A master of spoken-word performance, Gibson insisted that poetry, especially when read aloud to an audience, was a political act.

Author Andrea Gibson, best known for their spoken word poetry and LGBTQ activism, died after a four-year battle with ovarian cancer.

When the poet Andrea Gibson learned two years ago that their ovarian cancer was incurable, the news marked a turning point; Gibson would often say it led to some of the most joyous moments of their life.