Bayard Rustin: Sexual Activist

Bayard Rustin was an instrumental part in civil rights and several other monumental movements in America during the postwar era. A homosexual man, Rustin encountered numerous obstacles in his pursuits of an activist lifestyle including jail time and excommunication from various progressive campaigns. Throughout history, “most men who desire men have not led gay-centered social lives, and even those who do will have passed much of their time – in work, politics, worship, voluntary associations, and civic affairs – in non-gay contexts.” Rustin was no different. In the public sphere his sexual orientation tended to be of secondary thought as he attempted to put political activism in front of personal strife. Rustin’s yearn for political activism was hindered throughout his career due to the Politics of Respectability commonly utilized by the movements of the 1960s in an attempt to connect with political leaders.
The Politics of Respectability, when put into practice, deemed the necessity of forthcoming members being socially acceptable, particularly law abiding,
Plagued with the social stigma against homosexual individuals, Rustin was constantly under public scrutiny limiting his involvement with various organizations as leaders feared Rustin would undermine the greater purpose of the movement. With time Rustin transgressed his ideals from individual Gandhian protests, to coordinated movements involving several different campaigns to get national support but was shut down by activist leaders further growing the rift between Rustin and the movements of the 1960s. Rustin dabbled with movements in postwar America, never being accepted by organizations for fear a homosexual activist would hinder the cause. Although he was scrutinized for his efforts, Bayard Rustin continued his drive to social improvement no matter the