Gay rights lawyer burns himself to death in protest against fossil fuels

Associated Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Famed gay rights lawyer sets himself on fire in protest suicide A well known gay rights attorney and environmental activist set himself on fire and burned to death in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. Veuer's Maria Mercedes Galuppo has more.

NEW YORK – A well-known gay rights lawyer and environmental advocate has burned himself to death in a grisly protest against ecological destruction.

Police say the charred remains of 60-year-old David Buckel were found early Saturday in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.

The Daily News reports that Buckel left a suicide note saying he had used fossil fuel to burn himself as a metaphor for the destruction of the planet. He added that he hoped his death was “honorable” and “might serve others.”

Buckel was the lead attorney in a lawsuit involving Brandon Teena, a transgender man who was murdered in Nebraska. Hilary Swank won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Teena in the 1999 movie “Boys Don’t Cry.”

Buckel also the strategist behind same-sex marriage cases in New Jersey and Iowa.