Bayard Rt: Gay civil rights lear arrted for sex wh men uld be pardoned California - The Washgton Post

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This Pri Month, as part of our “Hidn Histori” seri, we look at the ntributns of Bayard Rt, one of the drivg forc of the civil rights movement, whose life as an openly gay man relegated him to behd-the-scen rol much of the time.

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THE STORY OF BAYARD RT, OPENLY GAY LEAR THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

Bayard Rt was an dispensable force behd the Civil Rights Movement and openly gay. * was bayard rustin gay *

He was Bayard Rt, a man whose life was shaped by the very prejudic the movement fought agast, not only bee of his race, but also bee he was gay. “The qutn is never gog to be homosexualy, ’s gog to be promiscuy, and I n’t fend that.

Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carola brought natnwi media attentn to Bayard after claimg that the march was beg anized by “Communist, draft-dodger and homosexual. However, wh learship wh the movement opposed to his volvement, Rt whdrew his would ntue his role activism, speakg at events for gay rights the 1980s.

ARRTED FOR HAVG SEX WH MEN, THIS GAY CIVIL RIGHTS LEAR ULD FALLY BE PARDONED CALIFORNIA

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It was also durg this time, the last years of his life, that Rt gave an terview wh the Washgton Bla, rellg the dualy of beg both black and gay the Civil Rights Movement and how that shaped his refal to hi his sexual moment particular helped motivate his cisn to be open about his sexualy.

', " Rt said the terview, which was released  early 2019 via the podst Makg Gay History. "It occurred to me shortly after that that was an absolute necsy for me to clare homosexualy, bee if I didn't I was a part of the prejudice, " he ntued. This Pri Month, as part of our “Hidn Histori” seri, we look at the ntributns of Bayard Rt, one of the drivg forc of the civil rights movement, whose life as an openly gay man relegated him to behd-the-scen rol much of the time.

GAY CIVIL RIGHTS LEAR BAYARD RT POSTHUMOLY PARDONED CALIFORNIA

The openly gay Rt was nvicted durg the 1950s unr laws targetg LGBTQ dividuals * was bayard rustin gay *

Rt was sentenced to 60 days jail and forced to register as a sex offenr for the “morals charge, ” which was often ed to target gay people those would ultimately bee one of the key lears of the civil rights movement.

MAKINGGAYHISTORY—THE PODCAST

Bayard Rt was an Amerin lear social movements for civil rights, socialism, pacifism and non-vlence, and gay rights. * was bayard rustin gay *

”“There’s a cloud hangg over him bee of this unfair, discrimatory nvictn, a nvictn that never should have happened, a nvictn that happened only bee he was a gay man, ” said state Sen. Ramirez said he has heard ncerns om some officials that Rt’s arrt rerd uld get the way of the stamp approval stamp, Ramirez said, would help honor a lear who paid a steep price for livg thentilly as a gay man at a time when he uld be arrted, fired and even hospalized for his sexualy.

“For him to e and speak out and be openly gay, n you image that?

BAYARD RT: A GAY MAN THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.

“Early on, he wasn’t so well known bee the civil rights lears tried to keep him the shadows … they were fearful of beg tated by Bayard’s gay sexualy, ” said Michael Long, who wrote a young-adult book about Rt and eded a llectn of letters by the civil rights his arrt California 1953, Rt’s reer nearly railed. ”In a recently released terview wh the Washgton Bla, Rt said: “It was an absolute necsy for me to clare homosexualy bee if I didn’t I was a part of the prejudice. ” He uldn’t be a “ee whole person, ” he said, livg the week after the March on Washgton, the ver of Life magaze featured not a photo of Kg, but of Randolph and Rt, standg ont of the Lln than two s later, upon his ath 1987, Rt’s obuary was featured on the ont page of the New York Tim, intifyg him as a civil rights activist and chief anizer of the March on barely mentned his inty as a gay man.

