American queer poet and activist, Andrea Gibson, has sadly passed away at the age of 49; following a diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Their passing was shared in a post which opened with a quote from the writer themselves reading: “Whenever I leave this world, whether it’s sixty years from now, I wouldn’t want anyone to say I lost some battle. I’ll be a winner that day.”
Andrea was the author of seven poetry books and seven spoken word albums which explored themes of gender norms, politics, social justice and other LGBTQ+ topics. They published their first book, Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns in 2008.
In addition to writing poetry, they were also involved in many activist groups, and performed with Vox Feminista a “performance tribe of radical feminists bent on social change through cultural revolution.”
Gibson was also the subject of a documentary, Come See Me in the Good Light, directed by Ryan White, for which Andrea co-wrote the song Salt Then Sour Then Sweet, with executive producers, Sara Bareilles and Brandi Carlile. The film, about Gibson and their experience with cancer, won the Festival Film Favorite Award at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.
The poet has been mourned by many, including Colorado Governor Jared Polis, who named them Poet Laureate of the state. He wrote that Gibson was, “truly one of a kind and will be deeply missed.”
Andrea Gibson sadly passed away on Monday 14th July 2025, “surrounded by their wife, Meg, four ex-girlfriends, their mother and father, dozens of friends, and their three beloved dogs.”
The post, which was accompanied by a photo of Gibson with their dogs, stated: “Andrea Gibson accomplished much on their 49 years on this planet. Though Andrea desperately wished to have lived a longer life, they could not have possibly lived a fuller one.
“Since learning they had cancer in 2021, Andrea has been a champion of finding beauty in unlikely places and gratitude in the hardest hours. Over the last four years, they danced with their diagnosis, and continually aimed their internal compass toward joy. One of the last things Andrea said on this plane was, ‘I f**king loved my life.’”
The post continued: “Not long ago, Andrea wrote a poem titled Love Letter From the Afterlife. In it, they offered this line: ‘I am more here than I ever was before. I am more with you than I ever could have imagined.’ Today, and all days forward, we hope you feel Andrea’s enormous spirit and immense presence beside you…
“Andrea would want you to know that they got their wish. In the end, their heart was covered in stretch marks.”
