John Paul Barnich of Houston, the first openly gay man to become a city court judge in Texas, died Monday from diabetes. Barnich was a former board chairman of Houston AIDS Foundation Inc. His partner died from AIDS in 1994. Read Barnich’s full obituary in The Houston Chronicle here.
“It’s very, very personal to me,†Barnich told the author of a study of the disease’s impact on American life. “I tend to react to people who discriminate against people based on their HIV status like a wounded mother grizzly protecting her cubs. … I see my job as making it as costly as possible for them.â€
I have many fond memories of John Paul, from our days together on the board of the AIDS Foundation Houston to Thanksgiving dinner at his home. But the one which always brought out his famous chuckle was the night He, Clair Kopsel, my partne Bill White, and I participated in the ACT UP march during the 1992 Republcain National Cnvention here. As Pat Robertson was addressing his fellow Republicans about the need of a cultureal war, we marched into a deadend street, thanks to the Houston Police, and as John Paul, who rarely saw the near sidfe of 300 pounds, and Clair who never reached even 100, and then Bill and I, poised along the police barracades (shades of storming the Bastile) the polie unleashed their mounted unit and charged the protestors. We undoubtedly presented a pretty sight as we dodged the charging horses. I had always assumed this riot was unseen by the public due to police barring the press but only a couple of months ago John Paul informed me that CNN had captured the drama from a helicopter and his sister in Michigan saw us in our flight. He will be sorely missed.
Pardon the numerous errors in the previous comment but due to limited vision and this small type I could not read to edit.