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class="styl_ntaer__ZKkl3" data-activy-map="social-share-lks-article-top" data-ttid="social-share-menu"><li data-ttid="social-share-facebook" class="styl_em__b5A78 styl_facebook__bOW_X"><a href=" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="styl_lk__RsJVU"><span class="in in-share-facebook"></span></a></li><li data-ttid="social-share-twter" class="styl_em__b5A78 styl_twter__ww7sF"><a href=" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="styl_lk__RsJVU"><span class="in in-twter"></span></a></li><li data-ttid="social-share-ptert" class="styl_em__b5A78 styl_ptert__CaMm1"><a href=" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="styl_lk__RsJVU"><span class="in in-share-ptert"></span></a></li><li data-ttid="social-share-email" class="styl_em__b5A78"><a href="mailto:?subject=John Lewis' motor mak symbolic stop to honor s of LGBTQ advocy& target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="styl_lk__RsJVU"><span class="in in-share-email"></span></a></li><li data-ttid="social-share-py" class="styl_em__b5A78 styl_py__RACZ3"><button type="button" class="styl_button__b3sx_"><span class="in in-lk"></span></button><div class="styl_pyTooltip__Ut_t1"><span class="in in-alt-check"></span></div></li><li data-ttid="social-share-sms" class="styl_em__b5A78 styl_sms__Vohh6"><a href="sms:?&body=John Lewis' motor mak symbolic stop to honor s of LGBTQ advocy via nbews - target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="styl_lk__RsJVU"><span class="in in-sms"></span></a></li><li data-ttid="social-share-prt" class="styl_prt__cw6Gn"><button type="button" class="styl_button__b3sx_"><span class="in in-share-prt styl_in__P3XZT"></span><span class="styl_text___8iNX">Prt</span></button></li><li data-ttid="social-share-save" class="styl_save__ILVuj"></li></ul></div><div class="article-body__date-source"><time class="relative z-1" dateTime="2020-07-30T22:18:00.000Z" ntent="2020-07-30T22:18:00.000Z">July 30, 2020, 10:18 PM UTC</time></div><div class="article-le-byle" data-activy-map="le-byle-article-top">By <span class="byle-name"><a href=">Brooke Sopelsa</a></span></div></sectn><div class="article-body__ntent article-body-font--loadg"><p class="">As the hearse rryg John Lewis' body drove through Atlanta's Midtown neighborhood on Wednday, ma a lengthy and symbolic stop at a rabow crosswalk as dozens of people gathered on the siwalk to watch the procsn pass.</p><p class="">“It feels very appropriate that that stop was prolonged for John Lewis’ legacy," <a href=" target="_blank">Victoria Kirby York</a> of the <a href=" target="_blank">Natnal LGBTQ Task Force</a> told NBC News. "I believe his vol learship and support champng LGBTQ equaly — even prr to beg a ol thg for people to hop on the bandwagon for — was cril beg able to shift public opn across the untry.”</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div><div id="taboolaReadMoreBelow"></div><p class="">York add: “He was about civil rights, equaly and liberatn for everybody. Perd. Full stop.”</p><figure class="styl_leImage__yAWZ0 styl_medium__OMa6x"><picture class="styl_image__1qciH"><source media="(m-width: 1000px)" srcSet=" 2x, 1x"/><source srcSet=" 2x, 1x"/><img loadg="lazy" src=" alt="Image: Members Of U.s. Congrs Oppose Same-sex Marriage Ban" height="1629" width="2500"/></picture><figptn class="ptn styl_ptn__Pe5JC"><span class="ptn__ntaer" data-ttid="ptn__ntaer">Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., speaks at a news nference Washgton, D.C., on June 6, 2006, to oppose a proposal for an amendment to the U.S. Constutn that would ban same-sex marriage.</span><span class="ptn__source">Stt J. Ferrell / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag file</span></figptn></figure><p class="">The stop by Lewis’ motor — lastg nearly a mute — was an acknowledgement of his vol advocy over the years for the rights of lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer Amerins.</p><h2 class="">An early advote</h2><p class="">Lewis, who reprented Geia’s 5th Congrsnal District om 1987 until his ath on July 17, did not wa until was polilly safe to stand up for LGBTQ rights.</p><p class="">In 1996, when <a href=">65 percent of Amerins opposed same-sex marriage</a>, Lewis livered an <a href=">impassned speech</a> on the Hoe floor cryg the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA — feral legislatn that sought to fe marriage as exclively between one man and one woman — as a “mean” and “cel” bill.