Many allies and members of the LGBT communty are mourning the passing of acclaimed actress Elizabeth Taylor. Taylor, who was made a Dame of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1999, was an early activist in the fight against HIV/ AIDS, raising millions for research and treatment.

“Today, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community lost an extraordinary ally in the movement for full equality,” Jarrett Barrios, president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, said in a statement. “At a time when so many living with HIV/AIDS were invisible, Dame Taylor fearlessly raised her voice to speak out against injustice. Dame Taylor was an icon not only in Hollywood, but in the LGBT community where she worked to ensure that everyone was treated with the respect and dignity we all deserve.”

Don Blanchon, executive director of the Whitman-Walker Clinic in Washington, D.C., said in a statement, “Elizabeth Taylor was the first major Hollywood star to take up the banner of HIV/AIDS activism. … Her commitment to the issue and considerable star power helped to take the fight against HIV/AIDS right into the mainstream of American society. Her dedication to raising money along with awareness has helped to save countless lives.”

Taylor received GLAAD’s Vanguard Award in 2000 for her work to increase understanding of the LGBT community.

“Why shouldn’t gay people be able to live as open and freely as everybody else?” Taylor said during her acceptance speech, according to GLAAD. “What it comes down to, ultimately, is love. How can anything bad come out of love? The bad stuff comes out of mistrust, misunderstanding and, God knows, from hate and from ignorance.”