Three LGBTQ folks you should know: Bayard Rustin, Ellen DeGeneres and that LGBTQ person in your life
(next in the series!) Today, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we feature Bayard Rustin, who organized the March on Washington in which MLK gave his “I Have a Dream” speech; comedian and author Ellen DeGeneres, recipient of the 2016 Presidential Medal of Freedom; and that LGBTQ person in your life.
Bayard Rustin (1912-1987)
“Bayard Rustin was in charge of the immense job of organizing the march [on Washington, August 28, 1963]. As a student of Mahatma Gandhi’s teachings, Rustin helped mold Martin Luther King Jr. into a worldwide icon of peace and nonviolence. Despite these achievements, Rustin was beaten, imprisoned, and dismissed from important positions of leadership because he lived as an opely gay man in an era of homophobia” (Source: A Place to Land: Martin Luther King J. and the Speech That Inspired a Nation, by Barry Wittenstein and Jerry Pinkney, “The Willard Hotel Advisors”).
Ellen DeGeneres (1958 - )
“Ellen DeGeneres is an award-winning comedian who has hosted her popular daytime talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, [from] 2003 [to 2021] with her trademarked humor, humility, and optimism. In 1997, after coming out herself, DeGeneres made TV history when her character on Ellen revealed she was a lesbian. In her work and in her life, she has been a passionate advocate for equality and fairness.” (Source: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/campaign/medal-of-freedom)
That LGBTQ Person in Your Life
Do something — anything — to get to know them better. Whether or not they become famous like Bayard Rustin or Ellen DeGeneres, they’re important and interesting and worth knowing.
For others in this series, see
by Marci McPhee