LGBT participation set for 50th anniversary March on Washington

LGBT participation set for 50th anniversary March on Washington | Gay : Washington Blade 

LGBT people from throughout the country are expected to join civil rights movement leaders in a series of events this week that include a mass rally at the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the historic 1963 March on Washington for civil rights.

The rally and several of the other events, among other things, will honor Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, who delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial on Aug. 28, 1963, and the lead organizer of that event, black civil rights organizer Bayard Rustin, who was gay.

Three national LGBT organizations – the National Black Justice Coalition, the Human Rights Campaign, and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force are among a broad coalition of U.S. civil rights groups participating in the events.

“The LGBT community is a key part of this broad coalition of Americans that will participate in the march,” HRC said in a statement on Monday.

1963 March on Washington (Photo public domain)

The HRC statement says the march on Saturday will call on Congress to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA, an LGBT civil rights bill that has been stalled in Congress for decades. LGBT participants will also join mainline civil rights groups in calling on Congress to pass a restoration of the Voting Rights Act, comprehensive immigration reform legislation, and other key priorities of the civil and human rights movement.

LGBT Rights Organizations Issue Open Letter in Support of 50th Anniversary of March on Washington