Natnal March on Washgton for Lbian and Gay Rights - A Brief History of Civil Rights the Uned Stat - HUSL Library at Howard Universy School of Law

Contents:

• MARCH FOR GAY RIGHTS; GAY MARCHERS THRONG MALL APPEAL FOR RIGHTS
• A BRIEF HISTORY OF CIVIL RIGHTS THE UNED STAT: NATNAL MARCH ON WASHGTON FOR LBIAN AND GAY RIGHTS
• WORLD'S FIRST 'DYKE MARCH' HELD DCBOSTON'S 2008 DYKE MARCH IN 1993, THE LBIAN AVENGERS ANIZED THE FIRST DYKE MARCH ON WASHGTON, D.C. AS A LN PEOPLE ANIZED THE CY FOR THE MARCH ON WASHGTON FOR LBIAN, GAY AND BI EQUAL RIGHTS AND LIBERATN. SCE THEN, LBIANS CI AROUND THE WORLD HAVE ANIZED ANNUAL DYKE MARCH, OFTEN CIDG WH PRI AND NVENG FOR PURPOS SPECIFIC TO EACH CY, CLUDG VISIBILY, HIGHLIGHTG WOMEN THE LGBTQ+ MUNY, WORKG AND PROTTG. CHRISTE KEHOE BE SAN DIEGO COUNTY’S FIRST OUT OFFICIALKEHOE 1999.A TRAILBLAZG FIXTURE SAN DIEGO’S FEMIST AND LGBTQ+ MUNI, CHRISTE KEHOE WAS THE EDOR OF THE GAYZETTE OM 1984 TO 1986, LEAVG TO CHAIR SAN DIEGO COUNTY’S ARM OF THE STATEWI MPAIGN TO FEAT LYNDON LAROUCHE’S AIDS QUARANTE IATIVE, PROPOSN 64. AFTER THAT SUCCS, SHE WORKED FOR AN AIDS ASSISTANCE ANIZATN.“GAY MEN WERE PREVENTED OM DONATG BLOOD, SO THE LBIAN MUNY AND STRAIGHT WOMEN STEPPED UP AND STARTED BLOOD SISTERS TO DONATE BLOOD. ALL KDS OF ACTIVI LIKE THAT ME OUT OF THE AIDS CRISIS,” KEHOE SAID A MARCH 17, 2016, VIO POSTED BY THE WOMEN’S MM OF CALIFORNIA ABOUT THE “VERY SPERATE” TIM OM 1985 TO THE 1990S.IN 1993, KEHOE RAN FOR SAN DIEGO CY COUNCIL. “MY MPAIGN MOTTO WAS ‘AS A NORTH PARK HOMEOWNER, I UNRSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF CLEAN SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS,’” SHE SAYS. “THE GAY MUNY REALIZED THIS WAS OUR SHOT AT TLY HAVG A SEAT AT THE TABLE. IF WE WON, I WOULD BE THE FIRST ELECTED OPENLY LGBT OFFICIAL THE UNTY . . . IT WAS STILL MY FAVORE MPAIGN. AND WE WON BY FIVE POTS. AND WE AMAZED EVERYBODY. AND WE SET OUT TO REALLY BE A GOOD REPRENTATIVE FOR ALL THE PEOPLE. THE GAY MUNY KNEW WE ULDN’T BE SILENT ANYMORE.” KEHOE SERVED SEVEN YEARS ON THE CY UNCIL, DURG WHICH SHE WAS APPOTED TO THE CALIFORNIA COASTAL COMMISSN AND THE SAN DIEGO ASSOCIATN OF GOVERNMENTS. IN 1998, KEHOE GARNERED NATNAL ATTENTN HER RACE FOR THE U.S. CONGRS BEE OF HER SEXUAL ORIENTATN, BUT DID NOT BEAT HER OPPONENT. YET 2000, SHE WAS ELECTED TO THE CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLY, WHERE SHE SERVED 12 YEARS, DURG WHICH SHE -FOUND THE LGBT LEGISLATIVE CC, THORED THE STATE’S LARGT ENERGY NSERVATN BILL, AND WAS ELECTED ASSEMBLY SPEAKER PRO TEM, THE CHAMBER’S SEND-HIGHT-RANKG POSN. IN 2004, KEHOE WAS ELECTED TO THE STATE SENATE, WHERE SHE SERVED UNTIL TERMED OUT 2012. A BUMPER STICKER OM CHRIS KEHOE'S 1998 CONGRSNAL MPAIGN.IN MARCH 2016, CHRISTE KEHOE WAS DUCTED TO THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY WOMEN’S HALL OF FAME AS A TRAILBLAZER. SHE WAS THE SUBJECT OF THE 2016 DOCUMENTARY POLIL ANIMALS, WHICH ALSO FEATURED FELLOW LBIAN CALIFORNIA POLIL TRAILBLAZERS SHEILA KHL, CAROLE MIGN AND JACKIE GOLDBERG. ‍PRINT CLTON MEETS WH LGBTQ LEARSLGBTQ+ VICTORY FUND’S WILLIAM WAYBOURN (THIRD OM RIGHT) AND OTHER LGBTQ+ LEARS AT A HISTORIC OVAL OFFICE MEETG WH PRINT CLTON. COURTY OF PRINT BILL CLTON WHE HOEIN APRIL 1993, LGBTQ+ LEARS CLUDG VICTORY FUND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WILLIAM WAYBOURN WERE VED TO A HISTORIC MEETG WH PRINT CLTON THE OVAL OFFICE JT BEFORE THE MARCH ON WASHGTON FOR LBIAN, GAY, AND BI EQUAL RIGHTS AND LIBERATN. YET THREE MONTHS LATER, JULY, WAYBOURN WAS AMONG TWENTY-EIGHT ARRTED AT THE WHE HOE GATE PROTTG CLTON’S “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL”—A “PROMISE” POLICY REPLACG THE PROMISE OF A PLETE LIFTG OF THE BAN ON OPEN ARY SERVICE.LONGTIME FRIENDSA REAL TURNG POT LGBTQ+ POLIL POWER ME WHEN FORMER ANTI–VIETNAM WAR ACTIVISTS DAVID MIXNER AND BILL CLTON REKDLED THEIR IENDSHIP 1992. IT WASN’T EASY. MIXNER HAD LOST 300 IENDS TO AIDS, CLUDG HIS BELOVED PARTNER, PETER STT, AND HE AND LYNN GREER WERE WORKG HARD AS BOARD -CHAIRS FOR VICTORY FUND. WILLIAM WAYBOURN “DID A BRILLIANT JOB GETTG THE ANIZATN OFF THE GROUND ON A DAILY BASIS,” MIXNER SAYS, A “HUGE CHALLENGE” SCE SO MANY DONORS HAD DIED AND OTHERS WERE FANCIALLY STRETCHED FUNDG AIDS ANIZATNS. GREATER LGBTQ+ REPRENTATN WAS A NECSY, BUT LGBTQ+ POLIS WERE PARIAHS. IN 1988, MIXNER AND CHECKBOOK ACTIVISTS RANDY KLOSE, DE COMEGYS, AND DAVID WEXLER OFFERED MICHAEL DAKIS’S PRINTIAL MPAIGN $1 LN BUNDLED “LAVENR” DOLLARS. THEY WERE REBUFFED.“WE JT SAT THERE AGHAST. HOW N WE BE AT THE APEX OF THIS EPIMIC AND THE DEMOCRATS WON’T EVEN TOUCH AS A GROUP?” MIXNER TOLD JOURNALIST KAREN OMB 2016. IN LATE 1991, PRINTIAL ASPIRANT CLTON LLED MIXNER, EXPECTG TOMATIC SUPPORT. MIXNER SAID THE DARK HORSE NDIDATE NEED TO SECURE THE ENDORSEMENT OF ANGLE, ANOTHER GAY RIGHTS ANIZATN, GIVEN VICTORY FUND ONLY ENDORSED LGBTQ+ NDIDAT, AND CLTON RECEIVED . BUT ANGLE’S SUPPORT WAS SOON PUT TO THE TT WH THE GENNIFER FLOWERS SEX SNDAL. CLTON SEEMED LIKE THE WALKG AD, MIXNER RELLS.ANGLE REMAED LOYAL WHILE ALSO MAKG MANDS FOR THEIR PARTICIPATN A FEBARY FUNDRAISER AT THE BEVERLY WILSHIRE HOTEL, HOSTED BY FUTURE SECRETARY OF STATE WARREN CHRISTOPHER. THEY WANTED A PRIVATE LGBTQ+ RECEPTN FOR OUT SAN FRANCIS SUPERVISOR ROBERTA ACHTENBERG TO TRODUCE CLTON, HOPG HER RAISED VISIBILY WOULD LEAD TO A PRINTIAL APPOTMENT.“I WOULD SAY A THIRD, MAYBE EVEN HALF THE PEOPLE AT THIS STRAIGHT DNER WERE GAYS AND LBIANS,” SAYS MIXNER. “THAT PUT ON THE MAP—THAT WAS A TURNG POT. WE PROVED THAT WE WOULD BE IENDS THROUGH THICK AND TH.”BUT TENSNS REMAED. THE HISTORIC “I HAVE A VISN AND YOU’RE A PART OF ” SPEECH AT THE HOLLYWOOD PALACE MAY 1992 ALMOST DIDN’T HAPPEN. WHEN THE MPAIGN SAID “ABSOLUTELY NO PRS,” MIXNER BALKED AND SAID HE WAS WILLG TO RETURN THE $100,000 RAISED OM THE PACKED HOE. THE MPAIGN VED.“WE HAVE ALL E A LONG WAY TONIGHT,” MIXNER SAID, TRODUCG CLTON, THE LOS ANGEL TIM RELLED A HISTORIL REP ON MAY 13, 2012. “NO ONE HAND THIS EVENT TONIGHT . . . WE EARNED , CH BY CH, STEP BY STEP, MOMENT BY MOMENT.”THE GLOWG HEADL HELPED MAKE CLTON VIABLE. MIXNER AND LGBTQ+ SUPPORTERS RAISED $3.2 LN AND GALVANIZED THE FIRST-EVER GAY VOTG BLOC. A NATNAL VOTER NEWS SERVICE EX POLL SHOWED THAT SELF-INTIFIED GAYS, LBIANS, AND BISEXUALS MA UP 3.2 PERCENT OF VOT FOR CLTON.IN HISTORIC FIRST, ROBERTA ACHTENBERG CONFIRMED BY THE SENATEFORMER HUD ASSISTANT SECRETARY ROBERTA ACHTENBERG (CENTER) WH MARY MAN AND HILLARY ROSEN. COURTY OF EDGAR B. ANRSON IN 1992, OUT SAN FRANCIS SUPERVISOR ROBERTA ACHTENBERG ADDRSED THE DEMOCRATIC NATNAL CONVENTN ON THE MOST PRO-LGBTQ+ CIVIL RIGHTS PLATFORM U.S. HISTORY. LONGTIME BILL CLTON MPAIGN STAFFER BOB HATTOY ALSO LIVERED A POWERFUL SPEECH ON BEG A GAY MAN WH AIDS. BOTH WERE BREAKTHROUGHS. THE LGBTQ+ VOTE WAS NOT CLCHED, HOWEVER. “WE WAED WH BAED BREATH TO SEE IF ANY REFERENCE TO ‘GAY’ WAS CLUD” CLTON’S ACCEPTANCE SPEECH, SAYS ACHTENBERG. IF NOT, DAVID MIXNER WAS PREPARED TO LEAD THE 133 GAY AND LBIAN LEGAT OFF THE NVENTN FLOOR PROTT. “WE NEED TO BE VDITED, AND ED, WE WERE.”AFTER CLTON’S VICTORY, LGBTQ+ VICTORY FUND’S WILLIAM WAYBOURN SPEARHEAD THE PRINTIAL APPOTMENTS PROJECT. AT THE TOP OF THE AGENDA WAS ENSURG THE NOMATN AND NFIRMATN OF ACHTENBERG TO BE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOG AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT.