William Waybourn - The Outwords Archive

William and his mother Mildred Waybourn in Matador, TX, circa 1949. Photo courtesy of William Waybourn.

A college portrait of William Waybourn in Levelland, TX, circa 1966. Photo courtesy of William Waybourn.

William on a date before “coming to grips with being gay”, Dallas, TX, circa 1970. William says, “note the wide tie.” Photo courtesy of William Waybourn.

William at his surprise birthday party thrown by his friends, Dallas, TX, circa 1979. William shares, “unfortunately, very few people in this photo survived AIDS.” Photo courtesy of William Waybourn.

Unidentified Christians inspecting their flat tires in Dallas, TX, circa 1982. William shares, “A fundamentalist church would send its followers to the “Gay Crossroads” Cedar Springs area on weekends to “minister” to LGBTQ people on the street, who were coming out of our store or local bars. The “preachers” were rude and obnoxious, so one night several of us found their bus parked several blocks away and removed the valve stems from their tires.” Photo courtesy of William Waybourn.

William Waybourn and his partner Craig Spaulding in Dallas, TX, circa 1985. William shares, “A selfie long before selfies were in vogue.” Photo courtesy of William Waybourn.

Gay activists gathered outside the Crossroads Market for an impromptu food drive, Dallas, TX, circa 1985. William shares, “In the 80s, our store was a hotbed of activism and political organizing – some group was out front every weekend recruiting volunteers for the next demonstration, working behind the scenes, etc. Many initiatives began inside the store. When Bill discovered that two guys with AIDS didn't have any food, he put a sign in the front window asking people to drop off a can of food. By the next morning, the entrance to the store was overwhelmed with packages of food. And again the next day, and the next, and finally we had so much food that we created a food bank that is still in existence today. The community responded in ways we never imagined.” Photo courtesy of William Waybourn.

Terry Tebedo and Bill Nelson, William’s close friends and business partners, announcing the new interior color (“Harlow”) of the Crossroads Market (William’s store) after the devastating fire that burned it to the ground, Dallas, TX, circa 1986. William shares, “that same year, Terry was diagnosed with AIDS-related non-Hodgins’ Lymphoma. Terry died in 1988, and Bill died two years later. We started the store with 12 gay men. By 1990, only three survived.” Photo courtesy of William Waybourn.

William Waybourn and Board Members of the Dallas Gay Alliance (Bill Hunt, Jeffrey Campbell, Joe Desmond and Ken Flannagan) at the Gay Pride Parade, Dallas, TX, circa 1986. Photo courtesy of William Waybourn.

Terry Tebedo and noted entertainer Paul Williams in Tebedo’s hospital room, Dallas, TX, circa 1986. William shares, “After Terry Tebedo’s diagnosis of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, he had surgery to remove his spleen that was enlarged by chemotherapy. We arranged for Paul Williams to visit.” Photo courtesy of William Waybourn.

A vacant lot that gay activists turned into a potter’s field, Dallas, TX, 1986. William shares, “we highlighted the fact that the City of Dallas had spent $500,000 filling it with dirt while having only spent only $55,000 on AIDS that same year. We also turned the vacant lot into a field of crosses symbolizing each person that had died of AIDS in Dallas County -- almost 700.” Photo courtesy of William Waybourn.

William wrapping the Texas Capitol in symbolic red tape during an AIDS demonstration in front of religious protestors, Austin, TX, circa 1987. Photo courtesy of William Waybourn.

William Maybourn, Jim Holobaugh (the first military

William Waybourn with honored guests Dallas City Councilman Al Lipscomb and Councilwoman Dianne Ragsdale at the Dallas Black-Tie Dinner, Dallas, TX, circa 1987. William shares, “Both were staunch advocates on the council for LGBTQ causes, in contrast to other closeted gay councilmembers serving at the same time.” Photo courtesy of William Waybourn.

