This gay couple’s love story touched thousands across New York and continues to inspire long after their passing
Gay love stories come in many forms. Some are written in grand gestures, while others are stitched together one act of kindness at a time.
For Jayson Conner and Jeffrey Newman, their story was told through backpacks and community.
The Queens couple spent years helping New Yorkers experiencing homelessness through their nonprofit initiative, Backpacks for the Street. Since 2018, they and their volunteers distributed more than 180,000 backpacks filled with essentials to help people survive life on the streets.
Now, New York is mourning the loss of both men after they passed away just days apart.
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Conner died from a heart attack on June 28 at the age of 48 in the home he shared with Newman. Four days later, on July 2, Newman, 58, died from an undisclosed cause. The couple have been together for 21 years.
The timing of their deaths has deeply affected those who knew them, especially because of the life they built together.
“Jayson was the love of Jeffrey’s life and his true partner in every sense of the word,” Newman’s brother, Glenn Newman, told W42st.com. “They built their lives together, shared a common purpose, and dedicated themselves to serving others.”
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Backpacks filled with more than supplies
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, every week, dozens of volunteers gathered in a rented space in Queens to pack more than 100 backpacks with necessities together with the couple.
The backpacks were then transported to Manhattan, where volunteers distributed them over several days. Conner and Newman trained volunteers not only on logistics, but also on how to approach people with dignity and compassion.
Conner understood homelessness personally. He experienced it himself for two years before rebuilding his life.
“The thing about these backpacks is, it gives people hope,” he told ABC News in 2020. “It’s not going to cure homelessness but it gives them the beginning start, of hope.”
Together, the couple turned a simple idea into a movement.
A partnership built on purpose
Outside their nonprofit work, both men had accomplished careers. Conner attended culinary school, worked in restaurants, and was a father to a son and daughter. Newman was the founding president and chief executive of LGBTQ+ publication Out.
But those closest to them say their greatest accomplishment was the life they built together.
“Jayson and Jeffrey’s love was the kind of love you could feel even from the outside,” Michael Gray, Conner’s best friend, told W42st.com. “Losing them days apart is heartbreaking, but there is comfort in believing that their bond was so strong, even this world couldn’t keep them separated for long.”
Their kindness lives on
It’s easy to look at the number 180,000 and focus on the scale of what they achieved.
But perhaps their legacy is simpler and more significant than that.
It’s every person who felt seen on a difficult day. Every volunteer who learned that kindness can be practiced. Every backpack that carried not only supplies, but also a reminder that someone cared.
Jayson Conner and Jeffrey Newman may no longer walk the streets of New York, but their compassion still does.
And sometimes, that is the greatest love story of all.