“MY APPOTMENT WAS SIGNED TO BE THE VANGUARD,” ACHTENBERG TOLD JOURNALIST KAREN OMB HER 2016 BOOK REPRENTATN MATTERS, THOUGH NO ONE IMAGED THE GREE OF UGLY RISTANCE. “THAT TOOK EVERYBODY BY SURPRISE, CLUDG [SEN.] TED KENNEDY, WHO AT ONE POT LLED ME UP AT NIGHT AND APOLOGIZED ON BEHALF OF HIS LLEAGU.”THE HEADLE-MAKG RISTANCE WAS LED BY VENOMOLY ANTI-GAY NORTH CAROLA REPUBLIN SENATORS JSE HELMS AND LCH FAIRCLOTH. HELMS, WHO TRIED TO BE A “BROODG PRENCE” DURG THE MTEE HEARG, LLED ACHTENBERG “THAT DAMNED LBIAN,” WHICH LBIANS SOON APPROPRIATED AND TURNED TO A TEE SHIRT. FOUNDG LGBTQ+ VICTORY FUND BOARD MEMBER HILARY ROSEN GOT BY LOBBYG SENATORS. “HILARY IS REALLY THE PERSON WHO ENGEERED THE POSIVE NFIRM,” SAID ACHTENBERG. “SHE KNEW WHERE ALL THE BODI WERE BURIED, AND SHE WENT UP TO THE LE TO MAKE HAPPEN.”ACHTENBERG’S NFIRMATN BEME A MOBILIZG MOMENT FOR THE LGBTQ+ MOVEMENT. “EVERYBODY KNEW I ULD NOT GO DOWN,” SHE SAYS. “IT FELT LIKE WE HAD TO DO WHATEVER TOOK TO W.” VICE PRINT AL GORE WAS ON STANDBY SE HE WAS NEED TO BREAK A TIE ON THE FLOOR, BUT ON MAY 24, 1993, ACHTENBERG WON 51 TO 34, WH A NUMBER OF “CHICKENS” NOT VOTG.ACHTENBERG LOOKS BACK WH PRI. “IT HURT EPLY TO BE LLED ALL KDS OF NAM. HELMS QUTNED THE LEGIMACY OF MY RELATNSHIP WH MY FAY. HE SAID I WAS UNF. THEY QUTNED WHETHER I ULD UPHOLD THE CONSTUTN, AS IF BEG GAY MEANT YOU WERE NOT A PATRT. BUT WE PREVAILED, AND ’S THANKS TO PEOPLE LIKE DAVID AND HILARY AND THE VICTORY FUND WHO STUCK THEIR NECKS OUT. IT’S EASIER NOW, AND WE’RE GLAD OF .”‍ALLAN SPEAR’S HUMAN RIGHTS ACT PASSSEN. ALLAN SPEAR THERE WAS A PERD OF TIME -- JT BEFORE AND AFTER THE STONEWALL RTS 1969 -- WHEN ACTIVISTS WERE RISG UP AGAST THE VIETNAM WAR AND TRANSFORMG CIVIL RIGHTS TO NEW LIBERATN MOVEMENTS WHERE GAYS AND LBIANS WERE NSIRED A LEGIMATE MORY STEAD OF PATHOLOGIL PERVERTS. SOME OF THOSE ACTIVISTS, LIKE YALE UNIVERSY PHD GRADUATE ALLAN SPEAR, CHOSE TO MAKE CHANGE LEGISLATIVELY. SPEAR WAS ELECTED TO THE MNOTA STATE SENATE 1972, G OUT 1974, JT A MONTH AFTER ELAE NOBLE BEME THE FIRST OUT LGBTQ+ PERSON ELECTED TO A STATE LEGISLATURE. HE SERVED TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS THE SENATE, CLUDG EIGHT YEARS AS PRINT UNTIL HIS RETIREMENT 2000. THE HIGHLIGHT OF HIS REER WAS WORKG WHOUT HOE REP. KAREN CLARK ON PASSAGE OF THE 1993 MNOTA HUMAN RIGHTS ACT, GIVG GAY RINTS PROTECTN OM DISCRIMATN TN, EMPLOYMENT, AND HOG. THE BILL HAD BEEN ON THE TABLE FOR TWENTY YEARS.“I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE SERVED WH ME—EHER LLEAGU OR STAFF PEOPLE, LOBBYISTS SOME S, WHO HAVE TOLD ME THAT THEY HAVE CHANGED THEIR VIEWS ON GAY ISSU OVER THE YEARS BEE I WAS THE ONLY GAY PERSON THEY EVER KNEW,” SPEAR TOLD “OUT AND ELECTED THE USA: 1974–2004” FOR HE WAS SEEN AS A “PRODUCTIVE HUMAN BEG” AND “THEY VELOPED NEW IAS AND NEW ATTUS ABOUT WHAT GAY PEOPLE ARE AND HOW GAY PEOPLE BEHAVE BEE OF THAT.” COMG OUT HAS AN IMPACT. “I’VE ALWAYS ARGUED THAT G OUT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT POLIL CISN THAT ANY GAY PERSON N EVER MAKE. WE THK OF OFTEN AS PERSONAL RATHER THAN A POLIL CISN, BUT ALSO HAS THIS REALLY PROFOUND POLIL IMPACT ON THE PEOPLE AROUND AND OUR OWN SOCIETY,” SAID SPEAR, WHO PASSED AWAY ON OCTOBER 11, NATNAL COMG OUT DAY, 2008. HE WAS SURVIVED BY HIS PARTNER OF 20-PL YEARS, JUNJIRO TSUJI.‍LGBTQ+ VICTORY INSTUTE FOUND
• GAY AND LBIAN MARCH ON WASHGTON
• MARCH ON WASHGTON FOR LBIAN, GAY, AND BI EQUAL RIGHTS AND LIBERATN
• MARCH ON WASHGTON PAVED WAY FOR GAY RIGHTS TOO
• GAY RIGHTS

