Videos: Elizabeth Taylor the AIDS and LGBT activist speaking out through the years

The extraordinary life of Elizabeth Taylor was, of course, dominated by a legendary movie career that brought her enormous fame at a very young age.

She won Oscars and made classic films that we will love forever.

But it was her second act that I believe is her greatest legacy. She was in her early 50s when she became an AIDS activist and it was her most important role for the rest of her life.

Here are some videos of Miss Taylor at some major events over the years where she spoke about AIDS, about LGBT equality and about her activism.

When she was presented with the GLAAD Vanguard Award in 2000, she told the crowd: “I didn’t become an activist to win awards, I became an activist to help people … I knew that somebody had to do something.”

She added: “All my life I’ve spent a lot of time with gay men – Monty Clift, Jimmy Dean, Rock Hudson. … I never thought about who they slept with. They were just the people I loved.”

And I love this line in her speech from that night: “There is no gay agenda. It’s a human agenda. All of us should be treated the same.”

With her passing this week, it’s important to remember all that she did for us.