Plotkin, Lee, 1959-

Born July 8, 1959 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, LGBT activist Lee Plotkin emerged as the de facto spokesman for the Las Vegas gay community in the mid-1980s after coming out of the closet in 1977. Plotkin was an effective public voice of the community for more than two decades. In addition to serving as the community's media point man, Plotkin had positions with the Southern Nevada Association of Pride, Inc., Golden Rainbow, Aid for AIDS of Nevada, and the Campaign for Liberty. Plotkin worked as a lobbyist in the 1993 repeal of Nevada's sodomy law. In 1994, he successfully helped the Campaign for Liberty defeat an anti-gay initiative petition effort mounted by the Nevada Citizens' Alliance. He also helped organize local demonstrations of National Coming Out Day. Additionally, he wrote political commentary for the Las Vegas Bugle, Q-Tribe, and Las Vegas CityLife. Twice honored at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center's annual Honorarium, Plotkin also served as executive director in Nevada of the National Conference for Community and Justice and was appointed by Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn to a three-year term on the Nevada Equal Rights Commission.

Source:

Lee Plotkin oral history interviews, 2006 August 02; 2006 August 10; 2006 August 16; and 2006 October 04. OH-02561. Oral History Research Center, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.