As King Day approaches, Atlanta's gay community remembers Bayard Rustin
As another Martin Luther King Jr. Day approached in 2002, Craig Washington, Darlene Hudson and Duncan Teague looked forward to taking their place in the annual march honoring the civil rights leader’s legacy. As proud members of Atlanta’s black gay community, they felt welcomed but they knew, too, that some in this city too busy to hate didn’t want them there.
“It was not a gay pride march,” said Teague. “It was an MLK march with a small contingent of gay men participating. We were verbally harassed as we came down the street. We were in the march knowing we had a right to be there, but others weren’t so sure.”
Still, for years, they braved the cold with the rest of the community to commemorate King’s life, propelled by the spirit of another unwelcomed black gay man, Bayard Rustin.
In 2002, though, they wanted to do more than just be present. Aware of the hidden role Rustin had played in King’s development as a leader and in the civil rights movement, knowing how Rustin must have felt, they wanted to honor him, too.
Read more: https://www.ajc.com/lifestyles/king-day-approaches-atlanta-gay-community-remembers-bayard-rustin/04Qizs8WzBiSeuLFxxD12H/
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