Thinking of the wonderful Bob Franke, who passed away over the holidays at the age of 78. I feel very grateful to have had the opportunity to interview this truly memorable and inspiring man about his fight against HIV discrimination in long term care.

Thank you again, Michael Wichita at the AARP for producing this story for the Bulletin last year:

When the Reverend Dr. Franke decided he was no longer able to care for himself, he relocated to Little Rock, AR, to be closer to his family. After a thorough search for just the right place, he applied to – and was accepted by – a tony assisted living facility in North Little Rock where he thought he could be happy. Less than a day after he moved in, Dr. Franke was forced to move out of his new home because of his HIV-status. With the help of Lambda Legal, the family sued; the case settled in 2010.

“I thought it was an injustice. They have no right to throw us out, and I’m not gonna allow them to do that.

What if there are many other older people, and this is the first wave of them, who are not used to speaking out about anything, and they’ll just quietly pack up their blankets and leave? And I thought, damn, that’s not right.”    

Dr. Robert Franke, 1933-2011

For more information on the Franke family’s legal case that challenged unlawful housing discrimination in a civil suit, read about it at Lambda Legal and check out our featurette and reference page at The Graying of AIDS.