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Permalink Reply by Sentient Biped on July 21, 2012 at 11:06pm

Then there's Bayard Rustin, who some say mentored and inspired Martin Luther King, and who co-organized the Journey of Reconciliation in 1947, and the March on Washington in 1963.   Rustin was openly gay.  He went to India to learn about nonviolent resistance.   He was forced out of the movement by a racist and homophobic congress, when King was blackmailed into letting Rustin go by threats that he would be accused of having an affair with him. 

 

pic and info from wikipedia

and from the new civil rights movement

Robert, thank you for posting.  I'm really surprised to hear that Huey Newton was a supporter of gay rights. 

 

Permalink Reply by Robert Affinis on July 23, 2012 at 4:02am

Hi Sentient,

Yes; Rustin was a pertinent element in King's campaign; without him, King's success was would not have come into being. He has been a forgotten; yet, monumental hero in the civil rights movement. Thanks for resurrecting such a monolith. 

Permalink Reply by Sentient Biped on July 23, 2012 at 8:47am

Robert, thanks again.

You prompted me to look into Newton's speech.  Here is part of it thegrio.com.

Here is more - hiphippolitics.com

I'm very moved by this.  The longer I live, the more I have to learn.