Former Czech President Vaclav Havel has died at age 75, according to CNN.com.
Havel, a playwright-turned-political activist, spent four and a half years in prison for opposing Czechslovakia’s Communist government before eventually becoming president of that country, and of the Czech Republic when the country split in two in 1992.
A constant contender for the Nobel Peace Prize, Havel never won, but fought Communism around the world until his death.
He was also an ally of the LGBT community. According to liberalpastor.blogspot.com, Havel was pleased when the Czech Republic’s Chamber of Deputies passed a domestic-partnership law several years ago.
Havel also had said, “I was most intrigued in the debate by the absurd ideology advocated by the Christian Democrats and [Civic Democratic Party co-founder Vaclav] Klaus, who argue that family should have advantages since, unlike homosexual couples, it brings children to life. This is the concept of family as a sort of calf shed in which bulls can inseminate cows so that calves are born.”