Quebec LGBTQ rights pioneer Laurent McCutcheon dies at 77

Laurent McCutcheon, a leading figure in the fight for LGBTQ rights in Quebec, died Thursday after receiving medical assistance in dying, his husband said on Friday.

McCutcheon was diagnosed with cancer in December 2016.

A prominent voice for gay rights for more than 35 years, McCutcheon had recently taken on a role as vice-president of a group that advocates for the right to medically assisted death.

McCutcheon, a civil servant, publicly committed himself in the early 1970s to the gay rights cause in Montreal following the 1969 Stonewall riots.

Even as homosexuality remained taboo in other parts of the province, McCutcheon actively engaged in the Association for the Defence of Gay and Lesbian Rights in Quebec.

Between 1982 and 2013, he presided over "Gai Écoute," a telephone help line, and in 2000 set up a the Fondation Émergence, an organization that educates and raises awareness about the realities of LGBTQ people.

McCutcheon was behind the Quebec Coalition for the Recognition of Same-Sex Couples, and was vocal in the fight to have same-sex marriage recognized.

McCutcheon's husband Pierre Sheridan took to Facebook to thank the palliative home care team for their care, "allowing Laurent to live an end of life in dignity, serenely and without suffering."

Numerous tributes were shared online following news of McCutcheon's death, including one by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

"We've lost a great Quebecer. Our country is a better, more inclusive place because of Laurent McCutcheon and his tireless work to advocate for LGBTQ2 rights and fight homophobia. We'll miss you," Trudeau wrote.