kraus took over as president of the Harvey Milk Club, which was formerly the San Francisco Gay Democratic Club, in 1979 (Encyclopaedia of Northern Kentucky).
Kraus and US Representative Phillip Phil Burton (1926–1983), both of whom were born in Cincinnati, crossed paths at one of the most intriguing points in history. Kraus cochaired Burton’s successful reelection campaign in 1982.
Burton then gave Kraus a job in his office as an administrative assistant, where he worked to secure the first-ever congressional funding for AIDS research in the history of the United States. Kraus continued to work for US Representative Sala Burton (1925–1987), Burton’s wife and successor, following Burton’s untimely death.
Kraus received an AIDS diagnosis in October 1984. He unsuccessfully sought experimental treatment in Paris, France. He passed away in San Francisco on January 11, 1986.
Randy Shilts’ book And the Band Played On, which was later adapted into a movie of the same name, glorified Kraus’ life. Ian McKellan, an actor, portrayed Kraus. He is honored by the Bill Kraus Meadow in Corona Heights Park in San Francisco, which offers a breathtaking view of the city (Encyclopaedia of Northern Kentucky).
For additional details about homosexual and lesbian rights from the time of Bill Kraus and Harvey Milk, see:
The film Milk, which starred Sean Penn, Randy Shilts, and the band, was released.
Paul A. Tenkotte, PhD, is a history professor at Northern Kentucky University (NKU) and the editor of the weekly series Our Rich History. Check out the ten years of previous essays at nkytribune.com/our-rich-history. Tenkotte is also the Director of the Ohio River Valley Innovation Library and Learning Engagement, or ORVILLE Project. His email address is [email protected].