MARCH FOR GAY RIGHTS; GAY MARCHERS THRONG MALL APPEAL FOR RIGHTS

We mand passage of a lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr civil rights bill and an end to discrimatn by state and feral ernments cludg the ary; repeal of all sodomy laws and other laws that crimalize private sexual exprsn between nsentg adults. We mand legislatn to prevent discrimatn agast lbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenr people the areas of fay diversy, ctody, adoptn and foster re and that the fn of fay clus the full diversy of all fay stctur.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CIVIL RIGHTS THE UNED STAT: NATNAL MARCH ON WASHGTON FOR LBIAN AND GAY RIGHTS

AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTMARCH FOR GAY RIGHTSApril 26, New York Tim ArchivSee the article s origal ntext om April 26, 1993, Sectn A, Page 1Buy ReprtsTimMache is an exclive benef for home livery and digal the ArchiveThis is a digized versn of an article om The Tim’s prt archive, before the start of onle publitn 1996. Ocsnally the digizatn procs troduc transcriptn errors or other problems; we are ntug to work to improve the archived once fiant and ftive, hundreds of thoands of gay and lbian Amerins and their supporters rallied the pal today, celebratg the right to be homosexual and mandg eedom om discrimatn.

WORLD'S FIRST 'DYKE MARCH' HELD DCBOSTON'S 2008 DYKE MARCH IN 1993, THE LBIAN AVENGERS ANIZED THE FIRST DYKE MARCH ON WASHGTON, D.C. AS A LN PEOPLE ANIZED THE CY FOR THE MARCH ON WASHGTON FOR LBIAN, GAY AND BI EQUAL RIGHTS AND LIBERATN. SCE THEN, LBIANS CI AROUND THE WORLD HAVE ANIZED ANNUAL DYKE MARCH, OFTEN CIDG WH PRI AND NVENG FOR PURPOS SPECIFIC TO EACH CY, CLUDG VISIBILY, HIGHLIGHTG WOMEN THE LGBTQ+ MUNY, WORKG AND PROTTG. CHRISTE KEHOE BE SAN DIEGO COUNTY’S FIRST OUT OFFICIALKEHOE 1999.A TRAILBLAZG FIXTURE SAN DIEGO’S FEMIST AND LGBTQ+ MUNI, CHRISTE KEHOE WAS THE EDOR OF THE GAYZETTE OM 1984 TO 1986, LEAVG TO CHAIR SAN DIEGO COUNTY’S ARM OF THE STATEWI MPAIGN TO FEAT LYNDON LAROUCHE’S AIDS QUARANTE IATIVE, PROPOSN 64. AFTER THAT SUCCS, SHE WORKED FOR AN AIDS ASSISTANCE ANIZATN.“GAY MEN WERE PREVENTED OM DONATG BLOOD, SO THE LBIAN MUNY AND STRAIGHT WOMEN STEPPED UP AND STARTED BLOOD SISTERS TO DONATE BLOOD. ALL KDS OF ACTIVI LIKE THAT ME OUT OF THE AIDS CRISIS,” KEHOE SAID A MARCH 17, 2016, VIO POSTED BY THE WOMEN’S MM OF CALIFORNIA ABOUT THE “VERY SPERATE” TIM OM 1985 TO THE 1990S.IN 1993, KEHOE RAN FOR SAN DIEGO CY COUNCIL. “MY MPAIGN MOTTO WAS ‘AS A NORTH PARK HOMEOWNER, I UNRSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF CLEAN SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS,’” SHE SAYS. “THE GAY MUNY REALIZED THIS WAS OUR SHOT AT TLY HAVG A SEAT AT THE TABLE. IF WE WON, I WOULD BE THE FIRST ELECTED OPENLY LGBT OFFICIAL THE UNTY . . . IT WAS STILL MY FAVORE MPAIGN. AND WE WON BY FIVE POTS. AND WE AMAZED EVERYBODY. AND WE SET OUT TO