virus, but admitted to having several boyfriends in a short period of time. He contracted the virus from one of them in 1979 or 1980. Many of his lovers died of the disease, as did his own brother, Kirk. Thompson states that his brother died in his arms in 1987, months before the first effective AIDS medications were released to the public. Thompson died on August 23, 2016, in Palm Springs, California, where he moved after his husband's death. His cause of death was undetermined, but it was believed he fell or fainted due to illness or side effects from his medication. Tribute Thompson was honored in 2017 along with other notables, named on bronze bootprints, as part of San Francisco South of Market Leather History Alley. Notable works References External links Mark Thompson and Malcolm Boyd oral history interview with The Lavender Effect 1952 births 2016 deaths People from Monterey County, California People from Los Angeles Writers from Palm Springs, California San Francisco State University alumni Journalists from California American gay writers Radical Faeries members People with HIV/AIDS LGBT people from California American LGBT journalists