Literary Passing: Dr. Betty Berzon

I got a call this morning that a vanguard of the queer literary scene passed away. Dr. Betty Berzon, a psychotherapist who promoted the well being of queer lives, won a Lambda Literary Prize for her memoir "Surviving Madness".

She had worked on several books on queer mental health, including "Positively Gay." She did a lot of work in educating everyone about the problems and solutions of being queeer in America.

I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Berzon when she would support events at Skylight Bookstore. I also had the honor of interviewing her for a magazine piece on the 10th anniversary death of her friend writer Paul Monette.

She is survived by her longtime companion, Terry deCrecenzo. (I can't begin to tell you how heartbreaking it was to get that phonecall.)