Bayard Rustin was one of the 20th century’s most influential civil rights activists and organizers, and yet many of us have never heard of him. He was the architect of the 1963 March on Washington and a key advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. But despite all his accomplishments, his story has been pushed to the side for one simple reason: he was openly gay.
 
Suggested Episodes:
Ep24 – Activist Karl Heinrich Ulrichs
Ep13 – Loving v. Virginia
 
Sources:

* https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/bhm-heroes/bayard-rustin-gay-man-in-the-civil-rights-movement/
* https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/05/us/bayard-rustin-pardon.html
* https://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/100-amazing-facts/who-designed-the-march-on-washington/
* https://www.biography.com/activist/bayard-rustin
* https://makinggayhistory.com/podcast/bayard-rustin/
* https://www.familyequality.org/2019/02/01/honoring-an-unsung-lgbtq-hero-bayard-rustin/
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayard_Rustin#cite_note-58