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JOHN LEWIS SAW GAY RIGHTS A MOVEMENT LIKE CIVIL RIGHTS

The civil rights giant, who died this month, was a fierce and early fenr of lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer rights. * john lewis gay rights *

But Lewis was also a stnch and early fenr of LGBTQ rights, havg sponsored more than a dozen bills throughout his reer as a lawmaker to protect and advance the rights of LGBTQ those bills was the Equaly Act, which prohibs discrimatn based on sexualy or genr inty, and of which Lewis was a lead sponsor, as well as the Rpect for Marriage Act, which aimed to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and legalize same-sex 1996, Lewis livered an impassned speech agast DOMA on the floor of the Hoe, a rare showg of public support for marriage equaly at a time when about two-thirds of Amerins opposed lettg gay upl marry, acrdg to a Pew poll. "It ni gay men and women the right to liberty and the pursu of happs.

”A few weeks later, after a state Supreme Court lg, Massachetts beme the first state to regnize gay was an ally of the gay rights movement long before that, said Cathy Woolard, a former Atlanta Cy Council print. She beme the first openly gay elected official Geia when she was elected the early and mid-1990s, Woolard lobbied for the LGBTQ advocy group the Human Rights Campaign.

AT A CROSSROADS ON GAY UNNS

* john lewis gay rights *

It was the era of the ary’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, when the gay muny had few alli Washgton, even among Democrats. ”In his 1998 memoir “Walkg wh the Wd, ” Lewis said his nnectn wh the gay muny sprang om his experience of beg treated unequally a Black “simply bee you are different om the long-entrenched whe Anglo-Saxon Prottant standard that fed and ntrolled our society for s first two hundred years.

”ExploreLewis found himself a nfsor to those repentg of racismLewis’ endorsement of gay marriage me at a time when the public and most relig and elected officials were not supportive or were openly 1996, Print Bill Clton signed a bill fg marriage as a unn between one man and one woman, after sailed through both chambers of Congrs wh the support of Republins and most Democrats. All Geia lawmakers but two, Lewis and Democrat Cynthia McKney, voted 2004, more than 76% of Geians voted to adopt a state nstutnal amendment that banned gay issue divid Lewis om some of his civil rights peers.

Others said that the stggle for gay rights was not the same as the fight for racial equaly.

IS JOHN LEWIS GAY?

A month after Geians adopted the nstutnal amendment, the late Bishop Eddie Long, senr pastor of New Birth Missnary Baptist Church Lhonia, led thoands of Atlantans on a march through Sweet Auburn opposn to gay rights. ExplorePhotos: John Lewis through the yearsKg himself never openly spoke about gay rights the 1950s and 1960s, but Lewis ced his mentor’s stance on terracial marriage – “Rac don’t fall love and get married.

Supreme Court’s gay marriage cisn 2015, Bernice Kg, who had been appoted the CEO of the Kg Center, issued a statement wishg for the lg to enurage “the global muny to rpect and embrace all LGBT global cizens wh digny and love.

”Lewis’ support meant a lot to members of Atlanta’s gay muny the 1990s and 2000s, pecially when was hard to fd support even among one’s own relativ, said Anthony Antoe, an HIV activist. “Havg such a proment activist lear so supportive of not jt my gay life but my Black gay life… mattered so much, ” said Antoe, who anized several LGBTQ march the early 2000s, cludg one prottg the Long-Kg ’ early support and ntug prence at some LBGTQ events, cludg the annual October para Atlanta Pri, gave the movement nfince that uld acplish the difficult tasks ahead, Antoe felt like, “what n’t we change? Ferrell / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag fileThe 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 early advoteLewis, 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 1996, when 65 percent of Amerins opposed same-sex marriage, Lewis livered an impassned speech 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.

Is John Lewis Gay? - Gus what all people say about

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JOHN LEWIS SAW GAY RIGHTS A MOVEMENT LIKE CIVIL RIGHTS

AT A CROSSROADS ON GAY UNNS

IS JOHN LEWIS GAY?

BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM JOHN LEWIS GAY RIGHTS

Is John Lewis Gay? - Gus what all people say about

Recent Posts

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Contents:

JOHN LEWIS SAW GAY RIGHTS A MOVEMENT LIKE CIVIL RIGHTS

AT A CROSSROADS ON GAY UNNS

IS JOHN LEWIS GAY?

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* JOHN LEWIS GAY RIGHTS

BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM JOHN LEWIS GAY RIGHTS