BAYARD RT, A GAY CIVIL RIGHTS LEAR ARRTED FOR HAVG SEX WH MEN, IS PARDONED 67 YEARS LATER

”It wasn’t until recent years that Rt began to receive regnn not only as a major civil rights lear but as a rare example of an openly gay lear at the of the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washgton, Naegle traveled across the untry anizg programs dited to spreadg the word of Rt’s legacy. And 2013, Obama posthumoly honored Rt wh the Printial Medal of Freedom, notg his role as an openly gay Ain Amerin who “stood at the tersectn of several of the fights for equal rights. “He survived, he thrived, he did fe, but there were a lot of people that didn’t, ” Naegle Long, a pardon would be “an affirmatn of what Rt knew all along: that he was not a crimal for beg gay.

Bayard Rt was the md behd the 1963 March on Washgton and anized the first Freedom Ris, but his open homosexualy was fodr for crics of the civil rights Rt was a proment Ain Amerin civil rights activist. Although Rt never nied his homosexualy, public homosexualy was still nsired extremely taboo his time. The stak were even higher for a black gay man.

Around the latter part of the 1930s, an cint volvg Rt and a gay whe man the area beme known. Though he was st asi by fellow activists, Bayard Rt ntued to fight for civil and gay rights. In Febary 2020, 67 years after his homophobic arrt, Rt was pardoned by California Gov.