REALLY BE A GOOD REPRENTATIVE FOR ALL THE PEOPLE. THE GAY MUNY KNEW WE ULDN’T BE SILENT ANYMORE.” KEHOE SERVED SEVEN YEARS ON THE CY UNCIL, DURG WHICH SHE WAS APPOTED TO THE CALIFORNIA COASTAL COMMISSN AND THE SAN DIEGO ASSOCIATN OF GOVERNMENTS. IN 1998, KEHOE GARNERED NATNAL ATTENTN HER RACE FOR THE U.S. CONGRS BEE OF HER SEXUAL ORIENTATN, BUT DID NOT BEAT HER OPPONENT. YET 2000, SHE WAS ELECTED TO THE CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLY, WHERE SHE SERVED 12 YEARS, DURG WHICH SHE -FOUND THE LGBT LEGISLATIVE CC, THORED THE STATE’S LARGT ENERGY NSERVATN BILL, AND WAS ELECTED ASSEMBLY SPEAKER PRO TEM, THE CHAMBER’S SEND-HIGHT-RANKG POSN. IN 2004, KEHOE WAS ELECTED TO THE STATE SENATE, WHERE SHE SERVED UNTIL TERMED OUT 2012. A BUMPER STICKER OM CHRIS KEHOE'S 1998 CONGRSNAL MPAIGN.IN MARCH 2016, CHRISTE KEHOE WAS DUCTED TO THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY WOMEN’S HALL OF FAME AS A TRAILBLAZER. SHE WAS THE SUBJECT OF THE 2016 DOCUMENTARY POLIL ANIMALS, WHICH ALSO FEATURED FELLOW LBIAN CALIFORNIA POLIL TRAILBLAZERS SHEILA KHL, CAROLE MIGN AND JACKIE GOLDBERG. ‍PRINT CLTON MEETS WH LGBTQ LEARSLGBTQ+ VICTORY FUND’S WILLIAM WAYBOURN (THIRD OM RIGHT) AND OTHER LGBTQ+ LEARS AT A HISTORIC OVAL OFFICE MEETG WH PRINT CLTON. COURTY OF PRINT BILL CLTON WHE HOEIN APRIL 1993, LGBTQ+ LEARS CLUDG VICTORY FUND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WILLIAM WAYBOURN WERE VED TO A HISTORIC MEETG WH PRINT CLTON THE OVAL OFFICE JT BEFORE THE MARCH ON WASHGTON FOR LBIAN, GAY, AND BI EQUAL RIGHTS AND LIBERATN. YET THREE MONTHS LATER, JULY, WAYBOURN WAS AMONG TWENTY-EIGHT ARRTED AT THE WHE HOE GATE PROTTG CLTON’S “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL”—A “PROMISE” POLICY REPLACG THE PROMISE OF A PLETE LIFTG OF THE BAN ON OPEN ARY SERVICE.LONGTIME FRIENDSA REAL TURNG POT LGBTQ+ POLIL POWER ME WHEN FORMER ANTI–VIETNAM WAR ACTIVISTS DAVID MIXNER AND BILL CLTON REKDLED THEIR IENDSHIP 1992. IT WASN’T EASY. MIXNER HAD LOST 300 IENDS TO AIDS, CLUDG HIS BELOVED PARTNER, PETER STT, AND HE AND LYNN GREER WERE WORKG HARD AS BOARD -CHAIRS FOR VICTORY FUND. WILLIAM WAYBOURN “DID A BRILLIANT JOB GETTG THE ANIZATN OFF THE GROUND ON A DAILY BASIS,” MIXNER SAYS, A “HUGE CHALLENGE” SCE SO MANY DONORS HAD DIED AND OTHERS WERE FANCIALLY STRETCHED FUNDG AIDS ANIZATNS. GREATER LGBTQ+ REPRENTATN WAS A NECSY, BUT LGBTQ+ POLIS WERE PARIAHS. IN 1988, MIXNER AND CHECKBOOK ACTIVISTS RANDY KLOSE, DE COMEGYS, AND DAVID WEXLER OFFERED MICHAEL DAKIS’S PRINTIAL MPAIGN $1 LN BUNDLED “LAVENR” DOLLARS. THEY WERE REBUFFED.