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The Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights took place in 1987, and the March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation in 1993.
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This collection was found in a closet at The LGBT Center; it is not clear how it got there.
Like in 1979, participants in the 2020 march demanded an end to violence, discrimination, and invisibility, particularly for the most marginalized within the LGBTQ+ community. Today, we must channel that same courage to resist attempts to erase our progress and to silence us. The 1979 march had five core demands—comprehensive civil rights protections, the repeal of discriminatory laws, equal parenting rights, freedom from workplace discrimination, and an end to anti-LGBTQ+ immigration policies—were bold and radical at the time.
Today, the attacks on transgender youth, the spread of “Don’t Say Gay” bills, and the rise of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric in political discourse remind us that our hard-won rights are still under threat. We must also fight for economic justice, racial equity, and healthcare access, particularly for those who are often left out of mainstream LGBTQ+ advocacy.
More recently, in October 2020, thousands of people once again gathered in Washington, D.C., for the National Trans Visibility March, a powerful demonstration that highlighted the ongoing fight for transgender rights and the urgent need to address violence against trans individuals, particularly Black trans women.
Terminally ill victims of Aids are pushed in wheelchairs as they participate in the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, Oct.
11, 1987. The lessons of 1979—of unity, visibility, and persistent advocacy—are just as relevant today as we continue the struggle for full equality as they were almost 45 years ago.
The Stonewall Uprisings happened roughly 10 years earlier and in 1979, the LGBTQ+ community continued to fight for basic recognition and dignity in a society that largely sought to ignore or suppress our existence.
The challenges we face today are part of a long continuum of struggle—just as LGBTQ+ activists in 1979 fought for visibility and protection, so too must we continue the fight for the most vulnerable members of our community.
One of the most significant evolutions in our movement since 1979 has been a greater awareness of the intersections between race, gender, and sexuality–among other identity characteristics.
The courage required to do so in 1979, when public displays of LGBTQ+ pride were met with hostility, is a reminder of the resilience and bravery that has always fueled our movement.
The 1979 March on Washington laid the groundwork for much of the progress we’ve seen over the last four decades. LGBT Community Center National History Archive.
National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights (1979) Records, 14.
It was transferred to the archive in 1990. For many who marched, this was their first time stepping out of the shadows to publicly declare their identity. The LGBTQ+ community’s history of resilience in the face of adversity should remind us that we have overcome before—and we will again.
The courage of those who marched in 1979 has lit the path for generations and will for future generations to come–it is up to us to carry the torch forward.
As we celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month, we recognize the activists who paved the way by challenging us to make our movement as inclusive and intersectional as possible.
The march of 1979 was a bold, visible act of defiance in a hostile social environment, and the bravery of those activists resonates with today’s movement.
Six delegates were elected to the National Steering Committee.
Speakers at the march included Audre Lorde, Allen Ginsberg, Flo Kennedy, Steve Ault, and Kate Millett. These are the intersections that demand our attention if we are to achieve true equality.
The 1979 march focused on the LGBTQ+ community’s legal rights, but today we recognize that legal victories alone are not enough.
LGBT Community Center National History Archive. The challenges we face today may be different in form, but they are rooted in the same struggle for equality and justice. (AP)
The 2020 march underscored many of the same themes as the 1979 march—visibility, resilience, and the fight for legal protection.