We Make It Better. Eric Rosswood

Acknowledgments

       About the Authors

       Resources

       Photo Credits

      Introduction

      How LGBTQ People Make the World a Better Place

      You probably learned about Martin Luther King Jr. in school. History books teach us that he was one of the most visible leaders in the civil rights movement, but did you know that Bayard Rustin, one of King’s most trusted mentors and advisors, was an openly gay man? Rustin was instrumental in organizing the March on Washington, where King gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Rustin also played an important role in the civil rights movement, but much of what he did was behind the scenes.

      We’ve all learned about World War II in school as well, but did you know Alan Turing, another openly gay man, deciphered German codes that were significant in helping us win the war? LGBTQ people like Bayard Rustin and Alan Turing have played important roles in history. People in our community have made, and continue to make, significant contributions to the world. For example, Sally Ride was the first American woman in space, and was also the first known LGBTQ astronaut. Apple, the largest tech company in the world, is run by Tim Cook, an openly gay man. Under his leadership, Apple became the first publicly traded US company to hit a market value of one trillion dollars. When it comes to sports, Abby Wambach is an Olympic gold medalist who also holds the world record for international goals for both female and male soccer players. The Wachowskis are transgender siblings who directed The Matrix, which became one of the biggest blockbuster sci-fi movie franchises ever created, and Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir was the world’s first openly gay head of government and Iceland’s first female prime minister. That’s right, we even run countries.

      Did they teach you about any of these accomplishments in your school textbooks? Probably not. For some reason, there are people who have gone to great lengths to minimize or hide the accomplishments of LGBTQ people. Many of them have even taken it a step further.

      Have you ever heard the phrase “No Promo Homo” before? It’s a phrase used to describe laws that prohibit the “promotion of homosexuality” in schools. Some of these laws ban teachers from discussing LGBTQ people in a positive light, and some of them even require teachers to portray LGBTQ people in a negative way.

      The UK had its own version of this type of law in Section 28 (or Clause 28) of the Local Government Act of 1988. The amendment stated that a local authority “shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality” and a local authority “shall not promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship.” Section 28 was repealed in Scotland in 2000 and the rest of the UK in 2003, but these types of laws still exist in various countries around the world.

      Russia has implemented a variety of provisions restricting expression, assembly, and funding, and support groups for LGBTQ youth are illegal because they are thought to promote “Non-Traditional Sexual Relations Among Minors.” In the United States, where same-sex marriage is legal, there are still seven states (as of 2018) that have “No Promo Homo” laws: Alabama, Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas. Alabama State Code § 16-40A-2(c)(8) states that classes should emphasize “in a factual manner and from a public health perspective, that homosexuality is not a lifestyle acceptable to the general public and that homosexual conduct is a criminal offense under the laws of the state.” In South Carolina, Stat. § 59-32-30(5) mandates that health education in the state cannot include a discussion about “homosexual relationships except in the context of instruction concerning sexually transmitted diseases.”

      In addition to all of this, over half of the United States still allows conversion therapy, the harmful pseudoscience quackery that falsely claims to be able to change the sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression of LGBTQ people. The Williams Institute published a study in 2018 that revealed an “estimated twenty thousand LGBT youth in the US ages thirteen to seventeen will receive conversion therapy from a licensed health care professional before the age of eighteen” and “approximately fifty-seven thousand youth will undergo the treatment from a religious or spiritual advisor.”

      Why is it that some governments go out of their way to prevent people from talking about LGBTQ people, and in other cases, even try to convert us? People in the LGBTQ community have made positive contributions throughout history and we continue to improve society today. We set trends in fashion, film, music, art, and technology. We’re Academy Award winners, Grammy Award winners, Pulitzer Prize winners, and Olympic gold medalists. We’re doctors, lawyers, judges, politicians, and religious leaders. We run businesses, and we even run countries.

      It is important to feature LGBTQ role models and highlight their contributions to society. Hopefully, these stories will inspire people around the world and help them realize that being LGBTQ is something to celebrate. Our community has made significant contributions to society, and that’s something to be proud of. We’re here, we’re queer, and we make the world a better place. #WeMakeItBetter.

      Part 1

      Activism

      Bayard Rustin

      Civil Rights Activist

      “People will never fight for your freedom if you have not given evidence that you are prepared to fight for it yourself.”

      Chances are you’ve heard of Martin Luther King Jr. and his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, but did you know Bayard Rustin, an openly gay man, was a mentor to King and instrumental in organizing the March on Washington, where that speech was given?

      Rustin, who was no stranger to fighting for equal rights, traveled to India in the 1940s and studied the nonviolent resistance practices taught by Mahatma Gandhi. He combined those teachings with the pacifism of the Quaker religion and the socialism supported by African-American labor leader A. Philip Randolph to come up with his own approach to fighting for equal rights. In the 1950s, he met Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and advised him on the tactics of nonviolent civil disobedience.

      As a mentor to King, Rustin helped him organize the successful Montgomery bus boycott, which ultimately led to the Supreme Court ruling it unconstitutional for Alabama and Montgomery to legally require segregation on their public transit system. He remained a close advisor to King for the next few years.

      In the 1960s, Rustin became the Deputy Director for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. He was a key strategist for the march, and, with his team, created and distributed a manual, which included demands and a roadmap that helped transform American civil rights, labor rights, and education and housing policies. This policy agenda played a crucial role in helping to secure passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1963 and the Voting Rights Act of 1964.

      Rustin was involved in numerous boycotts and protests throughout his life, always fighting to protect and advance the rights of minority groups. He died in 1987 and was survived by Walter Naegle, his partner of ten years.

      In 2013, Rustin was selected as an honoree in the United States Department of Labor Hall of Honor. That same year, President Obama posthumously awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States. Even though Rustin was pushed behind the scenes because of his sexuality and political affiliations, he leaves behind a legacy that helped transform equal rights in the United States.

      Emma González

      Gun Control Activist

      “There