A South Florida journalist who became a nationally recognized HIV advocate and dedicated his later years to helping people experiencing homelessness died just four days after the sudden death of his husband.
Jeffrey Newman, who grew up in Hollywood, graduated from Florida International University and helped lead South Florida's chapter of the NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists before moving to New York, died July 2 at age 58. Four days earlier, his husband, Jayson Conner, died unexpectedly of a heart attack at age 48. They began dating in 2004.
Together, the power couple founded Backpacks for the Streets, a volunteer organization that distributed more than 180,000 backpacks filled with food, toiletries and other essentials to New Yorkers experiencing homelessness.
Newman described the project as much more than simply handing out supplies.
“We take what we do very seriously,” Newman told ABC News in 2020. “We’re not making little goody bags — we’re really thinking out what it is people need the most. It’s a labor of love.”
For Newman, each backpack also carried a deeper message.
“Everything about the backpack is about hope,” Newman told Fox News in 2020. “We understand that it’s not going to cure homelessness; we don’t pretend it’s going to cure homelessness. But it does say to somebody, ‘Hey, you know what? We care.’”
Friends remembered Newman not only for his professional accomplishments but also for his compassion, resilience and devotion to others. After publicly sharing his HIV diagnosis, he spoke candidly about living with the virus, his recovery from addiction and surviving a suicide attempt. Earlier this year, he celebrated nearly 25 years of living with HIV and 18 years of sobriety.
Newman's work as an HIV advocate was recognized in 2013 when POZ magazine named him to its annual POZ 100, which that year celebrated unsung heroes in the fight against HIV/AIDS. In the profile, the magazine highlighted Newman's decades of HIV advocacy, noting that he spent nearly 20 years working with HIV/AIDS organizations beginning with AIDS Walk Miami. The profile also recognized his efforts to combat stigma through his Facebook group, HIV and AIDS—Curb the Ignorance—Get the Facts Out—Proving It Gets Better, his website PositivelyJeffrey.com, and his participation in national anti-stigma campaigns. Through his advocacy, Newman sought to educate the public, dispel myths about HIV and remind those newly diagnosed that they were not alone.
In the days after the couple's deaths, another chapter of their story drew national attention. Thai, their 15-year-old cat, was rescued after surviving alone inside the couple's sealed Manhattan apartment for several days before animal advocates convinced authorities to allow entry. The cat has since been placed in a foster-to-adopt home.
The couple's deaths drew national media attention, with outlets including The New York Times, ABC News, Fox News, People and LGBTQ publications chronicling their humanitarian work and the legacy of Backpacks for the Streets.
Newman was born in Westchester, New York, and moved at age 5 with his family to South Florida in 1972.
“I met Jeffrey in the early 1990s, about the time a dozen or so of us began a South Florida chapter of the newly formed NLGJA, the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association,” says Steve Rothaus, the retired Miami Herald LGBTQ issues reporter and editor.
“Jeffrey had recently graduated with a communications degree from Florida International University, was out to friends and family, and ambitious in wanting a career in journalism,” recalls Rothaus, who now contributes to OutSFL.
During those years, Newman edited TuTTi, a short-lived 48-page Coconut Grove-based monthly magazine for newcomers to classical music. “[For] those of us who are not classical music elitists,” Newman told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in November 1994.
“By 1995, Jeffrey had become NLGJA chapter president and I was vice president,” Rothaus said. “The next year, we co-chaired NLGJA’s national convention in downtown Miami. More than 400 journalists attended from throughout North America and Europe.”
Rothaus says that “when I think of Jeffrey, I most remember a young man who was loyal and loving” to the people in his life.
“In the early ’90s, I met and became friendly with one of his closest friends from college, a sweet guy named Andrew Dodge who lived near downtown Miami. Andy always spoke candidly about living with AIDS,” Rothaus said. “In early 1996, Jeffrey helped care for Andy when he was dying from it at the age of 32.”
A year later, Newman suddenly moved to New York City, where he got jobs editing fledgling online news sites including ABCNews.com. In 1998, he became founding president and CEO of Out.com and Gay Financial Network (GFN), an early website targeting the LGBTQ community.
From 2001 to 2005, Newman led daily operations for Spa Finder, a spa and travel media company, according to his LinkedIn profile. He left journalism in January 2005.
Newman’s early years in New York were difficult.
“After publicly sharing his own HIV-positive diagnosis in 2001, he became a powerful voice for awareness, compassion and hope,” Glenn Newman was quoted in the New York website W42ST after his younger brother’s death. “He was also proudly sober beginning in 2008 and spoke openly about recovery, LGBT equality, and suicide prevention, particularly among LGBT youth. His willingness to share his own experiences gave countless others the courage to seek help and live authentically.”
On March 15, Jeffrey Newman posted on Facebook:
“Today I celebrate 11 years as a suicide survivor, 18 years sober, and nearly 25 years thriving with HIV. I’m proof that defeat is never an option!”
Two months later, he posted: “TODAY is my 25th HIV anniversary! My HIV-versary. That’s 25 YEARS of not just surviving, but THRIVING since my HIV diagnosis.”
He concluded his post: “I don’t know why the universe put me on this journey 25 years ago. But it never occurred to me — not then, not ever since — to ask, ‘Why me?’ My only thought was, ‘Why not me?’
“I am so much more than those three letters. Being positive is more than just a status. As I’ve said before, defeat has never been an option for me. It wasn’t then, and it certainly isn’t now. So, happy HIV-versary to me. May we continue to live a long, healthy, beautiful life together,” Newman posted May 10.
Forty-nine days later, his husband died of a sudden heart attack. And four days after that, Newman joined him.
