# Terry Higgins > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Terry_Higgins > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Terry_Higgins.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Higgins > Source revision: 1344029194 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) For other people named Terence Higgins, see [Terence Higgins (disambiguation)](/source/Terence_Higgins_(disambiguation)). **Terrence Lionel Seymour Higgins** (10 June 1945 – 4 July 1982) was among the first people known to die of an [AIDS](/source/AIDS)-related illness in the United Kingdom.[2] ## Life Higgins was born in Priory Mount Hospital, [Pembrokeshire](/source/Pembrokeshire), Wales. He lived with his mother Marjorie at 13 Priory Avenue in [Haverfordwest](/source/Haverfordwest) and attended the local all-boys grammar school from 1956 to 1960. Higgins left Haverfordwest as a teenager due to feeling alienated because of his sexuality.[2] Higgins served in the Royal Navy from 1963 to 1968 and served aboard many vessels, including the frigate, [HMS Tartar](/source/HMS_Tartar_(F133)). After five years of service, he felt it was time to leave. Wanting a quick exit, he informed a senior officer he was gay. While this was at the time a sacking offence the reply came, "If we booted out everyone who was gay, we wouldn't have a Navy left." Denied a discharge, Higgins painted [hammer and sickle](/source/Hammer_and_sickle) motifs on the ship and was formally asked to leave.[3][4] Higgins was a self-taught piano player and wrote a book inspired by his fascination with [astrology](/source/Astrology), it was published by [Marshall Cavendish](/source/Marshall_Cavendish) in 1974, titled *The Living Zodiac.* Higgins moved to London and worked as a [Hansard](/source/Hansard) reporter in the [House of Commons](/source/British_House_of_Commons) during the day (Higgins started a trade union there)[4] and as a barman and [disc jockey](/source/Disc_jockey) at [Heaven](/source/Heaven_(nightclub)) nightclub in the evenings. Higgins was out and proud and adored gay culture, american culture, books, films, music, clothes, clubbing, he travelled to New York and Amsterdam as a DJ in the 1970s.[3][4] In 1980, during the Pride March in London, Higgins saw a [drag queen](/source/Drag_queen) being attacked by the police. Dressed head to toe in leather, he jumped down from the *Heaven* float he was on and screamed “how dare you bitches attack my friends”, confronting the police with a leather belt in hand.[3][4] In 1981 Higgins met [Rupert Whitaker](/source/Rupert_Whitaker) in the West End nightclub Bang and they remained together until Higgins death.[4] Higgins collapsed at the nightclub [Heaven](/source/Heaven_(nightclub)) while at work and was admitted to [St Thomas' Hospital](/source/St_Thomas'_Hospital), London where he died of [*Pneumocystis* pneumonia](/source/Pneumocystis_pneumonia) and [progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy](/source/Progressive_multifocal_leukoencephalopathy) on 4 July 1982.[2] ## Legacy Martyn Butler,[5] Rupert Whitaker and Tony Calvert initiated the formation of the [Terry Higgins Trust](/source/Terry_Higgins_Trust)[6] in 1982 with a group of concerned community-members and Terry's friends, including Len Robinson and Chris Peel;[7] it is dedicated to preventing the spread of HIV, promoting awareness of AIDS, and providing supportive services to people with the disease. ## See also - [Timeline of early AIDS cases](/source/Timeline_of_early_AIDS_cases) ## References 1. ["Terrence Higgins: A name that gave hope to those with HIV and AIDS"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-61925013). *BBC News*. 4 July 2022. 1. ["Terrence Higgins' legacy, 30 years after death".](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-18726184) Neil Prior, BBC News Wales, 5 July 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2015. 1. ["Getting to know Terry Higgins"](https://tht.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/our-campaigns/do-it-for-terry/terry-higgins-man). *Terence Higgins Trust www.tht.org.uk*. Retrieved 5 February 2026. 1. Simon, Hattenstone (23 June 2022). ["the untold story of Terrence Higgins"](https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jun/23/taught-me-love-affection-great-sex-untold-story-terrence-higgins). *The Guardian www.theguardian.com*. Retrieved 5 February 2026. 1. Prior, Neil (5 July 2012). ["Higgins' legacy, 30 years later"](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-18726184). *BBC News* 1. Howarth, Glennys & Oliver Leaman. (2013). [*Encyclopedia of Death and Dying*](https://books.google.com/books?id=5GK2AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA5). Abingdon: Routledge. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-136-91360-0. 1. ["How it all began | Terrence Higgins Trust"](https://web.archive.org/web/20231006120859/https://www.tht.org.uk/our-work/about-our-charity/our-history/how-it-all-began). *www.tht.org.uk*. Archived from [the original](https://www.tht.org.uk/our-work/about-our-charity/our-history/how-it-all-began) on 6 October 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2019. ## Bibliography - Aldrich, Robert & Wotherspoon, Garry (eds.) (2001). "Terrence Higgins". *Who's Who in Contemporary Gay and Lesbian History: From World War II to the Present Day*. Vol. 2. London: [Routledge](/source/Routledge). pp. 187–188. ISBN 978-0-415-22974-6. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Terry Higgins](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Higgins) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Higgins?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.