Tens Of Thousands Of Americans Converged In Washington, D.C., For The Second National March On Washington For Lesbian And Gay Rights. The Event Drew Wide Attention Across The Nation As A Manifestation Of Activism During A Moment Of Crisis And Oppression. Organizers Reported That Over Half A Million Participants Took Part In The Rally And Demonstration, Although Early Media Estimates Cited Figures Near Two Hundred Thousand. The March Has Since Been Called “The Great March” In LGBTQ Histories.
The Origins Of The 1987 March Lay In Rising Frustration With Government Inaction Toward The AIDS Epidemic, As Well As Judicial Decisions That Upheld Criminalization Of Private Sexual Conduct. Activists Sought Structural Change Through Demands That Spanned Legal, Health, And Social Policy. The Official Platform Called For Legal Recognition Of Lesbian And Gay Relationships, Repeal Of Sodomy Laws, A Federal Executive Order Against Discrimination In The Federal Workforce, Passage Of A Lesbian And Gay Civil Rights Bill, An End To Discrimination Against Persons With AIDS Or HIV Or Perceived AIDS, Mass Increases In Funding For AIDS Education, Research, And Care, And For Reproductive Freedom And Anti-Racism Measures.
In The Weeks Leading To The March, Activist Coalitions Planned Multiple Events Across Six Days. On October 10, A Mass Wedding Ceremony Took Place Near The National Museum Of Natural History And The Internal Revenue Service Building, In Protest Against The Absence Of Legal Recognition For Same-Sex Couples. Some Two Thousand Couples Took Part In That Ceremony, Which Also Functioned As A Political Statement On Tax And Domestic Partner Rights.
On The Day Of The March, A Key Moment In The Rally Was The First Public Unfolding Of The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt On The National Mall. Volunteers Unfolded Approximately 1,920 Quilt Panels At Dawn, Covering An Area Larger Than A Football Field. As The Panels Unfurled, Participants Read Aloud The Names Of People Who Had Died Of AIDS. The Quilt Offered A Visual And Humanizing Memorial At A Time When Many Victims Of The Epidemic Had Been Marginalized Or Ignored.
This Public Display Brought National Visibility To The Human Toll Of AIDS And Linked The March’s Broader Demands With The Crises Facing People With HIV. At That Time, The Stigma Surrounding AIDS Was Enormous, And Many People Living With HIV Or AIDS Lacked Access To Adequate Medical Support, Insurance, Or Social Recognition. The Quilt’s Presence Lent A Form Of Witness To Lives Lost And Connected Personal Loss With Political Demands.
Also During The March, For The First Time, The Activist Organization ACT UP (AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power) Gained National Media Attention. ACT UP Members Participated In The Rally And Helped Direct Public Pressure Toward Government Responses To The AIDS Crisis. Their Visibility During The March Marked A Turning Point In How Direct-Action AIDS Advocacy Was Perceived At A National Scale.
In The Aftermath Of The March, Many Participants Returned Home Energized To Engage In Local Organizing Around Lesbian, Gay, And AIDS Issues. The Event Helped Spur Creation Or Expansion Of Local Chapters Of AIDS Advocacy Groups, LGBTQ Civil Rights Organizations, And Community Networks. The March Also Catalyzed The Establishment One Year Later Of National Coming Out Day, On October 11, To Sustain Visibility And Community Solidarity.
Historically, The 1987 March Stands As A High Point Of 1980s LGBTQ Activism. It Demonstrated That The Movement Could Mobilize On A Massive Scale Even During A Period Of Medical Crisis And Social Hostility. By Uniting Demands For Legal Rights With Public Mourning And Memorialization Through The AIDS Quilt, The March Helped Redefine The Movement’s Visible Presence And Narrative. It Cemented The Link Between Struggle Over Health, Human Rights, And Recognition In LGBTQ Activism. Over Time, The Quilt Would Continue Touring, Growing In Size, And Serving As A National Symbol Of Loss, Solidarity, And Political Memory.
The Legacy Of The 1987 March Resides In Its Proof That A Rights Movement Could Weave Together Mourning, Protest, And Legislative Demands. It Left A Blueprint For Later Marches, For Sustained Activism In The 1990s And Beyond, And For Integration Of Cultural Symbolism With Political Advocacy. Its Historical Significance Lies In The Visibility It Achieved, The Mobilization It Inspired, And The Moral Weight It Lent To Rights Demands Amid A National Health Emergency.
References / More Knowledge:
Ghaziani, Amin. The Dividends Of Dissent: How Conflict And Culture Work In Lesbian And Gay Marches On Washington. University Of Chicago Press. (cited in Wikipedia)
“Second National March On Washington For Lesbian And Gay Rights.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_National_March_on_Washington_for_Lesbian_and_Gay_Rights
“National March On Washington For Lesbian And Gay Rights, 1987.” University Of Iowa Library. https://www.lib.uiowa.edu/gallery/exhibit-media/second-national-march-on-washington-1987/
“Our Demands: March On Washington For Lesbian And Gay Rights (Oct 11, 1987).” PDF Document. https://www.oneinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Our-Demands-March-on-Washington-for-Lesbian-and-Gay-Rights-Oct-11-1987.pdf
“The History Of The Quilt — The National AIDS Memorial.” AIDSMemorial.org. https://www.aidsmemorial.org/quilt-history
“How The AIDS Quilt Allowed Millions To Memorialize The Epidemic.” History.com. https://www.history.com/articles/aids-memorial-quilt