National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights

The first major attempt at organizing a national gay and lesbian march on Washington occurred on Thanksgiving weekend in 1973 in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois. The National Gay Mobilizing Committee for a March on Washington (NGMC), led by Jeff Graubart, tried to bring together a coalition of local and national LGBT organizations to plan a march in the nation's capital for the following spring. These efforts were met with resistance from the gay and lesbian groups approached, however. A conference to revive the idea of a march was scheduled for November 17–19, 1978, in Minneapolis. Committee member Harvey Milk moved forward with organizing the march, and managed to secure support from some local groups in D.C. which had previously been in opposition. On November 27, Milk was killed by Dan White. The assassination served as a catalyst and touchstone for the subsequent organizers. They planned a conference in Philadelphia from February 23–25, 1979, and invited one male and one female delegate from various LGBT organizations. The attendees' objective was address three primary questions: first, should a march take place; if so, then second, what should its organizational structure be; and third, what would be its platform. There was some debate about whether to march that year or the next, but 1979 was settled upon, since it was the ten-year anniversary of the Stonewall riots. After questions about female and minority representation had been addressed, five demands that would serve as the platform for the march were agreed upon. A choice was made to focus on single-issue politics in order to put forth a message from a united lesbian and gay community. The National Steering Committee, with mandated gender parity and 25% representation of People of Color, was selected by community meetings throughout the country. Policy/Overview and Administrative Committees were established to guide the work and decisions between Steering Committee meetings. The National Office was set up in New York City with Joyce Hunter and Steven Ault as National Coordinators. ==Platform==

Joe Smenyak, of New York City, drafted the Five Demands, which were later amended by the conference delegates. • Pass a comprehensive lesbian/gay rights bill in Congress • Issue a presidential executive order banning discrimination based on sexual orientation in the federal government, the military, and federally contracted private employment • Repeal all anti-lesbian/gay laws • End discrimination in lesbian mother and gay father custody cases • Protect lesbian and gay youth from any laws which are used to discriminate, oppress, and/or harass them in their homes, schools, jobs, and social environments ==Speakers and events==

In the official program for the march, the closing paragraph of Allen Young's welcome makes clear the objective of turning the focus of the gay movement from local issues to national advocacy: where speakers included Harry Britt, Charlotte Bunch, Allen Ginsberg (who read his poem "Song") and Peter Orlovsky, Flo Kennedy, Morris Kight, Audre Lorde, Leonard Matlovich, Kate Millett, Troy Perry, Eleanor Smeal, Adele Starr (the first PFLAG president), and Congressman Ted Weiss. Ginsberg and Orlovsky were introduced as celebrating the 25th year of their relationship. Following a series of announcements, comedy troupe and Harlem Records band Gotham performed their disco song, "AC-DC Man", from their upcoming first album, Void Where Inhibited. Its three performing members were introduced as openly gay men who had been performing in cities across the country for 7 years. Organizations supporting the march included Lambda Legal Defense Fund, the National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays, the National Organization for Women, and the National Gay Task Force—which had finally given its endorsement only a month before. The march was the centerpiece of a five-day "Third World Conference" that began on October 11, and included workshops and panel discussions, as well as administrative meetings and recreation. ==See also==