BAYARD {LOR:#595959;FONT-FAY:GILROY,HELVETI,ARIAL,SANS-SERIF;FONT-WEIGHT:600;MARG-BOTTOM:0.625REM;}@MEDIA(MAX-WIDTH: 48REM){{FONT-SIZE:0.875REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.2;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 48REM){{FONT-SIZE:1.25REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.2;}} A{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN-THICKNS:0.0625REM;TEXT-RATN-LOR:HER;TEXT-UNRLE-OFFSET:0.25REM;LOR:HER;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.3S EASE--OUT;TRANSN:ALL 0.3S EASE--OUT;} A:HOVER{LOR:#A00000;TEXT-RATN-LOR:BORR-LK-BODY-HOVER;}BAYARD RT WAS A CIVIL RIGHTS ANIZER AND ACTIVIST, BT KNOWN FOR HIS WORK AS ADVISER TO MART LUTHER KG JR. THE 1950S AND '{MARG-BOTTOM:0.625REM;PADDG-RIGHT:0.3125REM;LOR:#323232;FONT-FAY:GILROY,HELVETI,ARIAL,SANS-SERIF;FONT-SIZE:0.75REM;LE-HEIGHT:1;FONT-WEIGHT:800;} SPAN{LE-HEIGHT:1.6;FONT-FAY:GILROY,HELVETI,ARIAL,SANS-SERIF;}{FONT-STYLE:NORMAL;PADDG-RIGHT:0.3125REM;FONT-FAY:RALAS,GEIA,TIM,SERIF;LOR:#323232;FONT-SIZE:0.75REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.3;FONT-WEIGHT:BOLD;TEXT-TRANSFORM:PALIZE;}{DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;MARG-LEFT:0.625REM;FONT-FAY:GILROY,HELVETI,ARIAL,SANS-SERIF;FONT-SIZE:0.75REM;LE-HEIGHT:1;FONT-WEIGHT:800;}UPDATED: OCT 22, {DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;}{MARG-BOTTOM:0.9375REM;POSN:RELATIVE;}@MEDIA(MAX-WIDTH: 64REM){{MAX-WIDTH:LC(100VW - (1REM * 2));MARG-LEFT:1REM;MARG-RIGHT:1REM;} .E152U5OS0{WIDTH:100VW;MARG-LEFT:LC(-1 * 1REM);}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 48REM) AND (MAX-WIDTH: 61.25REM){{MARG-LEFT:TO;MARG-RIGHT:TO;} .E152U5OS0{WIDTH:100VW;MARG-LEFT:LC((100VW - (LC(20.625REM * 2 - 1REM) - 2 * 1REM)) / -2);}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 61.25REM) AND (MAX-WIDTH: 90REM){{MAX-WIDTH:LC(20.625REM * 2 - 1REM);MARG-LEFT:LC((100VW - LC(20.625REM * 2 - 1REM) - 1REM - 20.625REM) / 2);PADDG-LEFT:1REM;PADDG-RIGHT:1REM;} .E152U5OS0{WIDTH:100VW;MARG-LEFT:LC(LC((100VW - LC(20.625REM * 2 - 1REM) - 1REM - 20.625REM) / -2) - 1REM);}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 90REM){{MARG-LEFT:LC((100VW - LC(20.625REM * 2 - 1REM)) / 2);MAX-WIDTH:LC(20.625REM * 2 - 1REM);PADDG-LEFT:1REM;PADDG-RIGHT:1REM;} .E152U5OS0{WIDTH:100VW;MARG-LEFT:LC(LC((100VW - LC(20.625REM * 2 + 1REM)) / -2) - LC(2 * 1REM));}[DATA-HAS-SPONSOR] {MARG-LEFT:LC((100VW - LC(20.625REM * 2 - 1REM)) / 4);MARG-RIGHT:LC((100VW - LC(20.625REM * 2 - 1REM)) / 4);}}{JTIFY-SELF:CENTER;POSN:RELATIVE;}@MEDIA(MAX-WIDTH: 48REM){{MARG-LEFT:-50VW;MARG-RIGHT:-50VW;WIDTH:100VW;LEFT:50%;RIGHT:50%;}}{HEIGHT:TO;}@MEDIA(MAX-WIDTH: 48REM){{MARG:TO LC(50% - 50VW);}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 48REM){{MARG:TO;}}{POSN:RELATIVE;HEIGHT:TO;}{POSN:RELATIVE;--POSN:ABSOLUTE;HEIGHT:TO;} IMG{MAX-WIDTH:100%;HEIGHT:TO;} A{POSN:ABSOLUTE;}{POSN:RELATIVE;WIDTH:100%;HEIGHT:100%;OBJECT-F:VER;VERTIL-ALIGN:TOP;}{BACKGROUND:#C92228;BOTTOM:0;PADDG:.5REM;RIGHT:0;}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 64REM){{PADDG:0.39REM;}}{DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:1REM;WIDTH:1REM;}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 64REM){{WIDTH:1.063REM;HEIGHT:1.063REM;}}{LE-HEIGHT:1;MARG-TOP:0.3125REM;}@MEDIA(MAX-WIDTH: 