“WE JT SAT THERE AGHAST. HOW N WE BE AT THE APEX OF THIS EPIMIC AND THE DEMOCRATS WON’T EVEN TOUCH AS A GROUP?” MIXNER TOLD JOURNALIST KAREN OMB 2016. IN LATE 1991, PRINTIAL ASPIRANT CLTON LLED MIXNER, EXPECTG TOMATIC SUPPORT. MIXNER SAID THE DARK HORSE NDIDATE NEED TO SECURE THE ENDORSEMENT OF ANGLE, ANOTHER GAY RIGHTS ANIZATN, GIVEN VICTORY FUND ONLY ENDORSED LGBTQ+ NDIDAT, AND CLTON RECEIVED . BUT ANGLE’S SUPPORT WAS SOON PUT TO THE TT WH THE GENNIFER FLOWERS SEX SNDAL. CLTON SEEMED LIKE THE WALKG AD, MIXNER RELLS.ANGLE REMAED LOYAL WHILE ALSO MAKG MANDS FOR THEIR PARTICIPATN A FEBARY FUNDRAISER AT THE BEVERLY WILSHIRE HOTEL, HOSTED BY FUTURE SECRETARY OF STATE WARREN CHRISTOPHER. THEY WANTED A PRIVATE LGBTQ+ RECEPTN FOR OUT SAN FRANCIS SUPERVISOR ROBERTA ACHTENBERG TO TRODUCE CLTON, HOPG HER RAISED VISIBILY WOULD LEAD TO A PRINTIAL APPOTMENT.“I WOULD SAY A THIRD, MAYBE EVEN HALF THE PEOPLE AT THIS STRAIGHT DNER WERE GAYS AND LBIANS,” SAYS MIXNER. “THAT PUT ON THE MAP—THAT WAS A TURNG POT. WE PROVED THAT WE WOULD BE IENDS THROUGH THICK AND TH.”BUT TENSNS REMAED. THE HISTORIC “I HAVE A VISN AND YOU’RE A PART OF ” SPEECH AT THE HOLLYWOOD PALACE MAY 1992 ALMOST DIDN’T HAPPEN. WHEN THE MPAIGN SAID “ABSOLUTELY NO PRS,” MIXNER BALKED AND SAID HE WAS WILLG TO RETURN THE $100,000 RAISED OM THE PACKED HOE. THE MPAIGN VED.“WE HAVE ALL E A LONG WAY TONIGHT,” MIXNER SAID, TRODUCG CLTON, THE LOS ANGEL TIM RELLED A HISTORIL REP ON MAY 13, 2012. “NO ONE HAND THIS EVENT TONIGHT . . . WE EARNED , CH BY CH, STEP BY STEP, MOMENT BY MOMENT.”THE GLOWG HEADL HELPED MAKE CLTON VIABLE. MIXNER AND LGBTQ+ SUPPORTERS RAISED $3.2 LN AND GALVANIZED THE FIRST-EVER GAY VOTG BLOC. A NATNAL VOTER NEWS SERVICE EX POLL SHOWED THAT SELF-INTIFIED GAYS, LBIANS, AND BISEXUALS MA UP 3.2 PERCENT OF VOT FOR CLTON.IN HISTORIC FIRST, ROBERTA ACHTENBERG CONFIRMED BY THE SENATEFORMER HUD ASSISTANT SECRETARY ROBERTA ACHTENBERG (CENTER) WH MARY MAN AND HILLARY ROSEN. COURTY OF EDGAR B. ANRSON IN 1992, OUT SAN FRANCIS SUPERVISOR ROBERTA ACHTENBERG ADDRSED THE DEMOCRATIC NATNAL CONVENTN ON THE MOST PRO-LGBTQ+ CIVIL RIGHTS PLATFORM U.S. HISTORY. LONGTIME BILL CLTON MPAIGN STAFFER BOB HATTOY ALSO LIVERED A POWERFUL SPEECH ON BEG A GAY MAN WH AIDS. BOTH WERE BREAKTHROUGHS. THE LGBTQ+ VOTE WAS NOT CLCHED, HOWEVER. “WE WAED WH BAED BREATH TO SEE IF ANY REFERENCE TO ‘GAY’ WAS CLUD” CLTON’S ACCEPTANCE SPEECH, SAYS ACHTENBERG. IF NOT, DAVID MIXNER WAS PREPARED TO LEAD THE 133 GAY AND LBIAN LEGAT OFF THE NVENTN FLOOR PROTT. “WE NEED TO BE VDITED, AND ED, WE WERE.”AFTER CLTON’S VICTORY, LGBTQ+ VICTORY FUND’S WILLIAM WAYBOURN SPEARHEAD THE PRINTIAL APPOTMENTS PROJECT. AT THE TOP OF THE AGENDA WAS ENSURG THE NOMATN AND NFIRMATN OF ACHTENBERG TO BE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOG AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT.