The National Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the GLBT Civil Rights Movement will be held on Sunday, May 1 at Independence Hall, the site of the first annual and organized gay and lesbian civil rights demonstrations in 1965. These Annual Reminders in New York, D.C. and Philadelphia led to the 1969 Stonewall riot and the first New York Pride Parade.

The 16-hour National Celebration on Independence Mall includes a Tribute to Gay Pioneers & 40 Heroes; SundayOUT, a major street festival; a National Celebration Concert with Cyndi Lauper and other stars; a Gay Icons Pavilion at Independence Visitor Center; an Interfaith Service at historic Christ Church Philadelphia; Conversations with Gay Leaders at the National Constitution Center; celebrity guests; and three parties, including one at the Real World Philadelphia House.

The Forty Heroes to be honored were nominated by over 80 national and international GLBT organizations and leaders. Over the last 40 years, these Heroes have helped define the progress we’ve made since that first demonstration in front of Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell on July 4, 1965.

This will be the 5th national GLBT demonstration. The first was held in 1979 on the National Mall. There were similar and larger demonstrations in 1987, 1993 and 2000. These national demonstrations energized the movement and provided benchmarks for the progress of GLBT liberation.

What makes the 2005 National Celebration different? We take our model from the African-American Civil Rights Movement. Despite a Civil War, African-Americans continued to be treated as second-class citizens. In the early 1960s, white Americans began seeing images of brave Black leaders like Rosa Parks and Dr. King in Selma and Birmingham, and recognizing the evils of racial oppression.

On August 28, 1963, Bayard Rustin organized the historic Civil Rights Demonstration at the Lincoln Memorial. Rustin was a gay, African-American colleague of Dr. King, and he is one of the 40 Heroes of the 2005 National Celebration. He knew that this was the right place and the right time – a time when America was finally listening. What many white Americans had previously seen as a series of Negro disturbances was understood as a Civil Rights Movement.

The 40th Anniversary Celebration gives us the same opportunity. In 1965, when the Gay Pioneers first publicly and openly demonstrated for homosexual rights, America was stone deaf to their plight. After 40 years of perseverance, America is finally ready to listen.

The National Celebration is at Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, the iconic site chosen in 1965 by the Gay Pioneers to launch the movement. This is our opportunity to remind America of the lynching of Matthew Shepard and other toxic effects of homophobia. The National Celebration will help define the GLBT Civil Rights Movement for all Americans.

The National Celebration at Independence Hall is our demonstration at the Lincoln Memorial. The reactionary right is trying to push us back into the closet. At the National Celebration, people from coast to coast, from blue and red states and from large cities and rural communities will gather to reaffirm our commitment.

Together, at the National Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the GLBT Civil Rights Movement, we will make history and advance our equality.

Malcolm Lazin
Executive Director
Equality Forum

For more information about the Equality Forum 2005 & National Celebration, visit www.equalityforum.com. There is no registration fee and all substantive events including the National Celebration are free.

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