Tributes to Legendary Black Gay Civil Rights Leader Bayard Rustin

Bayard Rustin—the late civil rights organizer and top lieutenant to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—finally receives some of the recognition that he has long deserved. Recently there have been a number of tributes to the often ignored, black gay civil rights leader who organized the 1963 March on Washington. A musical based on Rustin's life debuted in in suburban Chicago. The new Bayard Rustin High School was dedicated in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

One of the most moving tributes is at Outsports. "Bayard Rustin: Offensive Lineman for Freedom" is an essay written by famed novelist Patricia Nell Warren (The Frontrunner) that illustrates how Rustin honed his civil rights activism on the football field.

With his speed and smarts, a movie script might have made him star quarterback of the West Chester Warriors. Instead Bayard chose to play offensive lineman, left tackle... Bayard’s sheer will to use his strength and psychic force for the team’s benefit made him the Warriors’ MVP. Later a teammate remembered what it was like to run up against Pinhead in a scrimmage. He said, “I found it impossible to get by him. Sometimes, after knocking me down on my face, he would gently help me to my feet and quote a line from a poem.”

On that extraordinary team, some strong black-white friendships were born. But off campus, the boys ran into Jim Crow. All the team members were welcome at [Rustin's] house. But one of Bayard’s best friends was a white boy whose parents wouldn’t let their son invite Bayard to their home. The black team members weren’t allowed in the YMCA or certain restaurants. They had to sit in the segregated balcony at the movie theater. For games out of town, the black players couldn’t stay at the same hotel as their white teammates. Some schools even refused to let their all-white teams play West Chester.

The moment came when Bayard had enough. One weekend, just before the Warriors were to play in a neighboring town, he organized his black teammates into a protest squad. They told the coach that, if they couldn’t have the same accommodations as their white teammates, they weren’t going to play. The coach buckled—though he later retaliated by holding back some track awards that the boys had earned.

After that, there was no stopping Rustin. He led his special team of protesters all over West Chester—into stores, restaurants, the YMCA. The boys were usually thrown out, but they kept trying. One of his followers remembered later, “Bayard’s determination was frightening. But we looked up to him as our leader. He was persuasive. He could sell you anything.”

Patricia Nell Warren notes that around this time Bayard Rustin had his first sexual experiences with other young men "and knew that he was gay. 'I never felt any guilt,' he said later. Indeed, he took the offensive in cruising for one-time experiences."

Thankfully we're finally at a stage in history where we can honor Bayard Rustin for all of his contributions—peace activist, civil rights organizer, athlete, writer. As well as celebrate his taking the offensive in his sexuality and becoming an out, proud black gay man.

Bayard Rustin: Offensive Lineman for Freedom" [Outsports]
Play Shines Light on Civil Rights Leader [Pioneer]

A Little Background ...
Black Museums Should Celebrate Gays
Billy Strayhorn Documentary on PBS
Brother Outsider Screenings
"Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin" on LOGO

Comments

[A. Martinez]

Bayard Rustin was one of the brightest lights of the civil rights revolution. Unfortunately his being gay did not go over well with some of the black church folk (King didnt care) and they have tried to 'dim' his legacy. Well its about time we claimed it for ourselves.

This is a very moving and touching tribute to this man. I never even knew he played football. Thank you Patricia Nell Warren!

[Greg G]

it is a shame and a disgrace that bayard rustin, the man who organized one of the most important demonstrations in our history ... has been relegated to the "back of the bus." because he was gay. if bayard rustin was good enough for martin luther king he should have been good enough for everyone else. and there would be no "i have a dream" if it weren't for bayard rustin.

thanks for poi8nting this out. i enjoy outsports and patricia nell warren's writing. she is very sharp on sports. i'm so glad she wrote this, there is a whole generation out there who don't know of bayard rustin's accomplishments.

[Alec]

---->He was persuasive. He could sell you anything.”

That's exactly why Bayard Rustin was able to accomplish so MUCH despite being an OPENLY gay black man in the 1940s and 1950s!

This is beautiful, I'm at Outsports now reading the whole thing.

[Mel Smith]

Thank you Rod for providing me with this information. Rustin is one of my heroes.

[Mark]

What an inspiring story for gay people. A gifted and engaged hero who did what needed to be done, despite not receiving the full credit for what he achieved. He set a strong moral example.

[Tandio]

Good stuff. Bayard Rustin is one of unsung heroes of the civil rights struggle. Hopefully there will be a day when his achievements are prominent mentioned in history books. This was a man for the ages.

[Carlos]

this was a great essay at outsports!

it is really timely
this being african american history month, hopefully more school children are learning about the many wonderful contributions of bayard rustin. it's very disgraceful he was ignored for so long but with black community and society (obama!) slowly becoming more gay friendly, we are learning more about this man.

[ACH]

When did Bayard Rustin die?

[Barry S]

Patricia Nell Warren is wonderful writer. Especially on sports and gay men, she obviously is a "she" but she "gets its" for gay men. I just discovered the Front Runner late last year and have read it twice. Verty cool she did this for Outsports.

[Jim]

Just read the Patricia Nell Warren piece. Rustin's combination of academic and athletic superiority reminds me a lot of Paul Robeson.

One pleasant memory I have is of marching along with Bayard Rustin in the Gay Pride Parade in New York in 1986. He was 74 and it was only a year before his death, but he marched down Fifth Avenue along with rest of us. He even gave us a pep speech before we started marching. He was a distinguished-looking man with tall, white hair.

The rumor in the community was that he was the heir to A. Philip Randolph's estate. Certainly they were close and organized together—I believe Rustin was Randolph's protegé when he was young. But Randolph married a widow and had no children, so I often wonder if Randolph might have actually been family as well. Maybe someome reading this knows the truth.

[S. Flemming]

How I love this man ... I could read his writings all day. His thoughts on gay rights are spot on, espeically in today's climate. A visionary who was way ahead of his time.