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While Tammy Faye Messner (formerly Bakker) is best remembered for her extravagant make-up and unfortunate choice of first husbands, there were other facets of her life that are frequently over looked. For one thing, Tammy Faye was an outspoken supporter of the gay community - something that is considered an abomination by most Evangelical Christians.

During Tammy's final interview on Larry King Live, Jimmy from Sherman Oaks, CA, asked the emaciated Tammy Faye, "Unlike many of your Christian contemporaries, you have been a very positive influence in the gay community. Why do you think you found it in your heart to love and accept us?"

She replied, "Well, you know when we lost everything - it was the gay people that came to my rescue and I will always love them for that,"

Tammy Faye's son, Jay Bakker, later elaborated in greater detail on his mother's contributions to the LGBT community:

"She stood up for people when it wasn't popular," Jay said. "She had one of the first people in the early '80s on Christian Television with AIDS. I mean, Reagan didn't even mention the word AIDS during the '80s and here my mom was talking about it on Christian Television.

"She had one of the first MCC (Metropolitan Community Church) pastors, which is the first gay denomination. She did an interview with them and although she might not have agreed on everything with them, she loved them and built a bridge. And I just had a huge conference for MCC and hundreds of people just said, Your mom built the bridge between Christianity and homosexuality, and we love her and pray for her every day."

While I personally am not that familiar with Tammy Faye's life after Jim Bakker and the PTL scandal, I was able to find further testimony on the internet from Tammy Faye's fans.

Hamza Darrell Grizzle, creator of the Blog of the Grateful Bear, wrote: "Tammy Faye Messner spent her years after the PTL Club scandal ostracized by many in the established church, and she said many times that the only people who reached out to her during her times of isolation were her friends in the gay and lesbian community. Tammy Faye was able to break out of the narrow restraints of her Pentecostal upbringing while still holding on to an authentic love for Jesus and his message of God's radical love for all people."

In a more humorous take on Tammy Faye's contributions, a user named Dean wrote on his Velvetmafianyc MySpace page: "Praise The Lord and pass the mascara! God bless you Tammy;

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