Stories of Pride: James Bryson Died Last Week

James Bryson, an eighty-four-year-old businessman died of Alzheimer’s disease last week.

Who?

Bryson was an insurance company owner in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania; his firm capitalized on a marketplace niche by insuring risks that were declined by other insurance carriers. And in doing so, James Bryson became an advocate for LGBTQ rights and a philanthropist who helped LGBTQ youth in the Philadelphia area.

That’s who.

James Bryson gave money to groups such as the Human Rights Campaign, creating a workplace initiative to focus on equality for LGBTQ employees at major companies. He created, and funded, the Bryson Institute for Sexual and Gender Diversity Education at the Attic Youth Center in Philadelphia, established in 1993 as a welcoming place for LGBTQ youth.

James Bryson used his institute to provide education and training about the issues facing LGBTQ youth in local schools, social service agencies, and religious organizations. He was committed to advancing public policy for LGBTQ people, and spent time educating and lobbying lawmakers at the state and federal level.

James Bryson did all of this despite living the first half of his life as a closeted gay man, his family said:

“Jim was very much in the closet in the first half of his life, and he knew how hard that was for other young people struggling to be themselves in unaccepting environments. So, he was very focused on helping other LGBTQ young people avoid the kind of [censure] he felt growing up.”

Another event that shook James Bryson to his core, and spurred on his generosity and philanthropy, was the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard; his daughter, Elizabeth Beers says:

“He said, ‘This should never happen to another human being.' He said, ‘What can we do to support young people growing up?’ That’s how the Bryson Institute came to be."

In addition to LGBTQ causes, Bryson gave to Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania and the Support Center for Child Advocates in Philadelphia. He was married to Elizabeth Marvin for sixteen years, and fathered two daughters, before divorcing in 1982 when he came out as gay.

He was a convener of the Philadelphia OutGivers and helped to establish the Human Rights Campaign [HRC] Philadelphia Steering and Political Committees and the HRC National Business Council. He was also a founding member of ActionAIDS and the Delaware Valley Legacy Fund, which supports the needs of the LGBTQ community.

In addition to his daughter. Elizabeth Beers, and his former wife, Elizabeth Cecil, he is also survived by daughter Jennifer Alderman and four grandchildren.

And he is survived by every single one of us. He may have taken a while to come to understand and accept his sexual orientation, but when he came out, he came all the way out, and helped make the way safer, and easier, for those who came after him.

Thank you, James.

The Philadelphia Inquirer