He was a civil rights activist. He helped organize the March on Washington. He advised Martin Luther King Jr. on Ghandian nonviolent resistance tactics, helped organized the Montgomery bus boycott and co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with King.But Bayard Rustin also endured rabid homophobia for being an openly gay man in the civil rights movement.According to Wikipedia, "U.S. Representative Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. forced Rustin's resignation from the SCLC in 1960 by threatening to discuss Rustin's morals charge in Congress."In addition Senator Strom Thurmond "produced a FBI photograph of Rustin talking to King while King was bathing to imply that there was a homosexual relationship between the two" and NAACP chairman Roy Wilikins didn't allow him to receive any public acknowledgement for his part in planning the March on Washington.
In the later years of his life Rustin worked as a human rights monitor for Freedom House and often spoke in favor of gay rights. He onced said, "The barometer of where one is on human rights questions is no longer the black community, it's the gay community. Because it is the community which is most easily mistreated." Bayard died in 1987, and was survived by his partner of ten years, Walter Naegle.
So while we continue to celebrate Dr. King's and the other civil rights figures' (Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King, Malcom X) legacy, let's not deny Bayard Rustin his place in that legacy.Here's a link to a short clip about Rustin: http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-8795990671374283637&hl=en
Nationwide Protests Planned Against Prop 8
Protests against the passage of Proposition 8 will happen on Saturday, Nov. 15th in all 50 states. To find out what's happening in your state, go here for more details.
Even if you can't physically go to any protests, you can still contribute to the cause by telling a straight friend or family member why fighting this proposition is important or donating funds to invalidateprop8.org.
Rapper Trick Trick Doesn't Like The Gays
In an exclusive statement on Allhiphop.com, the Detriot rapper expresses his distate for homosexuality and gay people.
“I’ma go on the record right now with this. Homosexuals are probably not gonna like this album,” Trick revealed to AllHipHop.com. “I don’t want your f**got money any goddamn way. I don’t like it [homosexuality]. Carry that s**t somewhere else.”
Not afraid of an impending firestorm that could threaten his album’s success, Trick Trick explained that his anger comes from what he feels is mainstream society’s growing promotion of homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle.
“It’s just that every time that you turn on the TV, that sissy s**t is on,” Trick told AllHipHop.com. “And they act like its f**king okay. The world is changing for the worst when s**t like that happens. And I address that issue. I address it hard as hell.”
“It’s just that every time that you turn on the TV, that sissy s**t is on,” Trick told AllHipHop.com. “And they act like its f**king okay. The world is changing for the worst when s**t like that happens. And I address that issue. I address it hard as hell.”
Now that Trick Trick has had his say....
LET THE READING BEGIN!
1. You don't want me to buy your album....done (I need money for gas anyway!)
2. How can you have so much hate against gays when the people who signed you, produced you and styled you could be gay. And I know someone in your family's probably gay. Like Chris Rock said, "Every body got at least a gay cousin!"
3. You may be a talented rapper but since you don't want me buying your album, I and millions other self-respecting gay folks that love hip hop will never know because of your ignorant tirades. Every money-hungry wannabe hustlers knows better than to diss potential customers. Hope your bank account can survive without them gay dollars.
4. And lastly, how are you gonna be homophobic with a name like Trick Trick, posing for pictures like a piece of Tuesday night Trade with a BGC profile? I mean Trick Trick...the name says it.
Enough said. Dismissed.
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