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David Buckel

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David Buckel
Born1957
DiedApril 14, 2018(2018-04-14) (aged 60–61)
Prospect Park, Brooklyn, New York
Cause of deathSelf immolation
NationalityAmerican
OccupationLawyer
Known forLGBT activism; environmental activism

David Stroh Buckel (1957 – April 14, 2018) was an LGBT rights lawyer and environmental activist. He died on April 14, 2018, by self immolation as a protest against the use of fossil fuels.

Activism

Buckel was a senior counsel and marriage project director at Lambda Legal, the American civil rights organization that focuses on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities.[1]

In 2000, Buckel was the lead lawyer on behalf of Brandon Teena, a transgender man who was raped and murdered in Nebraska, when Teena's family recovered damages against negligent law enforcement officers.[2] Buckel stated, "It’s a very important case, not only within Nebraska but nationally."[3] The story inspired the 1999 biographical film Boys Don't Cry. [4]

In 2006, Buckel argued before the New Jersey Supreme Court that "for the government to use the label ‘civil union’ is a considered choice of language that assigns us a second-class status."[5]

Fox News called Buckel "a pioneering lawyer for gay and transgender rights."[6] In a statement to the Huffington Post, Camilla Taylor, Senior Staff attorney for Lambda Legal, stated, "His thoughtful and engaging advocacy broke through many stubborn misconceptions and showed it was possible and necessary for our movement to speak up for bullied, ostracized LGBT young people."[1] Susan Sommer, a former attorney for Lambda Legal, called Buckel "one of the architects of the freedom to marry and marriage equality movement."[7]

Environmental activism

At the time of his death, Buckel was senior organics recovery coordinator with the NYC Compost Project.[8] He previously was a volunteer coordinator of Added Value Red Hook Community Farm, where he practiced composting.[9] He was nominated for a Solid Waste Association of North America Unsung Hero Award for his work in composting and for the environment.[10]

Buckel wrote Guidelines for Urban Community Composting, a guide for compositing in urban areas.[11]

Personal life

Buckel graduated in 1987 from Cornell Law School.[12]

Buckel was partnered with Terry Kaelber, with whom he was raising daughter Hannah Broholm-Vail. Buckel and Kaelber co-parented Hannah with Rona Vail and Cindy Broholm.[13][14]

Death

On April 14, 2018, Buckel's body was found by a passersby in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. It appeared as if he had burned himself to death while protesting fossil fuels. A typed note was found by his body in a manila envelope marked 'To the police'. The note, which was also emailed to The New York Times, stated, "Most humans on the planet now breathe air made unhealthy by fossil fuels, and many die early deaths as a result – my early death by fossil fuel reflects what we are doing to ourselves."[15]

References

  1. ^ a b "David Buckel: US lawyer sets himself on fire in climate protest". BBC. April 15, 2018. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  2. ^ "Damages in Boys Dont Cry Murder Argued Before Nebraska Supreme Court". Lambda Legal. January 9, 2000. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  3. ^ Webster, Teri (April 15, 2018). "David Buckel, 'green' activist and LGBT rights attorney, commits suicide by setting himself on fire". The Blaze. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  4. ^ "'Boys Don't Cry' Lawyer Dies by Setting Himself on Fire in Park". Hollywood Reporter. April 15, 2018. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  5. ^ Nejaime, Douglas. "Framing (In)Equality for Same-Sex Couples". UCLA Law Review. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  6. ^ Hogan, Gwynne; Woods, Amanda (April 15, 2018). "David Buckel, prominent gay rights lawyer, burns himself to death in New York to protest global warming". Fox News. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  7. ^ Mays, Jeffery C. (April 14, 2018). "Prominent Lawyer in Fight for Gay Rights Dies After Setting Himself On Fire in Prospect Park". New York Times. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  8. ^ "David Buckel". Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  9. ^ "NYC: Reaching True Sustainability With Community Composting". The Organic Stream. August 4, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  10. ^ "Introducing… David Buckel". Solid Waste Association of North America. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  11. ^ Buckel, David. "Guidelines for Urban Community Composting" (PDF). Institute for Local Self Reliance. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  12. ^ Wilensky, Joe. "Alumna nurtures Cornell connections through Brooklyn community composting project". Ezra Update. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  13. ^ Sandoval, Edgar; Gioino, Catherina; Brown, Stephen Rex (April 15, 2018). "Lawyer who killed himself in fossil fuels protest 'put his heart and soul' into all his work, colleague says". NY Daily News. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  14. ^ Humm, Andy (May 1–7, 2006). "SAGE CELEBRATES KAELBER'S NINE YEARS AT HELM". 5 (19). Retrieved April 15, 2018. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  15. ^ "Prominent gay rights' attorney dead after apparent self-immolation, police say". CBS News. April 15, 2018. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
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