[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 146 (Thursday, September 12, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S5468]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REMEMBERING MICHAEL BAUER

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to my friend 
Michael Bauer, who died in late August after a battle with cancer.
  You couldn't miss Michael--he was the outspoken, critical ally of 
scores of boards and organizations in the LGBTQ community of Chicago; 
the first call they made when they needed an effective advocate. When 
the conversation turned to political friends and foes, issues of the 
moment and candidates in the hunt, he never had a private thought or 
waited his turn to share it. And when the music started, Michael was 
the first on the dance floor.
  I met Michael more than 20 years ago as a downstate Congressman 
running for the U.S. Senate. After an introductory dinner with Michael, 
his partner, Roger, and my wife Loretta, Michael gave me a passing 
grade, but I always knew he liked Loretta more.
  His name was first on the list of must-calls for political 
candidates. But if you only knew the public side of Michael, you might 
not have known the fire inside that drove his life. Over time we became 
friends, and that friendship led to trust between us. Michael shared 
with me the private stories, the journey of his life.
  At the center were his parents, survivors of the Holocaust who spent 
their whole lives facing the memories of friends and family who 
perished. Michael knew that they were victims of forces they did not 
have the power to control. He was determined to know more about the 
cruelty and hate they faced. This search took him to the Holocaust 
Memorial Museum, where he carefully reconstructed his family's 
experience. Michael believed that through these efforts, his mother, 
Tema, now 103, was given back the real story of her life in a war that 
sent her to slave labor camps. He said with this research his mother's 
entire memory of the horror of the Holocaust was validated. This search 
for the truth was personal to Michael as the Jewish son of a survivor 
and as a gay man who knew the Nazis targeted and murdered homosexuals 
as well.
  Personally facing the massive loss of life in the Holocaust, I think 
Michael felt a special pain with the AIDS crisis. I remember when he 
told me that fellow members of a board he served on were still not 
taking care to protect themselves. He was truly saddened as he feared 
for their fate.
  But if life had been cruel to his family and the world outside could 
be perilous, Michael had one constant, one protector. He talked to me 
so many times about Roger, truly the center of his life, his partner, 
his love, and ultimately his husband. For me, it was a personal insight 
into a loving relationship at a level I had never before witnessed so 
closely. I could not imagine Roger without Michael, as now we must.
  When it came to the world of politics, Michael willingly, frequently 
shared his opinion of every candidate and every issue. No one escaped 
his penetrating, outspoken scrutiny.
  But Michael was always ready to help his friends, often in memorable 
ways. In 2000, with Joe Lieberman as the first Jewish candidate for 
Vice President, Michael and Roger made a point of heading to Los 
Angeles for the convention. When they heard I had an event planned 
there, they insisted on giving me a ride from the hotel. When they 
arrived in their rented convertible, Michael and Roger were properly 
dressed in muscle t-shirts and ready to drive through Beverly Hills. As 
we cruised through Wilshire Blvd and Rodeo Drive, Michael insisted on 
prepping me for the upcoming Gore-Lieberman campaign--he taught me 
valuable Yiddish words and phrases. Michael was always there with 
advice for his friends.
  In 1996, we celebrated my first Senate election night together. I 
remember his trademark smile and the tears in his eyes. After I was 
elected to the Senate, Michael wasted no time bringing an issue to my 
attention. It was not an ask for a job or a contract or anything that 
would benefit him personally; he asked if I could find time to visit 
the Howard Brown Health Center on Halsted. Of course I agreed--how 
could you say no to Michael? The visit led to a conversation where 
Michael looked me in the eye and said the Howard Brown Center was 
critical in fighting the AIDS crisis. He told me of friends who were 
afraid of other health venues and afraid to face the realities of their 
lives. Howard Brown was their best chance and for some, their only 
chance. He wanted me to see firsthand the impact of the AIDS crisis in 
our country.
  Michael Bauer used his knowledge and connections to help others, to 
protect others, to fight a deadly crisis that was burying his friends. 
In his heart, Michael was a caring, loving person who used his talents 
and his access to help those on the outside of the halls of power. 
Loretta and I join Roger, Tema, Michael's extended family and so many 
friends in mourning the loss of Michael.
  Farewell, Michael. You will be missed.

                          ____________________