Remembering Reverend Jesse Jackson as a fierce LGBTQ ally

 - by Spencer Macnaughton
   Uncloseted Media

This story was originally published by Uncloseted Media, an LGBTQ focused investigative news outlet.

This story was originally published by Uncloseted Media, an LGBTQ focused investigative news outlet.

On February 17, Reverend Jesse Jackson, one of the great civil rights advocates in history, died at 84. Jackson will be remembered as one of the nation’s most influential figures in the fight for racial equality.

But it’s critical to remember that he was also a queer ally ahead of his time, who fought for the LGBTQ community when it wasn’t popular or politically advantageous.

When running for President in 1984, his speech was the first at the Democratic National Convention tever to mention gays and lesbians. “We must address their concerns and make room for them. The Rainbow includes lesbians and gays,” he said.

Three years later, at the second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, he said: “We insist on equal protection under the law for every American, for workers’ rights, women’s rights, for the rights of religious freedom, the rights of individual privacy, for the rights of sexual preference. We come together for the rights of all American people.”

In the years that followed, Jackson’s advocacy continued. In 2010, he called for a repeal of California’s ban on gay marriage: “We stand together today to uphold the principles of due process, of equal protection under the law, of fighting against discrimination against any and all people based on race, religion, gender or sexual orientation. … I support the right for any person to marry the person of their choosing.” And in 2015, he celebrated the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision to legalize gay marriage nationwide.

Fast forward to today, and so many politicians, pundits, and influencers are afraid to advocate for queer Americans because they worry about a clip going viral, which could jeopardize their ratings or their favorability among voters. Jackson’s legacy represents the opposite of that: he advocated for marginalized groups when it wasn’t safe, and it wasn’t necessarily a winning political strategy.

Now, arguably more than ever, we need more people taking those risks and standing up for queer Americans. While his voice is irreplaceable, we need more Jesse Jacksons.

May he rest in peace.

The Gayly online. 3/9/26 @ 12:43 p.m. CST.