Andrea Gibson, a queer spoken word poet known for powerful pieces about identity, life, and love, has passed away.According to Gibson's Facebook page, the 49-year-old poet passed away on July 14 "in their home surrounded by their wife, Meg, four ex-girlfriends, their mother and father, dozens of friends, and their three beloved dogs."Gibson was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2021."Since learning they had cancer in 2021, Andrea has been a champion of finding beauty in unlikely places and gratitude in the hardest hours. Over the last four years, they danced with their diagnosis and continually aimed their internal compass toward joy. One of the last things Andrea said on this plane was, 'I f*cking loved my life,'" the Facebook post says."Not long ago, Andrea wrote a poem titled 'Love Letter From the Afterlife.' In it, they offered this line: 'I am more here than I ever was before. I am more with you than I ever could have imagined.' Today, and all days forward, we hope you feel Andreas enormous spirit and immense presence beside you."Gibson's first book of poetry, Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns, was published in 2008. They released six more books, as well as seven albums of poems, in their career.Gibson was the subject of the recent documentary Come See Me in the Good Light, which won the Festival Favorite award at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. The movie followed Gibson and their wife Meg Falley as they dealt with Gibson's cancer diagnosis.In 2017, Gibson wrote an essay for Out talking about their identity as a genderqueer person."Growing up, I never felt like a boy or a girl. I've tried to explain my gender in poems by saying, I am happiest on the road/ When I'm not here or there--but in-between/ The yellow line coming down the center of it all like a sunbeam. Because our culture is one of boxes and binaries--genderqueer is a constant coming out," they wrote. Gibson was a 2022 Out100 honoree and spoke about their diagnosis."As someone who had previously lived with a lot of fear, I never imagined I could grow and thrive during a cancer diagnosis -- but my heart has never been so open," they said. "Through this time, I have learned to see people with a compassionate, loving, and technicolor lens. I have learned to live in the present.""Although I've identified with multiple purposes throughout my life and career, I'd say that what's most potent to me now is to teach people how to cultivate inner joy and peace regardless of external circumstance," they added. "Recently I wrote, 'What kind of poet would I be if I could only make hard things beautiful on paper?'" (@) Colorado Governor Jared Polis, who named Gibson the state's Poet Laureate in 2023, shared a post celebrating their life on X.It is with a heavy heart that we mourn the loss of @andreagibson, an inspiring poet and Colorados current Poet Laureate," he wrote. "Renowned for inspiring poetry, advocacy for arts in education, and a unique ability to connect with the vast and diverse poetry lovers of Colorado, Andrea was truly one of a kind and will be deeply missed by personal friends as well as all who were touched by their poetry. My thoughts go out to Andreas loved ones during this difficult time."The poet spoke with journalist Matthew Rodrigues about their art, illness, and life for the most recent season of the show "It's Ok to Ask Questions." - YouTube www.youtube.com