“My capacity for loving is not locked into a specific gender. It’s the individual that I’m attracted to. Gender comes with that individual and that’s how I’ve identified myself for several decades now.” – ABilly S. Jones-Hennin
The term "trailblazer" often gets tossed around, but in the case of ABilly S. Jones-Hennin, it fits with unparalleled precision. A lifelong activist, ABilly dedicated his life to reshaping the landscape of social justice and intersectional advocacy, and as an esteemed champion for the bi+ community, the broader LGBTQ+ movement, and specifically the BIPOC queer community, his work transcended labels and united disparate causes. His unwavering commitment to advancing equity for numerous marginalized groups—whether fighting for bisexual visibility, African American civil rights, LGBTQ+ liberation, or disability justice—set a powerful precedent for what it means to champion both inclusion and solidarity. ABilly’s unique ability to bridge often-segregated struggles demonstrated his deep understanding that liberation is inherently interconnected. Reflecting this ethos, ABilly famously once stated in a Metro Weekly interview, “I am [an] activist till death do I part. Once it gets in your blood, you may step back, but you can’t take it away.” It is thus imperative to honor ABilly S. Jones-Hennin’s remarkable accomplishments and ensure that his transformative contributions remain an enduring part of history.
Born Lannie Bess on March 21st, 1942, in St. John's, Antigua, ABilly’s early life was marked by a profound act of transformation when at the age of three, he was adopted by American civil rights activists who brought him to Richmond, Virginia. His adoptive parents renamed him Allen Billy Scott Jones, though he would later modify this to ABilly, a distinctive amalgamation of his two first names. Explaining this choice, ABilly once shared: “The A actually stood for a name, my godparent's name, and I didn't have it in me to drop my godparent's name because I was afraid they would come out of the grave and slap me. The same with the S. My grandparent's name on my mother's side. In my culture, the boys carry the maiden name of their mother because it's a way of following your roots.”
ABilly was raised in both Virginia and South Carolina alongside nine other adopted children in a home his father fondly referred to as a “rehab and nursing center.” ABilly’s parents were deeply involved in the civil rights movement of the 1950s and encouraged their children to participate; by his early teens, ABilly was already engaging in demonstrations, including in lunch counter sit-ins. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps for several years before returning to pursue a higher education at Virginia State University. During this time, he became actively involved both in protests against the Vietnam War and with the Black Panther movement. Then in 1963, at the age of 21, ABilly attended the historic March on Washington. He graduated from Virginia State University in 1967 with a degree in business and accounting, and then began working as a qualitative researcher. He later furthered his education by earning a master’s degree in social work from Howard University.
From an early age, ABilly S. Jones-Hennin recognized his attraction to both men and women, though he initially attempted to identify as gay. Following his father’s advice, he married a woman, and the couple settled in Columbia, Maryland, where they had three children. After seven years together, however, ABilly and his wife amicably separated. ABilly later reflected that the separation occurred after he had come out as gay but before he had fully realized and embraced his bisexuality. Despite the end of their marriage, he maintained a close relationship with his ex-wife, shared joint custody of their children, and often remarked on the remarkable support his children provided throughout his life.
In 1977, ABilly relocated to Washington, D.C., where he began to more openly identify as bisexual. Reflecting on his journey, he shared: “I knew early on that I was attracted to boys as well as girls and then later to men as well as women, but did not have the language for it. I slowly identified myself as gay, but calling myself gay didn’t totally fit me. Eventually, I was fortunate enough to meet several bisexual activists and came to awareness and acceptance of myself as bisexual.”
The 1970s also marked the beginning of ABilly’s deep involvement in LGBTQ+ activism. His engagement began when he started attending meetings of the Gay Activists Alliance, one of the leading LGBTQ+ organizations of the era. At these meetings, however, he noticed that he was often the only African American in attendance, a realization that both troubled and motivated him to focus on organizing specifically within the African American LGBTQ+ community. In 1978, he co-founded the Baltimore-D.C. Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays, whose name was later shortened to the much simpler “D.C. Coalition”. The organization’s tagline, “As proud of our gayness as we are of our Blackness,” captured its mission to embrace and advocate for both racial and sexual identity. The Coalition’s incredible success inspired similar groups to form in other cities, ultimately leading to the establishment of the National Coalition of Black Gays (NCBG), later renamed the National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays (NCBLG)—the first national advocacy organization for gay and lesbian African Americans. ABilly later recalled the urgency of this work: “There was a need for a homogenous organization in the African American community that would be addressing the issue of homophobia within the Black community. None of the other organizations were doing that at that time. What they were doing, if anything, was reacting to homophobia when it surfaced its head, and they felt the sting of it coming from the Black community. You really have to address homophobia not just when you get stung by it, but even when it’s dormant. You have to address it [at] all times.”
