Candace Gingrich
Candace Gingrich in 2008
Born (1966-06-02) June 2, 1966
NationalityAmerican
Alma materIndiana University of Pennsylvania
OccupationLGBT rights activist
Spouses
Rebecca Jones
​
​
(m. 2009; sep. 2013)​
    ​
    (m. 2017)​
    RelativesNewt Gingrich (half-brother)

    Candace Gingrich (/ˈɡɪŋɡrɪk/; born June 2, 1966) is an American LGBT rights activist at the Human Rights Campaign. Candace is the half-sibling[1] of former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.[2]

    Early life

    Candace Gingrich was born to Robert and Kathleen (Daugherty) Gingrich[3] on June 2, 1966. Gingrich attended high school at Central Dauphin East High School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania,[4] and graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1989.[5]

    Activism

    Although Gingrich's sexual orientation was publicly reported on as early as 1994,[6] they first gained significant press attention in 1995 as a spokesperson for gay rights.[7][8][9] They served as the Human Rights Campaign's National Coming Out Project Spokesperson for 1995 and were named one of Esquire's "Women We Love" and "Women of the Year" for Ms. magazine. They are currently the Senior Manager of the Human Rights Campaign's Youth & Campus Outreach, as well as the Human Rights Campaign's HRC University Internship Program coordinator.[10] Their autobiography, Accidental Activist: A Personal and Political Memoir, was released in 1996.[11]

    Public appearances

    Gingrich has guest-starred on the television sitcom Friends in January 1996, in which they officiated over a commitment ceremony for two recurring characters in the episode "The One With the Lesbian Wedding".[12] They also appeared on the debut of Al Franken's TV program Lateline in 1998.[13]

    Gingrich endorsed President Barack Obama in 2012, despite Newt Gingrich's candidacy for the Republican nomination.[14]

    Personal life

    Gingrich married playwright Rebecca Jones in 2009.[15] The Gingrich-Joneses lived in Hyattsville, Maryland, where Gingrich played rugby with the Washington Furies.[16] The couple initiated their divorce in 2013.[17][18] In 2017, Gingrich married Kelly Cassidy, a member of the Illinois House of Representatives.[19]

    Gingrich is genderqueer and a lesbian[18] and goes by they/them pronouns.[20]

    See also

    • Gingrich appears in A Union in Wait, a 2001 documentary film about same-sex marriage.

    References

    1. ↑ "Blog: Candace Gingrich". Human Rights Campaign. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
    2. ↑ Seelye, Katharine. Speaker's Sister Now Speaking Out, The New York Times, March 6, 1995. Retrieved on February 29, 2020.
    3. ↑ (September 25, 2003). Kathleen Gingrich: Mother of former house speaker, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
    4. ↑ (April 20, 1996). Newt and Sister Agree to Disagree, York Daily Record ("The Central Dauphin East High School graduate is fighting to implement what ...")
    5. ↑ Foreman, Chris (October 12, 2004). Candace Gingrich argues gay rights are about equality Archived October 22, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
    6. ↑ (November 24, 1994). Gingrich Opts for Gay Tolerance, Eugene Register Guard (Associated Press story)
    7. ↑ May, A.L. (March 6, 1995). Gingrich's lesbian half-sister speaks, Spartanburg Herald-Journal (Cox News Service story)
    8. ↑ (March 7, 1995). Gingrich: I don't mix family and politics, Reading Eagle (Associated Press story)
    9. ↑ Isikoff, Michael (March 12, 1995). Gingrich: Newt's Gay Sister Gets Out Front, Newsweek
    10. ↑ Wynne, Sharon Kennedy (June 23, 2005). A Conversation with Candice Gingrich, St Petersburg Times
    11. ↑ Harlan, Megan (September 13, 1996). The Accidental Activist: A Personal and Political Memoir (review), Entertainment Weekly
    12. ↑ Stewart, Richard (January 21, 1996). 'Friends' episode preempted due to lesbian wedding, Observer-Reporter (reprint of Houston Chronicle story)
    13. ↑ Shales, Tom (March 20, 1998). Test run of 'lateline' sitcom attempts satire about media and politics, The Ledger
    14. ↑ Shahid, Aliyah. Gingrich’s sister: I'm voting for Obama!, New York Daily News, December 8, 2011. Retrieved on February 29, 2020.
    15. ↑ Benac, Nancy (December 18, 2011). Ex-speaker offers new Newt Gingrich for 2012 Archived September 4, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, The Detroit News ("She says Gingrich and wife Callista sent wedding and shower gifts when she married Rebecca Jones in 2009")
    16. ↑ Guy Adams (January 14, 2012). "Why Newt Gingrich's sister says vote Obama". The Independent. UK. Retrieved January 23, 2012.
    17. ↑ Abcarian, Robin (November 19, 2013). "Cheney sisters' gay-marriage fight: A Gingrich has some advice". Retrieved May 30, 2017 – via LA Times.
    18. 1 2 "HRC's Candace Gingrich—Newt's Lesbian Genderqueer Sis—on the Hideous Trump Ticket". July 15, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
    19. ↑ Sfondeles, Tina (July 2, 2019). "Kelly Cassidy — 'in the game' to win". Chicago Sun-Times.
    20. ↑ Houston, Henry (June 20, 2019). "(Pride) In the Name of Love – Eugene Weekly". Retrieved June 1, 2021.
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