Remembering Reverend Jesse Jackson as a Fierce LGBTQ Ally
Spencer Macnaughton | Uncloseted Media Weekly Newsletter
On Tuesday, Reverend Jesse Jackson, one of the great civil rights advocates in history, died at 84. Jackson will be remembered as one of the nation’s most influential figures in the fight for racial equality.
But it’s critical to remember that he was also a queer ally ahead of his time, who fought for the LGBTQ community when it wasn’t popular or politically advantageous.
When running for President in 1984, his speech was the first at the Democratic National Convention to ever mention gays and lesbians: “We must address their concerns and make room for them. The Rainbow includes lesbians and gays,” he said. Three years later, at the second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, he said: “We insist on equal protection under the law for every American, for workers’ rights, women’s rights, for the rights of religious freedom, the rights of individual privacy, for the rights of sexual preference. We come together for the rights of all American people.”
In the years that followed, Jackson’s advocacy continued. In 2010, he called for a repeal on California’s ban on gay marriage: “We stand together today to uphold the principles of due process, of equal protection under the law, of fighting against discrimination against any and all people based on race, religion, gender or sexual orientation. … I support the right for any person to marry the person of their choosing.” And in 2015, he celebrated the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision to legalize gay marriage nationwide.
Fast forward to today and so many politicians, pundits and influencers are afraid to advocate for queer Americans because they worry about a clip going viral which could jeopardize their ratings or their favorability among voters. Jackson’s legacy represents the opposite of that, in that he advocated for marginalized groups when it wasn’t safe and it wasn’t necessarily a winning political strategy.
Now, arguably more than ever, we need more people taking those risks and standing up for queer Americans. While his voice is irreplaceable, we need more Jesse Jacksons.
May he rest in peace.
Hope Pisoni joined historian and author Lauren Lassabe Shepherd on her American Campus Podcast yesterday to talk about her recent story on Young Americans for Freedom and right-wing campus activism in a post-Charlie Kirk world. Give it a listen:
Spencer Jenkins, a friend of Uncloseted Media, just stepped down as Editor in Chief at Queer Kentucky. He’s now working with Louisville-based nonprofit Wild Accelerator to launch Wild Academy, an educational platform for entrepreneurs from historically marginalized communities, including BIPOC and LGBTQ people. You can learn more here.
LGBTQ activists mourn the Rev. Jesse Jackson (Washington Blade)
Prominent civil rights leader died on Tuesday at 84.
Tennessee legislators advance bill saying same-sex marriages do not have to be recognized (WSMV)
The bill says that attorneys who refuse to officiate marriages will also not be disciplined.
Trump administration sued for Stonewall Pride flag removal in New York (CNBC)
The lawsuit, filed by a group of LGBTQ+ advocates and a Greenwich Village community group, said the federal government claimed that Department of the Interior rules bar the flying of anything but the U.S. flags, DOI flags, and the POW/MIA flags in national parks.
Anderson Cooper Set to Exit CBS News’ ‘60 Minutes’ (Variety)
Anderson Cooper will exit CBS News‘ “60 Minutes” after nearly 20 years of contributing to the program, according to a person familiar with his thinking, the latest blow to the revered Sunday-night newsmagazine after it has been undermined repeatedly by management at Paramount Skydance and its predecessor company.
Winter Olympics condoms being sold for £90 online after shortage (PinkNews)
The Milano Cortina games kicked off on 6 February, with 2,871 athletes staying in the Olympic Village. They were provided free condoms for the stay, but ran out after just three days.
Over the next week, be on the lookout for new Uncloseted reporting:
🆕 SATURDAY: Last June, a federal judge ordered the Bureau of Prisons to restore access to gender-affirming accommodations, including hormone medications, clothing, hygiene products and more, to incarcerated trans people across the U.S. However, Hope Pisoni spoke with eight trans people who say the government hasn’t been cooperating, and has harshly retaliated against those who’ve chosen to speak up.
🆕 TUESDAY: Does the American Dream Still Exist for People Like Me? A Black lesbian journalist applying for permanent residency under Trump’s 2.0 shares a deeply personal essay about whether she’s fighting for a future in the U.S. that no longer is accessible for people like her.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to email me with questions, complaints and story ideas!
Spencer Macnaughton, Editor-In-Chief — spencer@unclosetedmedia.com
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