Jay Bakker fights for our rights, does Tammy Faye proud.

Like many gay men, I was saddened by the death of the larger-than-life Tammy Faye Messner last year. I remember being shocked by how frail and gaunt she was she she showed up on Larry King, and when learning that she died the very next day, thinking to myself, "Well, at least she got one more moment." Despite all the shady PTL business with her ex-husband, I always believed that Tammy Faye was good at heart, and she was always supportive of the gay community. Even in the early days of AIDS, when every other televangelist was talking about "God's punishment", she was crying out (literally) for compassion and understanding.

That compassion for others has been handed down to her son, Jay Bakker, a preacher in his own right, who has taken up the cause as a gay ally. This weekend, Jay will spend the first Mother's Day since Tammy Faye's death at an event sponsored by SoulForce, who fight religious discrimination of LGBT people. They will be trying to persuade Joel Osteen, the televangelist and John McCain supporter, to join them in a non-traditional picnic on Saturday. It's obvious this weekend is going to have a special significance for Jay:

"I want to celebrate my mother's life," said Bakker, pastor of Revolution New York City, "and help spread the message she lived and preached. We need to stop thinking of ourselves as 'us' and 'them.' We hope the families of Lakewood Church will open their hearts and minds to us and sit down and have a conversation and share a meal. ... Let's put our differences aside and share the love and hope of Christ."

It's not the first time that Jay has come out in support of gays. On the Sundance reality series One Punk Under God, he jeopardized his entire ministry when he decided to take a stand in favor of gay marriage. It's clear that the spirit of Tammy Faye is alive and well in her son.