➤ HORMEL, from p.15
Human Rights Campaign. He was
a member of the board of directors
of the San Francisco Chamber
of Commerce and the American
Foundation for AIDS Research.
“As a champion for inclusion
and acceptance, Hormel helped
pave the way for the LGBTQ+
community by serving as the fi rst
openly gay ambassador representing
the US and enduring a harsh
and homophobic confi rmation process
in the US Senate,” California
Governor Gavin Newsom stated.
“Hormel’s work to found the Human
Rights Campaign and unwavering
support for those affected
by HIV/AIDS was meaningful and
life-changing for many.”
For many years, Hormel has
been a philanthropist and has
generously supported LGBTQ
and social justice organizations.
He contributed $500,000 to the
San Francisco Public Library to
fund the James C. Hormel Gay
and Lesbian Center at the main
library. (It was renamed the
James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center
in 2016.)
“James Hormel was a trailblazer
whose impacts will be felt in San
Francisco for generations,” Mayor
London Breed stated. “All across
the city, we can see the impacts of
his life, whether it’s in important
institutions he supported like the
AIDS Memorial Grove or our public
library, or in the young people
walking down our streets who live
in the wake of his courage and activism.”
In 2016, Hormel was honored by
the Commonwealth Club of California
as its fi rst Champion of Civil
Rights and Social Justice Award
recipient.
At the time, Commonwealth Club
President and CEO Gloria Duffy,
Ph.D., said, “For decades, Ambassador
Hormel has demonstrated
his courage and dedication, working
to create a more equal and just
society for all. He is an altruistic
activist who has been supportive
and inspirational to many different
communities. He is a dedicated
philanthropist supporting organizations
serving people across the
country affected by HIV and AIDS,
substance abuse, and breast cancer.
We are thrilled to be honoring
this intellectually incisive, wonderful,
generous, and warm community
James Hormel signs his appointment as U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg, during a historic ceremony at the State Department June 29. Hormel is the fi rst
openly gay man to be named a U.S. ambassador.
leader.”
Hormel had been very open
about his private life over the
years, including early struggles
with coming to terms with his sexual
orientation. He fl unked out of
Princeton after his fi rst year, “distracted
by all the men” he said, and
not knowing how to handle it.
Once he was out of the closet,
life got a lot easier, he said.
In 2006, while attending the
Equality Forum dinner in Philadelphia,
Hormel had donated a
table to Swarthmore, his alma
mater, for LGBTQ students. At the
dinner, he met college sophomore
Michael Nguyen. “At age 70-something,
I certainly was not looking”
for a romantic partner, especially
someone two generations younger,
Hormel said in 2016. “But there
was magic when we met.”
“We slowly got to know each
other and I realized it was real,” he
said.
“I realized that we are fi lled
with judgments and preconceptions
about relationships and what
they could look like,” Hormel said.
“I had to overcome my own prejudices
and come to terms with what
is really at the basis of a relationship,
which is how people interact
and connect. It is such a mistake
to make judgments based on appearances
and extraneous information.”
The couple married the day after
Christmas in 2014. The wedding,
he said, was “extraordinarily
beautiful” and “something I never
dreamed could happen.”
Hormel was born January 1,
1933. He was previously married
to Alice Turner before he came out
as a gay man. He had fi ve children
with Turner, many grandchildren,
and is an heir to the Hormel meatpacking
fortune. He came out as
gay in 1967, according to an obituary
prepared by his family.
Hormel and Turner remained
close friends even after their divorce
in 1965, the obituary stated.
During Hormel’s nomination
process for his ambassadorship,
Turner would share, “Jim Hormel
has given enormously to his family,
his community and to this
country. He is just asking to be allowed
to give one more time. This is
a good man.”
Beyond Hormel’s role as an ambassador
for the US, he served in
a variety of other public service
capacities, the obituary stated. He
was alternate representative of the
REUTERS
US delegation to the 51st United
Nations General Assembly in 1996.
He was also a member of the US
delegation to the 51st U.N. Human
Rights Commission, which met in
Geneva in early 1995. In 1995, and
again in 1997, James served on the
Western States Regional Selection
Panel for the President’s Commission
on White House Fellowships.
Hormel was born January 1,
1933, and an heir to the Hormel
meatpacking fortune. He was previously
married to Alice Turner
before he came out as a gay man.
He had fi ve children with Turner,
many grandchildren.
Hormel earned his bachelor’s degree
in history from Swarthmore
College and a law degree from the
University of Chicago Law School.
After law school, Hormel served as
dean of students and the director
of admissions at the University of
Chicago Law School.
This story fi rst appeared in the
Bay Area Reporter.
GayCityNews.com | AUGUST 26 - SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 17
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