by Rex Wockner
Allan Spear, the first openly gay male legislator in U.S. history, died Oct. 11 in Minneapolis from complications following heart surgery. He was 71.
Spear came out in an article published in the Minneapolis Star in 1974.
He was first elected to the state Senate in 1972 and served until his retirement in 2000, the last eight years as Senate president.
Spear also taught history at the University of Minnesota for 36 years and wrote a notable 1967 book, Black Chicago: The Making of a Negro Ghetto, 1890-1920.
He is survived by his life partner, Junjiro Tsuji.
