Murray and Peter Corren helped transform Canadian society.

One of the most influential gay rights activists in Canadian history died on December 30 after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Peter Corren, a former TransLink employee, waged many battles with his husband Murray Corren on behalf of same-sex couples,  which helped transform Canadian society.

In the process, the couple endured  numerous abusive calls and even  death threats, but they never gave up.

They are perhaps  best known for challenging a Surrey school board ban on using books featuring same-sex couples. “By the time we got to the Supreme Court of Canada, we had a personal legal bill of over $460,000,” Murray Corren told the Georgia Straight in 2006.The final victory meant the school board had to absorb most of the court costs.

They kicked off the long-running fight to legalize same-sex marriage in Canada  after they were refused a marriage licence. That prompted the couple to file a complaint with the B.C. Human Rights Commission.

They later recruited two other couples and filed the first court challenge, which was joined by five other couples. They eventually succeeded in the B.C. Court of Appeal.

One of their greatest accomplishments was forcing the B.C. government to change the curriculum to  treat gay and lesbian issues with more respect. They started by filing a human-rights complaint.

In 2006, the B.C. government reached a settlement with the Correns to create a new elective course on social justice for Grade 12 students. The Correns also achieved another milestone by forcing the Ministry of Education to specify rules regarding when parents can withdraw kids from health classes between kindergarten and Grade 10. These health classes include sex education.

Peter Corren was 62.