It is with a broken heart that I am writing this. Helen Adrine Lynam-Sullivan-Bonser passed away at 11:30 PM on June 10th. She was an iconic pillar of the community. Her strength of will was only overpowered by her love. The Spokane LGBTQ+ community was beyond blessed to have such a fierce ally in Helen. She was one of the early members of PFLAG Spokane and remained active in our chapter. She was also one of the first people to take the first step in Spokane’s first PRIDE march. Even with multiple threats of violence and shooting, she didn’t leave. She stood strong and proud with her children.
Spokane has lost a giant in the community and I know that this loss will be mourned for a long time.
Below is an audio recording PFLAG Spokane and Drew Parker did of Helen talking about the first PRIDE PARADE. We felt that this story should be recorded for posterity.