73.75REM){{PADDG-LEFT:0.9375REM;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 64REM){{PADDG-LEFT:0;}}{PADDG-RIGHT:0.3125REM;LOR:#595959;FONT-FAY:GILROY,HELVETI,ARIAL,SANS-SERIF;FONT-SIZE:0.75REM;LE-HEIGHT:1;FONT-WEIGHT:800;}PHOTO: ALLAN BM/NEW YORK TIM CO./GETTY {FONT-FAY:CHARTER,GEIA,TIM,SERIF;FONT-SIZE:1.1875REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.6;PADDG-LEFT:0REM;PADDG-RIGHT:0REM;POSN:RELATIVE;}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 48REM){{PADDG-LEFT:3.5REM;PADDG-RIGHT:3.5REM;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 48REM) AND (MAX-WIDTH: 61.25REM){{MAX-WIDTH:45.25REM;MARG-LEFT:TO;MARG-RIGHT:TO;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 61.25REM){{PADDG-LEFT:0REM;PADDG-RIGHT:0REM;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 73.75REM) AND (MAX-WIDTH: 100REM){{PADDG-LEFT:0REM;PADDG-RIGHT:0REM;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 90REM){{PADDG-LEFT:0REM;PADDG-RIGHT:0REM;}} EM{FONT-STYLE:ALIC;FONT-FAY:CHARTER,GEIA,TIM,SERIF;} STRONG{FONT-FAY:CHARTER,GEIA,TIM,SERIF;FONT-WEIGHT:BOLD;}{CLEAR:BOTH;NTENT:" ";DISPLAY:BLOCK;FONT-SIZE:0.7REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.5REM;HEIGHT:0REM;VISIBILY:HIDN;}{FONT-FAY:CHARTER,GEIA,TIM,SERIF;FONT-SIZE:1.1875REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.6;} STRONG{FONT-FAY:CHARTER,GEIA,TIM,SERIF;FONT-WEIGHT:BOLD;} EM{FONT-STYLE:ALIC;FONT-FAY:CHARTER,GEIA,TIM,SERIF;}(1912-1987){LOR:#323232;FONT-FAY:GILROY,HELVETI,ARIAL,SANS-SERIF;FONT-WEIGHT:800;LETTER-SPACG:0.02EM;MARG-BOTTOM:0.625REM;MARG-TOP:0.625REM;}@MEDIA(MAX-WIDTH: 48REM){{FONT-SIZE:1.875REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.1;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 48REM){{FONT-SIZE:2REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.1;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 64REM){{FONT-SIZE:2REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.1;}} B, STRONG{FONT-FAY:HER;FONT-WEIGHT:BOLD;} EM, I{FONT-FAY:HER;FONT-STYLE:ALIC;}WHO WAS BAYARD RT?BAYARD RT MOVED TO NEW YORK THE 1930S AND WAS VOLVED PACIFIST GROUPS AND EARLY CIVIL RIGHTS PROTTS. COMBG NON-VLENT RISTANCE WH ANIZATNAL SKILLS, HE WAS A KEY ADVISER TO {-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN-THICKNS:0.0625REM;TEXT-RATN-LOR:HER;TEXT-UNRLE-OFFSET:0.25REM;LOR:#A00000;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.3S EASE--OUT;TRANSN:ALL 0.3S EASE--OUT;}{LOR:#595959;TEXT-RATN-LOR:BORR-LK-BODY-HOVER;}MART LUTHER KG JR. THE 1960S. THOUGH HE WAS ARRTED SEVERAL TIM FOR HIS OWN CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE AND OPEN HOMOSEXUALY, HE NTUED TO FIGHT FOR EQUALY.EARLY LIFE AND EDUTNBAYARD RT WAS BORN ON MARCH 17, 1912, WT CHTER, PENNSYLVANIA. HE HAD BEEN RAISED TO BELIEVE THAT HIS PARENTS WERE JULIA AND JANIFER RT, WHEN FACT THEY WERE HIS GRANDPARENTS. HE DISVERED THE TTH BEFORE ADOLCENCE, THAT THE WOMAN HE THOUGHT WAS HIS SIBLG, FLORENCE, WAS FACT HIS MOTHER, WHO'D HAD RT WH WT INDIAN IMMIGRANT ARCHIE HOPKS. RT ATTEND WILBERFORCE UNIVERSY OH, AND CHEYNEY STATE TEACHERS COLLEGE (NOW CHENEY UNIVERSY OF PENNSYLVANIA) PENNSYLVANIA, BOTH HISTORILLY BLACK SCHOOLS. IN 1937 HE MOVED TO NEW YORK CY AND STUDIED AT CY COLLEGE OF NEW YORK. HE WAS BRIEFLY VOLVED WH THE YOUNG