We at the Latino Commission on AIDS want to express our deep sadness at the passing of Co-Founder and Co-Director of Housing Works Keith Cylar. Common wisdom is that everyone is replaceable. There are no core friends or enemies, only core interests. If anyone proves this saying wrong it is Keith. There are few people who worked as tirelessly as Keith on behalf of the poor, LGBT people, men and women who use drugs, the homeless, the disenfranchised, people with HIV, people of color and just about anybody who did not have a voice.

He was loud when others remained silent. He could shame any bureaucrat into action (by any means necessary). He put his body in harm’s way on countless occasions, spending innumerable hours behind bars to try to wake people up to injustice. He was a national figure on the AIDS scene, promoting the successful model of client empowerment and entrepreneurship to address social ills. He consoled the families of countless friends who were clients who had lost loved ones.

I never minded that Keith did not show up for a meeting at which he was expected because I knew he was always doing something more important. You had the sense after talking with Keith that no power structure was unbeatable. He played the inside game of politics very well and knew how to hit hard from the outside. And he made us laugh by always verbalizing what was on everybody’s mind. I watched him grow into a bridge-builder, coalition forger, and team player. I am sure he would shudder at this accolade.

And we must not forget what an important source of strength and motivation Keith was to Charles King. Their partnership changed over time but it never wavered. We cannot think of a more successful and passionate brotherhood. We all have to be there with love for Charles and the entire staff of Housing Works. While I served on the Board of Housing Works, they were both “really” in charge. They worked as one – two sides of the same hand.

It is hard to close this note because we feel that by ending the words we are letting go. Letting go of the vibrant laughter, the outlandish rhetoric, the challenge to our settled ideas. We are so lucky and blessed for having known him. This community we operate in will never be the same.

Dennis deLeon.
Latino Commission on AIDS