Last week I lamented that not a single white or Hispanic LGBT activist attended one of the largest black LGBT rallies in Dallas’ history last month. Well, this Saturday may offer a chance to make up for it.
One of the organizers of last month’s rally, black gay activist Brandon Horsley-Thompson, is co-organizing a vigil for Trayvon Martin this Saturday.
Brandon Horsley-Thompson
Horsley-Thompson, a 28-year-old Navy veteran, said he got involved in the local “Stand Up For Justice for Trayvon Martin” movement after he attended a rally at the JFK Memorial in downtown Dallas on Monday.
“I was really overwhelmed by the number of heterosexual black men that just embraced me,” Horsley-Thompson said. “I’m finding people and networking with people that are normally out of my comfort zone.”
Horsley-Thopmson said the African-American LGBT community has also been supportive, and he hopes non-black LGBT activists will attend Saturday’s vigil as well. Horsley-Thompson said he can draw parallels between Martin’s death and his own personal experience.
“I don’t dress as though I’m the stereotypical gay man,” he said. “I dress in hoodies and hats and Jordans, so I’m constantly being seen as a black man — and gay later. Yes, I want to fight for equal rights, marriage equality, but I’ve got to deal with just walking down the street first and being OK. My sexuality takes a back seat to my color.”
Saturday’s vigil begins at 11:30 a.m. at the JFK Memorial, at 646 Main St. Horsley-Thompson said participants will march to the federal courthouse and back.
On a related note, a coalition of 35 LGBT rights groups released an open letter Monday calling for justice for Trayvon. Read it below.
LGBT Rights Organizations Issue Open Letter: Trayvon Deserves Justice
WASHINGTON, July 15 — A coalition of national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights organizations, led by the National Black Justice Coalition and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, today issued the following open letter:
An Open Letter: Trayvon Deserves Justice
We cannot begin to imagine the continued pain and suffering endured by Trayvon Martin’s family and friends. We stand in solidarity with them as they continue to fight for justice, civil rights and closure. And we thank everyone who has pushed and will continue to push for justice.
Trayvon Martin deserves justice and his civil rights. We support the organizations and community leaders who are urging the federal government to explore every option to ensure that justice is served for Trayvon and that his civil rights are honored and respected. But our work does not end there: we will honor Trayvon Martin by strengthening our commitment to end bias, hatred, profiling and violence across our communities.
We represent organizations with diverse lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender constituencies. Our community has been targets of bigotry, bias, profiling and violence. We have experienced the heart-breaking despair of young people targeted for who they are, who they are presumed to be, or who they love: Rashawn Brazell, Lawrence King, Ali Forney, Brandon Teena, Brandon White, Matthew Shepard, Marco McMillian, Angie Zapata, Sakia Gunn, Gwen Araujo and countless others.
Every person, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity, must be able to walk the streets without fear for their safety.
Justice delayed is justice denied and in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “a right delayed is a right denied.” We honor Trayvon by seeking justice for all people.
All Out
American Civil Liberties Union
Believe Out Loud
BiNet USA
Bisexual Resource Center
Center for Black Equity
CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers
Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals
Equality Federation
Family Equality Council
Freedom to Work
Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network
Gay-Straight Alliance Network (GSA Network)
GetEQUAL
GMHC
GLAD
GLAAD
Harvey Milk Foundation
Human Rights Campaign
Immigration Equality
Lambda Legal
Movement Advancement Project
National Black Justice Coalition
National Center for Lesbian Rights
National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs
National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
National Minority AIDS Council
National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance
Out & Equal Workplace Advocates
PFLAG National
The Trevor Project
Trans Advocacy Network
Transgender Law Center
Trans People of Color Coalition