William Waybourn and Harvey Fierstein, Dallas, TX, circa 1988. William shares, “Harvey came to Dallas to support us after Judge Jack Hampton gave a murderer a lighter sentence because he

Bill Nelson and William Waybourn speaking with two police officers at the City Hall Plaza memorial for Terry Tebedo after his funeral earlier that day, Dallas, TX, January 28th, 1988. They are standing next to a chalk outline of a body on the sidewalk that represents Nelson's partner, Terry Tebedo. Written inside the chalk outline is the number 641, representing the number of AIDS casualties at the time of Tebedo’s death in 1988. Photo courtesy of William Waybourn.

The newspaper headline reads, “Gay Activism Takes Guts” next to a photo of some of the 610 chalk outlines (representing AIDS victims’ bodies) on City Hall Plaza, City Hall, Dallas, TX, May 1988. William shares, “The mayor said we defaced city property. She later apologized and visited our Center to make amends. She ultimately served on the AIDS Resource Center’s Advisory Board.” Photo courtesy of William Waybourn.

William Waybourn and his partner Craig Spaulding on a sofa at Linda Mitchell’s house watching the evening news, Dallas, TX, circa 1988. William shares, “Linda taped every news program on her VCR and later donated all the clips to The Dallas Way history project.” Photo courtesy of William Waybourn.

A display of the Dallas Names Project quilt panels, before joining the national quilt for display on the U.S. Mall, Dallas, TX, circa 1990. William shares, “I started to view the quilts at Fair Park and again later when it was on full display on the National Mall. After getting 10 or 15 feet into the panels, I turned around and left. It was too overwhelming to see the panels of friends who had died of AIDS.” Photo courtesy of William Waybourn.

A quilt panel that reads, “Terry Tebedo | “Memory-Maker”” with three doves in flight, on display for the Names Project, Dallas, TX, 1990. Photo courtesy of William Waybourn.

William Waybourn and close friend Eric Fanning in Washington, DC, circa 1994. William shares, “Fanning later became the highest ranking LGBT person in the Pentagon as the first “out” Secretary of the Army.” Photo courtesy of William Waybourn.

William standing next to his wall of LGBTQ heroes in his Victory Fund office, Washington, DC, circa 1994. Photo courtesy of William Waybourn.

A portrait of William taken in his Victory Fund office, Washington, DC, circa 1994. Photo courtesy of William Waybourn.

William Waybourn addressing a Victory Fund event, circa 1994. Photo courtesy of William Waybourn.

William Waybourn and Colonel Grethe Cammermeyer raising money for her campaign, Washington, DC, circa 1995. William shares, “I had already left the Victory Fund for GLAAD but wanted to help Grethe's campaign as she had made many appearances on behalf of the Victory Fund after her dismissal from the Army. When her movie

L-R: Charles Longstaff, William Waybourn, Craig Spaulding, and Charles Johnson at the Crossroads Market in Dallas, TX, 1995. William shares, “This was during one of the many Crossroads Market “parties” we held during store hours to liven up things during an otherwise bleak period of AIDS sickness and death.” Photo courtesy of William Waybourn.

William Waybourn and lesbian/gay filmmakers on the set of Conspiracy Theory with Mel Gibson, Hollywood, CA, circa 1996. William shares, “As head of GLAAD, I wrote Gibson a letter about Braveheart because how he portrayed gays in his movies hurt us. Much to my surprise, he contacted me, and we had a couple of one-on-one meetings to talk about ‘issues.’ Afterwards he wanted to know what he could do and I suggested he help lesbian and gay directors make their films. Not only did Gibson help, but he arranged for Director Richard Doner, Julia Roberts and Patrick Stewart to be available, as well. Gibson quit with anti-gay themes in his movies, but continued to embarrass himself with his prejudices. One of the characters in a film was named ‘Waybourn.’” Photo courtesy of William Waybourn.

