American politician Ed Koch was BOTD in 1924. Born in New York to a Jewish immigrant family, he grew up in the Bronx. Drafted into the Army during World War Two, he served in France and the Middle East. After the Allied victory, he remained in Germany, helping identify and remove Nazi supporters from government jobs. Returning to New York, he completed a law degree and practised as an attorney for 20 years, while setting his sights on a political carer. A fair-weather Democrat, he was elected to the New York City Council in 1967, and was elected to Congress the following year. In 1977, he ran for the New York City mayoral, campaigning with a conservative “law and order” mandate. Winning endorsement from both the Republican and Democrat parties, he swept to success, winning re-election twice and dominating New York politics for 20 years. A popular and controversial figure, he slashed public spending in the early 1980s, though embarked on an ambitious public housing renewal programme in his later years. He was widely criticised for his failure to respond to the emerging HIV/AIDS epidemic, which decimated New York’s gay population, a legacy further complicated by his identity as a closeted gay man, masquerading as a robustly heterosexual bachelor. Rumours about Koch’s sexuality arose during the 1977 mayoral race, when the slogan “Vote for Cuomo, Not the Homo” were circulated, vigorously denied by Koch and his campaign team. After becoming mayor, Koch ended his relationship with his partner Richard Nathan out of fear that it would become public, appearing at public events with female friends who acted as beards. Gay activist Larry Kramer unsuccessfully tried to out him during the 1980s, dropping hints about Koch’s sexuality (and inaction on HIV/AIDS issues) in his play The Normal Heart. Koch remained in the closet until his death in 2013, aged 88. In 2022, a New York Times article confirmed Koch’s homosexuality, based on interviews with close friends. remained in the closet rather than give Kramer and other activists the satisfaction of seeing him come out.