In that same year, ABilly also founded the Gay Married Men’s Association, where he met his longtime partner, Chris Hennin, a white man. This relationship inspired ABilly to co-found the D.C. chapter of Black and White Men Together, an organization dedicated to fostering understanding and community in gay relationships across racial lines. Three decades later, ABilly added Chris’s surname to his own, and in 2014, the couple legally married shortly after marriage equality became a reality.
ABilly’s leadership and activism reached new heights in 1979, when he served as logistics coordinator for the first ever March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. Simultaneously, he helped organize the National Third World LGBT Conference, held that very same weekend at Howard University, the historically Black college. ABilly regarded the conference as even more significant than the March on Washington, reflecting: “The Third World Conference was the first national gathering of LGBT people of color. For us, it was more important than the March on Washington. You’ve got to remember, this was a gathering of 300 people composed of American-Indian LGBT persons, Latino LGBT persons, Asian LGBT persons, African-American LGBT persons and allies, attending this conference Friday, Saturday and Sunday. And there were caucus groups along gender lines, along racial/ethnic lines, along special-interest lines. There were workshops. Audre Lorde was the keynote speaker. There was a lot going on.”
When asked if he recalled any details from Audre Lorde’s keynote speech at the National Third World LGBT Conference, ABilly S. Jones-Hennin candidly admitted that he had fallen asleep: “Look, I was tired. [Laughs.] When you’re at the front line of organizing and even on the day of, you’re running around taking care of small details, dealing with the hotel, and dealing with the attendees and you’re trying to smile, and did I remember to zip up my fly? And do I have the right outfit on? Please! You think I’m going to sit there and listen to a speech? I feel asleep. But I was in the room!” In fact, ABilly recalled that the dual responsibilities of coordinating both the conference and the March on Washington had truly taken quite a toll on him: “It was more than what I expected, but I was exhausted. You’ve got to remember, we had been organizing the LGBT Third World Conference. I had resigned as the logistics coordinator about two weeks prior to the march to focus 100 percent on the Third World Conference. That conference was very much a success, but you could have found me on any given day in a corner, asleep. Someone showed me a photograph from the March where I’d sat under a tree and fallen asleep. That’s how exhausted I was.” Despite his exhaustion, the success of the Third World Conference was profound, leading to the founding of the Howard University Lambda Student Alliance, the first known LGBTQ+ organization at a historically Black college or university in the United States.
In 1979, ABilly was notably a part of the first delegation of LGBTQ+ people of color to meet with representatives of the Jimmy Carter administration, an event organized by the National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays (NCBLG). This groundbreaking meeting served as a wake-up call to national LGBTQ+ organizations, highlighting the urgent need to include African Americans and other people of color in their leadership and advocacy efforts. In the early 1980s, ABilly co-founded the Langston Hughes-Eleanor Roosevelt Democratic Club alongside fellow activists Colevia Carter and Melvin Boozer. The organization was established in response to both the lack of racial diversity and the underrepresentation of women in the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, one of the most prominent LGBTQ+ political groups in Washington, D.C. at the time.
As the AIDS epidemic emerged in the early-to-mid 1980s, ABilly was forced to shift his focus toward HIV/AIDS education and support. Together with his partner Chris Hennin, he became actively involved with the Whitman-Walker Clinic, a D.C.-based nonprofit community health center specializing in HIV/AIDS care and LGBTQ+ health services. The couple began to dedicate much of their time to educating the public about the disease and to providing direct support to individuals affected by it. ABilly at one point described their tireless work: “We gave people whatever they needed. We did their grocery shopping, took them to doctors’ appointments. People often didn’t have any supportive family. We’d provide any support they needed: do laundry, do dishes, clean up the house, clean them up and just be there and be present. When they were at a stage of taking medication, we made sure that they did. Sometimes, they’d be on the verge of suicide, and we’d do as much intervention as we could. If that meant standing there all night with them to help them get through that aspect of mental health that they needed, that’s what we did. We did what needed to be done.” Eventually, ABilly’s dedication was recognized when he became the Social Director of the Sunnye Sherman AIDS Education and Prevention Service at the Whitman-Walker Clinic. He also later served on the advisory board for Whitman-Walker’s Max Robinson Center, furthering his contributions to the fight against the epidemic.
The latter half of the 1980s saw ABilly continue his HIV/AIDS advocacy when he became the Director of Minority AIDS Programs for the National AIDS Network and joined the operating board of HIPS (Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive). In 1986, ABilly and the NCBLG organized the first ever national conference to address HIV/AIDS within the African American community, with notable support from the U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop. By 1989, ABilly was appointed to lead the Minority AIDS Program in Washington, D.C.
As the 1990s approached, however, ABilly began shifting his focus towards disability activism, prompted by his own health challenges which included a devastating diagnosis of spinal stenosis. Despite the debilitating nature of his condition, ABilly remained deeply involved in advocacy, often speaking out in particular about the need for combating homophobia within healthcare settings. His ability to channel his personal adversity into action underscored his lifelong commitment to justice and equity, a legacy he would continue to carry forward until the end of his life.