“MY APPOTMENT WAS SIGNED TO BE THE VANGUARD,” ACHTENBERG TOLD JOURNALIST KAREN OMB HER 2016 BOOK REPRENTATN MATTERS, THOUGH NO ONE IMAGED THE GREE OF UGLY RISTANCE. “THAT TOOK EVERYBODY BY SURPRISE, CLUDG [SEN.] TED KENNEDY, WHO AT ONE POT LLED ME UP AT NIGHT AND APOLOGIZED ON BEHALF OF HIS LLEAGU.”THE HEADLE-MAKG RISTANCE WAS LED BY VENOMOLY ANTI-GAY NORTH CAROLA REPUBLIN SENATORS JSE HELMS AND LCH FAIRCLOTH. HELMS, WHO TRIED TO BE A “BROODG PRENCE” DURG THE MTEE HEARG, LLED ACHTENBERG “THAT DAMNED LBIAN,” WHICH LBIANS SOON APPROPRIATED AND TURNED TO A TEE SHIRT. FOUNDG LGBTQ+ VICTORY FUND BOARD MEMBER HILARY ROSEN GOT BY LOBBYG SENATORS. “HILARY IS REALLY THE PERSON WHO ENGEERED THE POSIVE NFIRM,” SAID ACHTENBERG. “SHE KNEW WHERE ALL THE BODI WERE BURIED, AND SHE WENT UP TO THE LE TO MAKE HAPPEN.”ACHTENBERG’S NFIRMATN BEME A MOBILIZG MOMENT FOR THE LGBTQ+ MOVEMENT. “EVERYBODY KNEW I ULD NOT GO DOWN,” SHE SAYS. “IT FELT LIKE WE HAD TO DO WHATEVER TOOK TO W.” VICE PRINT AL GORE WAS ON STANDBY SE HE WAS NEED TO BREAK A TIE ON THE FLOOR, BUT ON MAY 24, 1993, ACHTENBERG WON 51 TO 34, WH A NUMBER OF “CHICKENS” NOT VOTG.ACHTENBERG LOOKS BACK WH PRI. “IT HURT EPLY TO BE LLED ALL KDS OF NAM. HELMS QUTNED THE LEGIMACY OF MY RELATNSHIP WH MY FAY. HE SAID I WAS UNF. THEY QUTNED WHETHER I ULD UPHOLD THE CONSTUTN, AS IF BEG GAY MEANT YOU WERE NOT A PATRT. BUT WE PREVAILED, AND ’S THANKS TO PEOPLE LIKE DAVID AND HILARY AND THE VICTORY FUND WHO STUCK THEIR NECKS OUT. IT’S EASIER NOW, AND WE’RE GLAD OF .”‍ALLAN SPEAR’S HUMAN RIGHTS ACT PASSSEN. ALLAN SPEAR THERE WAS A PERD OF TIME -- JT BEFORE AND AFTER THE STONEWALL RTS 1969 -- WHEN ACTIVISTS WERE RISG UP AGAST THE VIETNAM WAR AND TRANSFORMG CIVIL RIGHTS TO NEW LIBERATN MOVEMENTS WHERE GAYS AND LBIANS WERE NSIRED A LEGIMATE MORY STEAD OF PATHOLOGIL PERVERTS. SOME OF THOSE ACTIVISTS, LIKE YALE UNIVERSY PHD GRADUATE ALLAN SPEAR, CHOSE TO MAKE CHANGE LEGISLATIVELY. SPEAR WAS ELECTED TO THE MNOTA STATE SENATE 1972, G OUT 1974, JT A MONTH AFTER ELAE NOBLE BEME THE FIRST OUT LGBTQ+ PERSON ELECTED TO A STATE LEGISLATURE. HE SERVED TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS THE SENATE, CLUDG EIGHT YEARS AS PRINT UNTIL HIS RETIREMENT 2000. THE HIGHLIGHT OF HIS REER WAS WORKG WHOUT HOE REP. KAREN CLARK ON PASSAGE OF THE 1993 MNOTA HUMAN RIGHTS ACT, GIVG GAY RINTS PROTECTN OM DISCRIMATN TN, EMPLOYMENT, AND HOG. THE BILL HAD BEEN ON THE TABLE FOR TWENTY YEARS.“I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE SERVED WH ME—EHER LLEAGU OR STAFF PEOPLE, LOBBYISTS SOME S, WHO HAVE TOLD ME THAT THEY HAVE CHANGED THEIR VIEWS ON GAY ISSU OVER THE YEARS BEE I WAS THE ONLY GAY PERSON THEY EVER KNEW,” SPEAR TOLD “OUT AND ELECTED THE USA: 1974–2004” FOR HE WAS SEEN AS A “PRODUCTIVE HUMAN BEG” AND “THEY VELOPED NEW IAS AND NEW ATTUS ABOUT WHAT GAY PEOPLE ARE AND HOW GAY PEOPLE BEHAVE BEE OF THAT.” COMG OUT HAS AN IMPACT. “I’VE ALWAYS ARGUED THAT G OUT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT POLIL CISN THAT ANY GAY PERSON N EVER MAKE. WE THK OF OFTEN AS PERSONAL RATHER THAN A POLIL CISN, BUT ALSO HAS THIS REALLY PROFOUND POLIL IMPACT ON THE PEOPLE AROUND AND OUR OWN SOCIETY,” SAID SPEAR, WHO PASSED AWAY ON OCTOBER 11, NATNAL COMG OUT DAY, 2008. HE WAS SURVIVED BY HIS PARTNER OF 20-PL YEARS, JUNJIRO TSUJI.‍LGBTQ+ VICTORY INSTUTE FOUND

