Brian Kennedy (journalist)

Not to be confused with Brian Kennedy (singer)

Brian Kennedy (died 29 December 1990) was a journalist and LGBT rights activist who helped set up the London Lesbian and Gay Centre and the Pink Singers.

Career
Kennedy graduated from the University of York with a DPhil in Biochemistry in 1974 and thereafter researched cancer at the Open University. He then moved into journalism, writing for City Limits and other publications about HIV and AIDS before they became prominent in the mainstream press. He also mediated between the gay community and the Metropolitan Police, gaining the respect of the latter for his work.

Brian Kennedy Award
After his death in 1990, the Gay Business Association created the Brian Kennedy Award in his name to recognize people who have made a significant contribution to the gay and lesbian communities. Recipients of the Brian Kennedy Award include Angela Mason, Nick Partridge, Chris Smith MP, Ken Livingstone and Ann Keen MP, who received the award after she proposed an amendment to the Crime and Disorder Bill 1998 which would have equalised the age of consent.