Starting in 1998, Abilly S. Jones-Hennin and his partner began spending their winters in Mexico to escape the colder weather, which tended to exacerbate ABilly’s spinal stenosis. His condition eventually required surgical intervention, but despite these health challenges, ABilly remained deeply committed to activism and local politics throughout his later years. In the final years of his life, ABilly also began publicly identifying as queer in addition to bisexual, reflecting his ever-evolving understanding of sexual and gender identity.
After battling complications from both his spinal stenosis as well as the onset of Parkinson’s disease, ABilly passed away on January 19th, 2024, at his winter home in Chetumal, Mexico. He was 81 years old. He left behind his husband and partner of 45 years, his children, ten grandchildren, and eleven great-grandchildren. A memorial service celebrating his life was held at the Metropolitan Community Church in Washington, D.C., where ABilly’s ashes were placed in a crypt.
ABilly’s passing was mourned by countless individuals and organizations, each reflecting on the profound impact of his life’s work. A visionary and a pioneer, ABilly’s advocacy transcended boundaries, as he championed LGBTQ+ rights, bisexual visibility, African American civil rights, disability rights, and quite often the many intersections of these distinct identities. Victoria Kirby York, director of public policy and programs at the National Black Justice Coalition, perhaps captured the essence of ABilly’s legacy best, stating that “he strategized, he organized, and he got people who didn’t otherwise want to be in the same room together to be in the same room, knowing that was the only way we would reach liberation.” ABilly S. Jones-Hennin’s legacy thus stands as a testament to the power of collective action and to the necessity of forging connections across divides. His life and unwavering commitment to activism reminds us that true progress is achieved not by standing apart, but by coming together to pursue justice and equality for all.
REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING
Disclaimer: some of the sources may contain triggering material
Bahrampour, T. (2013, October 5). Gay Men, Lesbians Struggle to Find Caregivers and Old-Age Facilities That Don’t Discriminate. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/gays-and-lesbians-struggle-to-find-caregivers-and-old-age-facilities-that-dont-discriminate/2013/10/05/22d57d0c-2b00-11e3-8ade-a1f23cda135e_story.html
Beeman, G. (2017, November 1). The Importance of Place: LGBT Life in Washington, DC. AHA. https://www.historians.org/perspectives-article/the-importance-of-place-lgbt-life-in-washington-dc-november-2017/
Berger, L. (2019, September). Historic Context Statement for Washington’s LGBTQ Resources. https://planning.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/op/publication/attachments/Historic Context Statement for Washington’s LGBTQ Resources_1.pdf
Calahan, W. P. (2024, January 25). Longtime local and national LGBTQ activist and advocate Abilly S. Jones-Hennin has died. Rainbow History. https://rainbowhistory.org/news/longtime-local-and-national-lgbtq-activist-and-advocate-abilly-s-jones-hennin-has-died/
Chibbaro Jr., L. (2024, January 24). Longtime LGBTQ Advocate Abilly S. Jones-Hennin Dies at 81. Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News. https://www.washingtonblade.com/2024/01/24/obituary-jones-hennin/
Funk, M., Kunath, K., & Jones-Henin, Ab. S. (2016, August 5). ABilly S. Jones-Hennin. The Outwords Archive. https://theoutwordsarchive.org/interview/jones-hennin-abilly/
Kravitz Hoeffner, M. K. (2022, June 15). Bisexual Activist on Love and Losses During the AIDS Epidemic. AARP. https://www.aarp.org/home-family/friends-family/info-2022/abilly-s-jones-hennin.html
Moore, J. D. (1989, August). NABWMT Holds Ninth Annual Convention in Florida. BLK, Vol. 1(No. 9).
O’Bryan, W. (2007, October 17). Past and Present: ABilly S. Jones on Where We’ve Been and How We Got Here. Metro Weekly. https://www.metroweekly.com/2007/10/past-and-present/
Riedel, S. (2024, January 26). Pioneering Black LGBTQ+ Activist Abilly Jones-Hennin Has Died at Age 81. Them. https://www.them.us/story/abilly-jones-hennin-obituary-pioneering-black-lgbtq-activist
Ruthstrom, E. (2024, February 8). Reminiscing About Abilly Jones-Hennin: A Bi+ Trailblazer. Bisexual Resource Center. https://biresource.org/reminiscing-about-abilly-jones-hennin-a-bi-trailblazer/
Smith, H. (2024, January 24). Abilly Jones-Hennin, Longtime Advocate for Gay Rights, Dies at 81. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2024/01/24/abilly-jones-hennin-dead/
Victory, R. (2024, February 15). “I Will Not Lie”: Lessons from A. Billy Jones-Hennin’s Legacy as a Black, Bisexual Man and LGBTQ Activist. Medium. https://medium.com/visiblebiplus/i-will-not-lie-e193cd8caf14