Stephen Donaldson was a troubled kid. He had regular run-ins with police, mostly due to his confrontational behavior. He was an outspoken advocate for bisexual rights in a time where homosexuality was classified as a crime. He campaigned and wrote about homosexuals being unjustly, inhumanely and savagely discriminated against by large segments of American society. He had ally in Frank Kameny and the Mattachine Society.
Stephen was imprisoned in Washington DC, arrested for taking part in a demonstration. While incarcerated, he was set-up by the head prison guard to be raped by a large group of inmates. This was done in anticipation of an article Stephen was writing about prison reform. His subsequent press conference, during which he spoke freely and openly about the horrific incident, brought the issue of prison rape to the forefront for the first time. He eventually became the president of Stop Prisoner Rape, an organization formed to help prisoners deal with the psychological and physical trauma of rape. (In 2008, the organization became known as Just Detention International.)
Stephen moved on to music journalism, using the name “Donny the Punk.” His articles kept an edgy tone and touched on other related areas, including anti-racist skinhead subcultures.
Still active as an advocate for LGBT rights, Stephen passed away in 1996 at the age of 49. His death was determined to be AIDS-related.