It’s not really Hard Copy’s style to announce a death as news but Andrea Gibson was a phenomenal fuckin’ burst of light on this planet and we’d like to take the opportunity to make you aware of them and their work if you’re not already a fan. As an activist and poet – as well as a friend and lover to many – Gibson’s words and deeds reached a wide audience. They encouraged subjects to move toward authenticity and love – love for one’s self, others, and our planet. Gibson identified as genderqueer and much of her poetry takes up gender identity, social justice, politics, and queerness. They won multiple poetry slam awards and authored seven books in their 49 years. In 2023 Gibson was appointed Colorado’s Poet Laureate. Gibson and their wife are also the main subjects of the award-winning documentary Come See Me in the Good Light, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2025. If you’ve never heard of them, watching the documentary is a great place to start. In 2021 Gibson underwent a radical hysterectomy and chemotherapy (see our coverage of Get It Out: On the Politics of Hysterectomy, which is coincidentally featured in this edition of HC), but ultimately died of ovarian cancer. Below, we’ve included a recording of her beautiful performance of “Maga Hat in the Chemo Room” that they recorded for the NPR Tiny Desk Contest in 2023. It’s well worth the 6.5 minutes my dears. Trust me.
Let’s celebrate the life of Andrea Gibson, Colorado’s queer poet laureate