COMMUNIST LEAGUE 1930S BEFORE HE BEME DISILLNED WH S ACTIVI AND RIGNED.POLIL PHILOSOPHY AND CIVIL RIGHTS CAREERIN HIS PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY, RT BED THE PACIFISM OF THE QUAKER RELIGN, THE NON-VLENT RISTANCE TGHT BY MAHATMA GANDHI, AND THE SOCIALISM POED BY AIN AMERIN LABOR LEAR A. PHILIP RANDOLPH. DURG THE SEND WORLD WAR HE WORKED FOR RANDOLPH, FIGHTG AGAST RACIAL DISCRIMATN WAR-RELATED HIRG. AFTER MEETG A. J. MTE, A MISTER AND LABOR ANIZER, HE ALSO PARTICIPATED SEVERAL PACIFIST GROUPS, CLUDG THE FELLOWSHIP OF RENCILIATN. RT WAS PUNISHED SEVERAL TIM FOR HIS BELIEFS. DURG THE WAR, HE WAS JAILED FOR TWO YEARS WHEN HE REFED TO REGISTER FOR THE DRAFT. WHEN HE TOOK PART PROTTS AGAST THE SEGREGATED PUBLIC TRANS SYSTEM 1947, HE WAS ARRTED NORTH CAROLA AND SENTENCED TO WORK ON A CHA GANG FOR SEVERAL WEEKS. IN 1953 HE WAS ARRTED ON A MORALS CHARGE FOR PUBLICLY ENGAGG HOMOSEXUAL ACTIVY AND WAS SENT TO JAIL FOR 60 DAYS; HOWEVER, HE NTUED TO LIVE AS AN OPENLY GAY MAN. BY THE 1950S, RT WAS AN EXPERT ANIZER OF HUMAN RIGHTS PROTTS. IN 1958, HE PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE ORDATG A MARCH ALRMASTON, ENGLAND, WHICH 10,000 ATTEN MONSTRATED AGAST NUCLEAR WEAPONS.MART LUTHER KG JR. AND THE MARCH ON WASHGTONRT MET THE YOUNG CIVIL RIGHTS LEAR DR. MART LUTHER KG JR. THE 1950S AND BEGAN WORKG WH KG AS AN ANIZER AND STRATEGIST 1955. HE TGHT KG ABOUT GANDHI'S PHILOSOPHY OF NON-VLENT RISTANCE AND ADVISED HIM ON THE TACTICS OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE. HE ASSISTED KG WH THE BOYTT OF SEGREGATED B MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA 1956. MOST FAMOLY, RT WAS A KEY FIGURE THE ANIZATN OF THE MARCH ON WASHGTON FOR JOBS AND FREEDOM, AT WHICH KG LIVERED HIS LEGENDARY "I HAVE A DREAM" SPEECH ON AUGT 28, 1963. IN 1965, RT AND HIS MENTOR RANDOLPH -FOUND THE A. PHILIP RANDOLPH INSTUTE, A LABOR ANIZATN FOR AIN AMERIN TRA UNN MEMBERS. RT NTUED HIS WORK WH THE CIVIL RIGHTS AND PEACE MOVEMENTS, AND WAS MUCH MAND AS A PUBLIC SPEAKER.LATER CAREER AND DEATHRT RECEIVED NUMERO AWARDS AND HONORARY GRE THROUGHOUT HIS REER. HIS WRGS ABOUT CIVIL RIGHTS WERE PUBLISHED THE LLECTN DOWN THE LE 1971 AND STRATEGI FOR FREEDOM 1976. HE NTUED TO SPEAK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF ENOMIC EQUALY WH THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, AS WELL AS THE NEED FOR SOCIAL RIGHTS FOR GAYS AND LBIANS. RT DIED OF A PTURED APPENDIX NEW YORK CY ON AUGT 24, 1987, AT THE AGE OF {BORR:0;BORR-BOTTOM:TH SOLID BLACK;MARG:1.875REM 0;CLEAR:BOTH;}QUICK FACTS

“Rt was a great Amerin who was both gay and black at a time when the sheer fact of beg eher or both uld land you jail, ” says Weber a statement. For most of the 20th century, homosexualy was illegal California. Threatened to tell the prs that Rt and Kg were gay lovers.

“Generatns of LGBT people—cludg untls gay men—were brand crimals and sex offenrs simply bee they had nsensual sex, ” says Wiener the statement, addg that the pardon and clemency iative reprent a “huge step forward our muny’s ongog qut for full acceptance and jtice.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* WAS BAYARD RUSTIN GAY

Bayard Rt Was Almost Consired Too Gay to Work wh MLK.

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