Lester Kinsolving

Charles Lester Kinsolving (December 18, 1927 – December 4, 2018) was an American political Episcopal priest, newspaper columnist, and talk radio host, previously heard on WCBM in Baltimore, Maryland. He is known for being the first White House correspondent to ask questions about the HIV/AIDS epidemic during the Reagan administration; he continued to ask questions about the disease even though press secretary Larry Speakes and some other correspondents made light of it; Speakes joked that Kinsolving had an "abiding interest in the disease" because he was "a fairy".^[1][2][3] Kinsolving first asked questions about AIDS in 1982; President Reagan would not acknowledge the epidemic until 1985, by which time more than five thousand people had died from the disease.^[4]

By the 1970s, Kinsolving's column on religious matters was widely syndicated.^[5] Based at the San Francisco Examiner, he began an exposé on the Peoples Temple which was discontinued when the followers of Jim Jones responded by protesting and threatening lawsuits.^[6]

Kinsolving was an outspoken opponent of gay rights organizations – "the sodomy lobby," as he referred to them – mainly because of his religious beliefs.^[7]

Kinsolving had a minor role as Confederate General William Barksdale in a couple of films: Gettysburg and Gods and Generals.

Kinsolving died on December 4, 2018.^[8] He had numerous relatives in Episcopal Church leadership including a grandfather Lucien Lee Kinsolving.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1993	Gettysburg	Brig. Gen. William Barksdale
2003	Gods and Generals		(final film role)

Further reading

• Kinsolving, Kathleen (daughter of Lester Kinsolving) (May 3, 2010). Gadfly, The Life and Times of Les Kinsolving – White House Watchdog. WND Books. ISBN 978-1935071808.

References

1. Amira, Dan (December 2, 2013). "AIDS Was Hilarious to the Reagan White House, Press Corps". New York. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
2. Leon, Harmon (December 1, 2015). "Listen to the Reagan Administration Laughing at the AIDS Epidemic". Vice. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
3. Geidner, Chris (December 2, 2013). "13 Times The Reagan White House Press Briefing Erupted With Laughter Over AIDS". BuzzFeed. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
4. Lawson, Richard (December 1, 2015). "The Reagan Administration's Unearthed Response to the AIDS Crisis Is Chilling". Vanity Fair. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
5. "Religion: Irreverent Reverend". Time. January 11, 1971. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
6. "Lester Kinsolving in front of the San Francisco Examiner building, 1972". Jones Family Memorabilia Collection, 1962-2002. San Diego State University Library. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
7. Dechter, Gadi (January 19, 2009). "Les Is More". Baltimore City Paper. Archived from the original on January 19, 2009. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
8. Schudel, Matt (December 10, 2018). "Lester Kinsolving, pesky White House questioner, dies at 90". Boston Globe. Retrieved November 11, 2019.

External links

• Official website