William Waybourn, Waybourn, Jehan Agrama, Michael Keegan, and Niles Hyde Pierce at the GLAAD Awards Dinner, Los Angeles, CA, circa 1996. William shares, “As head of GLAAD, I hired a professional producer for the dinner and it raised more than $1 million.” Photo courtesy of William Waybourn.

L-R: Former Victory Fund Executive Director Brian Bond, Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and William Waybourn at a Victory Fund event, Washington, DC, circa 1996. William shares, “During my tenure at the Victory Fund, I supported Tammy in her successful race as a Dane County (WI) Supervisor. During Brian’s tenure, the Victory Fund supported her successful race as a U.S. Congresswoman.” Photo courtesy of William Waybourn.

A self-portrait of William Waybourn “when learning how to switch from film to digital cameras”, Washington, DC, circa 2005. Photo courtesy of William Waybourn.

Partner Craig Spaulding and William Waybourn on their wedding day in Delaplane, VA, October 2nd, 2020. William shares, “After 46 years, Craig and I were able to legally get married. And did by an American Airlines Flight Attendant Supervisor (in Virginia) who was based in Dallas and also lost many friends/flight attendants to AIDS.” Photo courtesy of William Waybourn.

William Waybourn was born in 1947 in Houston, Texas, and raised on a farm in Matador, Texas, 95 miles east of Lubbock – in other words, the middle of nowhere. Although Matador was deeply segregated, William’s parents modeled an entirely different set of values. Black patrons were welcomed in through the front door of the family restaurant, and on occasion, Black women fleeing from domestic violence found shelter in the Waybourn home. This example of activism and radical hospitality would shape William’s entire life.

By 1973, William was working at a daily newspaper. There, he met a man named Craig Spaulding. They fell in love and have been together ever since, jointly raising Craig’s daughter Stephanie (who became an activist in her own right).

In 1979, William met Bill Nelson and Terry Tebedo through his friend John Thomas, and started volunteering with the Dallas Gay Alliance (DGA). In the early 1980s, as the disease that would become known as AIDS appeared on the scene, DGA started a foundation to provide financial assistance to people with AIDS, a food bank, youth groups to educate young people about AIDS, and a legal hospice which gave free legal services to people who needed it.

A turning point came when DGA found out that the county hospital in Dallas, then known as Parkland, was letting patients die waiting for medications and hospital beds because it would be “too expensive” to treat them. DGA sued the hospital; and to everyone’s profound surprise, the conservative judge overseeing the lawsuit ordered an end to the waiting lists right there in the courtroom.

Throughout all this, William and Craig watched their friends die in staggering numbers, including eventually Bill Nelson and Terry Tebedo. Around the same time, William met Ron Woodroof, a volunteer at the center. Ron became involved in the community’s practice of acquiring and redistributing non-FDA approved experimental medicine through whatever means it could, a story that was later dramatized in the film Dallas Buyers Club.

A turning point in William’s activism occurred in 1990, when Ann Richards won her race for governor of Texas with support from Emily’s List, an organization which raises money to help elect Democratic women to office. He asked: Why can’t the gay community do that? Within a year, William and Craig had packed their bags and moved to suburban Washington DC, where William founded the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund. In its 30 years, the Fund has helped train and elect thousands of LGBTQ+ officials across the US.

Within a few years of founding the Victory Fund, William handed it off and turned to his next challenge: the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), which was trying to get the media to present fairer, more positive portrayals of queer people. When William took over at GLAAD, it was floundering. He united it, fortified it, and set its path to becoming one of the most visible and influential queer advocacy organizations in the US, complete with glitzy fundraisers and celebrity spokespeople.

Today, William and Craig live in Linden, VA, where they run a number of DC-area businesses including three restaurants, two hair salons, and an art gallery. When a TV reporter asked William and Craig if they ever argued, Craig said they’d had an argument once, but couldn’t remember what it had been about.

That’s William and his co-pilot Craig in a nutshell: much more interested in loving and doing than in fighting. They survived profound losses in the AIDS epidemic which forged their paths as activists, and they haven’t looked back since.

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