</p><sectn class="embed-widget embedWidget embed-widget__youtube embed-widget--medium"><iame loadg="lazy" tle="youtube embed" class="embed-widget__e-prentatn" src=" ameBorr="0" allowfullscreen=""></iame></sectn><p class="">“This bill is a slap the face of the Declaratn of Inpennce. It ni gay men and women the right to liberty and the pursu of happs. Marriage is a basic human right,” he said. “You nnot tell people they nnot fall love. Dr. Mart Luther Kg, Jr. ed to say when people talked about terracial marriage and I quote: ‘Rac do not fall love and get married. Individuals fall love and get married.’”</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div><p class="">DOMA, nsired a polil promise at the time, easily passed both the Hoe and Senate and was signed to law by then-Print Bill Clton September 1996. It was the law of the land until 2013, when Uned Stat v. Wdsor chipped away at the heart of the legislatn. Same-sex marriage would not be legal across the U.S. until 2015, when the Supreme Court hand down s Obergefell v. Hodg cisn.</p><sectn class="le-vio le-vio---body"><div class="le-vio__background"><div class="le-vio__player"><div class="vioPlayer styl_vioPlayer__bL8AJ styl_adNotPlayg__Q51_C styl_alignDktopBottom__4cHaO styl_alignMobileBottom__bhgkQ" data-ttid="vio-player"><div class="vioSlate"><a href=" class="allowClicksOnPreview"><picture class=""><source media="(m-width: 1240px)" srcSet="><source media="(m-width: 758px)" srcSet="><img loadg="lazy" src="></picture></a><div class="playButtonOuter absolute absolute-fill w100 dn-prt"><div class="absolute absolute-fill w100 df ems-center ems-center-m jtify-center jtify-center-m"><div class="play le-vio__play-button"><svg class="play--in" xmlns=" viewBox="0 0 15 15" prerveAspectRat="xMidYMid" style="max-width:30px"><path d="M0 0v15l15-7.41z" fill-le="evenodd"></path></svg></div></div></div></div><div id="88950341540"></div></div></div></div><div class="le-vio__"><h2 class="le-vio__tle"><a href=">John Lewis almost died several tim before 30. He survived, but other civil rights lears didn’t</a></h2><span class="le-vio__tail"><span>July 30, 2020</span><span>03:24</span></span><div class="styl_share__n3Syu le-vio__share dn-prt"><div class="styl_shareExpanr__hVk8d le-vio__share-expanr styl_hoverEffect___Dj4s"><span class="styl_shareDot__9pfRZ le-vio__share-dot"></span><svg class="styl_shareClose__6BZxR le-vio__share-close" viewBox="0 0 15 15"><le class="styl_shareLe__EJUjO" x1="0" x2="15" y1="0" y2="15"></le><le class="styl_shareLe__EJUjO" x1="0" x2="15" y1="15" y2="0"></le></svg></div><div class="styl_shareList___M8wC le-vio__share-list"><a href=" class="styl_shareLk__gSGN3" target="_blank" rel="noopen noreferrer"><span class="in in-facebook styl_shareIn__lVnRm le-vio__share-in"></span></a><a href=" class="styl_shareLk__gSGN3" target="_blank" rel="noopen noreferrer"><span class="in in-twter styl_shareIn__lVnRm le-vio__share-in"></span></a><a href="mailto:?subject=John Lewis almost died several tim before 30. He survived, but other civil rights lears didn’t& class="styl_shareLk__gSGN3" target="_blank" rel="noopen noreferrer"><span class="in in-email styl_shareIn__lVnRm le-vio__share-in"></span></a></div></div></div></sectn><p class="">York said Lewis’ early support for LGBTQ rights was unsurprisg, given his activism the precedg s.</p><p class="">“When you’ve stared ath the face solely bee of the lor of your sk, giv you a different view of jtice,” York said, referrg to Lewis' multiple <a href=">near-ath experienc fightg for civil rights, </a>cludg durg the famo "Bloody Sunday" prott on Alabama’s Edmund Pett Bridge 1965. “He put his body on the le to create the world that we all thought was impossible.”</p><p class="">“John Lewis’ moral pass overled whatever the stigma of the day was,” she add. “Equaly for black people means equaly for Black LGBTQ people, and equaly for Black LGBTQ people means equaly for all LGBTQ people, and I thk that was a clear through-le for him.”</p><h2 class="">A s-long ally</h2><p class="">Lewis would ntue to be on the foreont of nearly every major ngrsnal proposal to advance LGBTQ rights.</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div><p class="">On Lewis’ ngrsnal webse, there is a page dited to <a href=">LGBTQ issu</a>, which promently featur a powerful quote om Lewis.</p><p class="">“I fought too long and too hard to end discrimatn based on race and lor, to not stand up agast discrimatn agast our gay and lbian brothers and sisters,” reads. He then go on to quote Dr. Mart Luther Kg Jr., wh whom he led the movement for racial equaly, sayg, “Injtice anywhere is a threat to jtice everywhere.”