Trenton, NJ – New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg died Monday morning at the age of 89 after a bout of viral pneumonia took a turn for the worst. The longtime supporter of the LGBT community, sponsoring the federal anti-bullying legislation following the high-profile death of Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi, who committed suicide after his roommate saw an encounter Clementi had with another man. Lautenberg was also a lead sponsor of the bill that repealed “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Human Rights Campaign president Chad Griffin released a statement honoring Lautenberg’s support for the LGBT community: “Senator Lautenberg was a beacon for equality in Congress. He fought for justice with more than simply his vote. He knew bullying in our schools is a scourge, and he stood up to end it. He knew that workplace discrimination and hate crimes erode the freedom of all Americans, so he worked to stop them, session after session.”