But the numbers were clearly swelled by reactn to recent anti-gay measur Oregon and Colorado, by creased opposn to homosexualy om relig groups and by the sharply anti-gay ments the fight over endg the ban on homosexuals the ary.

The state has been an tense polil battleground, wh the passage last year of Amendment 2, which prohibs lol anti-discrimatory laws that are signed to protect lbians and gay Coloradans' black banners, one of them proclaimg "Unr Siege, " stretched almost the full width of the thoroughfare.

GAY AND LBIAN MARCH ON WASHGTON

Others took to chantg, "Shame, " over and over aga as they Christian Actn Network, a nservative relig group that oppos homosexual rights, labeled the march "a wake-up ll to the silent majory of Amerins whose dividual rights are at stake.

Service men and women discharged for homosexualy, who have bee hero among gay people, led up uniform on the stage before the crowd, settg off thunro applse, tears and screams. Schdler, a 22-year-old Navy radman beaten to ath last October near the Uned Stat Navy base Sasebo, Japan, exprsed fear for every gay and lbian service march -- officially lled the 1993 March on Washgton for Lbian, Gay and Bi-Equal Rights and Liberatn -- lled for the meetg of several mands, cludg passage of a civil rights bill and other antidiscrimatn measur; more money for AIDS tn, treatment and rearch; the cln of lbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgenr people the tnal system; reproductive eedom; and an end to discrimatn and vlent opprsn based on sexual orientatn, race, relign, sex, disabily, age, class or H.

Courty of Print Bill Clton Whe HoeIn April 1993, LGBTQ+ lears cludg Victory Fund executive director William Waybourn were ved to a historic meetg wh Print Clton the Oval Office jt before the March on Washgton for Lbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights and Liberatn. Mixner said the dark horse ndidate need to secure the endorsement of ANGLE, another gay rights anizatn, given Victory Fund only endorsed LGBTQ+ ndidat, and Clton received .

MARCH ON WASHGTON FOR LBIAN, GAY, AND BI EQUAL RIGHTS AND LIBERATN

The event, which occurred on the mall near the Washgton Memorial Washgton, DC, was planned to show support for legislatn grantg equal rights for homosexuals Amerin society, cludg anti-discrimatn regulatns based on sexual orientatn and an end to the ban on homosexuals the U. A five-pot platform for the march lled for passage by Congrs of a “prehensive” lbian and gay civil rights bill; a printial executive orr banng discrimatn based on sexual orientatn the feral workforce, the ary, ferally ntracted private employers; repeal of all anti-gay/lbian laws; an end to discrimatn child ctody disput for gay and lbian parents; and protectns for gay and lbian youth agast discrimatn at home or schools. Items add to the platform beyond those clud for the 1979 march clud a ll for legal regnn of lbian and gay relatnships; repeal of sodomy laws applyg to nsentg adults; an end to discrimatn agast people wh HIV/AIDS; reproductive eedom for women; and an end to racism the U.

While march anizers were generally optimistic over a Clton Whe Hoe, some exprsed ncern that the new print appeared to be backg down om his promise to lift the ban on gays the ary followg opposn to the proposal by many Congrs. Another vol msage livered at the march was strong opposn to Colorado’s Amendment 2, a ballot measure passed by voters that banned ci and unti the state om adoptg anti-discrimatn laws protectg gays and lbians. In a break om the first three ‘gay’ Washgton march, which were iated by dividual activists, the Millennium March was iated by the Human Rights Campaign, the natn’s largt LGBT civil rights group, and the Rev.

MARCH ON WASHGTON PAVED WAY FOR GAY RIGHTS TOO

Rather than seek put om grassroots activists and lol LGBT groups, HRC and Perry formed a march mtee on their own and hired lbian edian and events producer Rob Tyler, who had been llg for another gay march, as the march’s executive producer.

GAY RIGHTS

In a prs release announcg the march, the mtee boasted that rporate sponsors were beg led up to help fance the march and a long list of celebri, most of whom were gay or lbian, would be performg at a ncert durg the weekend of the planned march. Longtime gay rights advote David Mixner is creded wh iatg the march an effort to build on the groundswell of LGBT activism on social media generated by the approval by California voters of Proposn 8, a ballot measure that overturned the state’s same-sex marriage law. San Francis gay rights lear Cleve Jon, founr of the Nam Project that created the AIDS Memorial Quilt, beme volved as one of the lead anizers along wh lbian activist Rob McGehee and gay activist Kip Williams.

The Lbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgenr movement regniz that our qut for social jtice fundamentally lks to the stggl agast racism and sexism, class bias, enomic jtice and relig tolerance. We mand passage of a Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgenr civil rights bill and an end to discrimatn by state and feral ernments cludg the ary; repeal of all sodomy laws and other laws that crimalize private sexual exprsn between nsentg adults.