</p><div><sectn class="related related--sgle dn-prt" data-activy-map="related-article-body-related" data-ttid="related" aria-label="Related ntent"><h3 class="related__tle">Related</h3><div id="related" class="related__ems"><div class="related-em related-em__sgle"><div class="related-em__thumbnail-wrapper"><a href=" data-icid="related" class="related-em__lk related-em__picture-lk"><picture class="related-em__thumbnail__image"><source media="(m-width: 1240px)" srcSet=" 2x, 1x"/><source media="(m-width: 758px)" srcSet=" 2x, 1x"/><source srcSet=" 2x, 1x"/><img loadg="lazy" src=" alt="" height="60" width="60"/></picture></a><span class="related-em__eyebrow"><a class="related-em__label" href="><span>News</span></a><a href=" data-icid="related"></a></span></div><div class="related-em__-wrapper"><h3 class="related-em__tle"><a class="" href="><span class="related-em__eyebrow">News</span></a><a href=" data-icid="related" class="related-em__lk">Obama giv passnate logy as John Lewis honored at funeral MLK's Atlanta church</a></h3></div></div></div></sectn></div><p class="">Lewis was a -sponsor or vol advote for over a dozen ngrsnal bills that sought to eher expand LGBTQ rights or lim anti-LGBTQ discrimatn, cludg the Employment Nondiscrimatn Act (ENDA) and the Rpect for Marriage Act.</p><p class="">The Human Rights Campaign, the untry’s largt LGBTQ advocy anizatn, noted that Lewis worked closely wh Rep. David Cicille, D-R.I., and Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., durg the draftg of the Equaly Act — which would modify existg civil rights legislatn to add protectns agast discrimatn on the basis of sexual orientatn and genr inty— and was a lead sponsor of the legislatn.</p><sectn class="embed-widget embedWidget embed-widget__youtube embed-widget--medium"><iame loadg="lazy" tle="youtube embed" class="embed-widget__e-prentatn" src=" ameBorr="0" allowfullscreen=""></iame></sectn><p class="">Followg Lewis’ ath, Alphonso David, the Human Rights Campaign’s first Black print, lled Lewis “a hero and civil rights in who phed our untry closer to the promise of a more perfect unn.”</p><p class="">“Future generatns will learn how he faced down discrimatn wh urage and fiance, boldly challengg the Uned Stat to envisn a future where every person, no matter their race, sexual orientatn or genr inty, has an equal chance at the Amerin Dream,” David said a statement.</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div><p class="">Lewis appeared at an HRC fundraiser 2016 and told the crowd of mostly LGBTQ people, “You and I are partners.”</p><p class="">“We are part of an ongog stggle to reem the soul of Ameri, to help people this untry and around the world e to grips wh one simple tth: We are one people,” he add. “We are one fay. We are the human fay.”</p><sectn class="embed-widget embedWidget embed-widget__youtube embed-widget--medium"><iame loadg="lazy" tle="youtube embed" class="embed-widget__e-prentatn" src=" ameBorr="0" allowfullscreen=""></iame></sectn><p class="">York said she hop Lewis’ drive to fight for equaly — even if not for a group to which he belonged — will spire others to do the same.</p><p class="">“He gave full-throated, passnate appeals that all of God’s children be treated equally, and that that clud LGBTQ people, and that meant so much to me, both my reer as an advote and advotg for other margalized muni that I may not intify wh, like the transgenr muny and <a href=" target="_blank">tersex muny,</a>” she said. “He was a powerful example of how we should be dog advocy at the margs, and I hope every member of Congrs has taken a lson om him.</p><h2 class="">A changer of hearts and mds</h2><p class="">While Lewis’ LGBTQ advocy undoubtedly changed hearts and mds across mographic spectms, York, who is Black, said there was a special signifince and power havg a straight, cisgenr Black man as such a visible ally.</p><p class="">“I thk that all of those inti that he rried helped Black fathers, brothers, nephews all across the untry learn how to talk and accept their own children, their own relativ who had been hurt by homophobia and transphobia,” she said, addg that he “gave permissn for so many others who were potential alli to be able to step out of their fear” and support LGBTQ equaly.</p><sectn class="embed-widget embedWidget embed-widget__youtube embed-widget--medium"><iame loadg="lazy" tle="youtube embed" class="embed-widget__e-prentatn" src=" ameBorr="0" allowfullscreen=""></iame></sectn><p class="">“John Lewis is a man of ep fah — no one uld qutn that,” she add. “So for someone who is a man of ep fah to say that LGBTQ people matter, are equal and serve protectn and digny, that gave other people the language to be able to say the same thg their fai, their church, their hom. I believe that probably saved untls liv.”