The death of Edward Kennedy – considered the most powerful voice in the U.S. Senate for gay rights – as a strong supporter of HIV/AIDS funding, hate crimes legislation and same-sex marriage – struck a blow to gay rights advocates last week.

As the nation mourns his death, we would be remiss not to pay respect to the legacy of “Teddy” Kennedy, 77, who represented Massachusetts in the Senate since 1962.

We clearly know that we’ve lost a key ally and stalwart supporter of GLBT causes, who for decades in the Senate meant there was someone on Capitol Hill never afraid to stand up and say, “This is the right thing to do.”

He did just that on many occasions, early on as an advocate for AIDS research and treatment, securing federal funding so patients could have easier access to experimental drugs, expanding home care and outpatient mental health care.

For this we are grateful to Kennedy who worked closely with GLBT leaders and helped us to build strong allegiances with many of the “folks who live on the Hill.”

Kennedy’s work in advocating for GLBT rights spanned the course of his Senate career and he cared about any issue that affected the rights of gay people, even if it was not on his U.S. Senate agenda. For many, the senator was the bridge from the civil rights movement in the ’60s to the gay rights movement in the ’80s.

On every piece of legislation – every piece – Sen. Kennedy was the lead, standing as the strongest voice for the GLBT community in the United States Senate.

A supporter of same-sex marriage, Kennedy in 1996 was among 14 senators to vote on the Senate floor against the Defense of Marriage Act.

When the Federal Marriage Amendment came to the Senate floor in 2004, Kennedy spoke passionately against banning same-sex marriage in the U.S. Constitution.

“Make no mistake, a vote for the federal marriage constitutional amendment is a vote against civil unions, domestic partnerships and other efforts by states to treat gays and lesbians fairly under the law,” Kennedy said. “It is a vote for imposing discrimination, plain and simple, on all 50 states.”

Additionally, Kennedy sought a lead role in repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which prohibits gays from serving openly in the U.S. military.

In 1993, before “DADT” was enacted into law, Kennedy supported an amendment that would have prevented codification of the statute.

We hope the late Senator’s advocacy on the issue will be a catalyst for what will be the repeal of the law in this Congress.

Moreover, Kennedy championed passage of federal hate crimes legislation for more than a decade.

Earlier this year, he introduced the Senate version of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Battling illness, Kennedy was unable in July to cast a vote in favor of an amendment to make a hate crimes provision based on his bill part of major defense department legislation.

Undoubtedly, one of our strongest allies, Kennedy embodied the courage and bravery members of our community so often draw upon. We proudly watched as he historically modeled such strengths in the face of adversity – as he so often did – at one of his last public appearances during President Barack Obama’s inauguration in January.

Deeply saddened by the loss of one of our greatest allies, the GLBT community now looks to President Obama and the late senator’s fellow legislators for that ray of hope, as several pieces of legislation affecting our community – from the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act and “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” to health care reform – lie in their hands. We call on him to reflect on the type of ally that Sen. Kennedy was to us, and to allow his legacy to live on in his leadership.

After same-sex marriage became legal in Massachusetts, when Kennedy would see the brave men and women at fundraisers and other public events – the first same-sex couples who took the major leap into the land of the unknown – he would always say, “I want to thank you for your courage; I want to thank you for your perseverance.”

Now it’s our turn to say “Thank you for your courage and perseverance. Thank you for always fighting the good fight for us.”

We know you will continue to keep watch, as you have moved on from the Hill and risen into the sky.