As fans around the world continue to mourn the passing of director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, many are paying tribute to the director’s legacy of LGBTQ+ advocacy.

The couple were found dead at home in Brentwood, California, on Sunday, 14 December. Their son, Nick Reiner, has since been arrested on suspicion of their murder.

Reiner was best known for directing a number of popular blockbusters, including This is Spinal Tap, The Sure Thing, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally and Misery.

In addition to his work in the film industry, he was heavily involved in political activism, particularly LGBTQ+ advocacy. In 2008, California passed Proposition 8, banning same-sex marriage in the state. Reiner, in response, founded the American Foundation for Equal Rights. Through this organisation, he hired two lawyers, Republican Ted Olson and Democrat David Boies, who both supported marriage equality.

The American Foundation for Equal Rights represented two same-sex couples whose marriage licences were denied following the passing of Proposition 8. One of these legal challenges – Hollingsworth v. Perry – played a pivotal role in the Supreme Court taking on Obergefell v. Hodges. This landmark case guaranteed same-sex couples the right to marry across the US.

In the years that followed his founding of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, Reiner remained a staunch supporter of marriage equality. He repeatedly rallied against the notion that same-sex relationships are “separate but equal”.

More recently, Reiner spoke about LGBTQ+ rights and equality generally at a dinner for the Human Rights Campaign in 2019, when he said society needed to move beyond “singling out transgender, LGBTQ+, Black, white, Jewish, Muslim and Latino people”.

In tributes paid to the couple, many referenced Reiner’s social advocacy.

Former US President Barack Obama said: “Rob’s achievements in film and television gave us some of our most cherished stories on screen. But beneath all of the stories he produced was a deep belief in the goodness of people – and a lifelong commitment to putting that belief into action.”

Nancy Pelosi, the former Speaker of the House for the US, referenced Reiner’s work against Prop 8 in her tribute, as well as his support of a California initiative to reduce childhood poverty.