</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div><p class="">In a soberg survey released this month, The Trevor Project, an LGBTQ youth suici preventn and crisis preventn anizatn, found that 2 5 LGBTQ youth the U.S. have "serly nsired" suici the past year.</p><p class="">“I do believe that those numbers uld have been even higher if wasn’t for the full-throated advocy that John Lewis gave, and by him dog that, the permissn he gave to others to really show up as the fathers that they wanted to be for their children,” she said.</p><h2 class="">‘Power of his legacy’</h2><p class="">In a posthumo <a href=">op-ed The New York Tim</a> on Thursday, Lewis wrote: “Ordary people wh extraordary visn n reem the soul of Ameri by gettg what I ll good trouble, necsary trouble.”</p><p class="">York said this msage unrsr the “power of his legacy.”</p><p class="">“We all have the pacy to create change,” she said, addg that Lewis “started as a teenager dog work to brg equaly for all people, and that’s somethg that our youth should be exced about.”</p><div><sectn class="related related--sgle dn-prt" data-activy-map="related-article-body-related" data-ttid="related" aria-label="Related ntent"><h3 class="related__tle">Related</h3><div id="related" class="related__ems"><div class="related-em related-em__sgle"><div class="related-em__thumbnail-wrapper"><a href=" data-icid="related" class="related-em__lk related-em__picture-lk"><picture class="related-em__thumbnail__image"><source media="(m-width: 1240px)" srcSet=" 2x, 1x"/><source media="(m-width: 758px)" srcSet=" 2x, 1x"/><source srcSet=" 2x, 1x"/><img loadg="lazy" src=" alt="" height="60" width="60"/></picture></a><span class="related-em__eyebrow"><a class="related-em__label" href="><span>NBC OUT</span></a><a href=" data-icid="related"></a></span></div><div class="related-em__-wrapper"><h3 class="related-em__tle"><a class="" href="><span class="related-em__eyebrow">NBC OUT</span></a><a href=" data-icid="related" class="related-em__lk">What do mean to be Black and queer Ameri today?</a></h3></div></div></div></sectn></div><p class="">“The protts and ralli over the urse of this summer are movg this untry forward,” she add. “If we n jt stay together — spe hurt feelgs, spe trma, spe the healg we’ve got to do together, spe our bldns to other people’s experienc — if we rema open to all, we n create a untry we n be proud of for our children and our children’s children.”</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt" data-ttid="ad__ntaer"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100" data-ttid="ad__ntaer__ner"></div></div><p class="">York said this g together of different groups is also part of Lewis’ legacy.</p><p class="">“It hasn’t been about one group over the other,” she said. “It’s been about all of gettg across the bridge together."</p><p class="">And, if Lewis' many supporters are succsful, that bridge uld one day <a href=">be named after him. </a></p><p class="endmark"><strong><em>Follow <a href=">NBC Out</a> on <a href=">Twter</a>, <a href=">Facebook</a> & <a href=">Instagram</a> </em></strong></p></div><div class="article-body__ntent article-body-font--loadg"><div class="expand-byle-ntributors articleByleContaer"><div class="expand-byle article-expand-byle" data-activy-map="expand-byle-article-bottom"><div class="byle-thumbnail byle-thumbnail--has-image expand-byle__thumbnail"><a href="><picture><source srcSet=" 2x, 1x"/><img loadg="lazy" src=" alt="" height="48" width="48"/></picture></a></div><span class="byle-name expand-byle__name"><a href=">Brooke Sopelsa</a></span><span class="byle-social expand-byle__social"><a href=" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="byle-social--lk"><span class="in in-twter"></span></a><a href="" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="byle-social--lk"><span class="in in-email"></span></a></span><div class="expand-byle__b-wrapper"><p class="byle-b expand-byle__b">Brooke Sopelsa is the edorial director of NBC Out, NBC News' LGBTQ digal statn. </p></div></div><div class="expand-ntributors">Cynthia Silva<!-- --> <!-- -->ntributed<!-- -->.</div></div></div></div><div class="article-body--right-rail-ntaer"><div class="article-body__right-rail layout-grid-em grid-l-4_5-l grid-l-3_5-xl grid-l-ph-half-xl"><div class="ad article-body__right-rail--ad ad--text-alignment 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