Senator Ted Kennedy, Champion of Equality, Dies at 77

By now, you've heard the sad news - the United States has lost one of it's most passionate members of the Senate, Edward M. Kennedy. After more than a year's struggle with brain cancer, the 77 year-old politician died Tuesday night. He is survived by his wife, his three children and his two stepchildren.

From President Obama:

For five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health and economic well being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts.

It's difficult to lose such a prolific force for good in politics - particularly as the country continues to struggle with the passage of Health Care reform, a major piece of important legislation for Senator Kennedy.

Kennedy was a champion of many critical and often controversial bills in his lifetime. He is credited with proposing Head Start as part of the 1964 Economic Opportunity Act, supporting Title IX equal access for women, increased student aid for GI's, increased minimum wage, championing the Family and Medical Leave Act,  the No Child Left Behind Act, and the passage of hate crimes legislation.

Mike Jones over at the Change.org Gay Rights Blog shares the following quote from Senator Kennedy on equality, which he spoke about as a leading co-sponsor of the Senate 'Employment Non-Discrimination Act' (ENDA) :

"Ensuring equality for all Americans is the least we can do in living up to the standards of inclusion that this nation is built upon. There is no place for discriminating against any of our citizens for whatever reason and I commend my colleagues for their willingness to champion equal rights for every American."

It is my hope that with his death, we as a country realize how crucial health care reform is to this nation and move forward with it's passage, therefore allowing those who have no access to medical assistance to finally fulfill the promise of a healthy life - which will be one large step on the road to equal opportunity for many people, including women, children, and the poor.