New York, NY – Gay rights activist Jose Julio Sarria passed away in his home in New Mexico Monday morning, reports GLAAD. A World War II veteran, Sarria was the very first openly gay candidate to run for public office in North America, running for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1961. Sarria’s candidacy inspired the LGBT community, who at the time, had no one speaking on their behalf. San Diego City Commissioner Nicole Murray Ramirez, a friend of Sarria’s stated “Jose Julio Sarria was indeed the Rosa Parks of the gay rights movement as an activist in the 1950s and 1960s.” Stuart Milk (nephew of Harvey Milk) has stepped forward, stating that Sarria’s passing is a significant moment in gay history. “Jose Sarria, Founder of the International Court System showed us how to turn a night into a grand occasion and a grand occasion into a means of providing support. That Support led so many who did not “fit in” to actually proudly stand out, together, creating a local sense of community and an international network that would raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for local and major cities. He paved the way for my uncle Harvey Milk to run for public office by being the first openly gay man to put his name on the 1961 ballot and was right there to support Harvey’s first campaign in 1973. Jose’s extraordinary life on this earth has come to an end. And the extraordinary good that he did lives on…We will forever keep Jose in our history books and in our hearts.”