Civil Disobedience: Letter From Birmingham Jail

Anna Moorhead Moorhead 1
Ms. Duran
English 11
13 March 2015 The March on Washington
Civil disobedience, according to Dr. Kings’ letter from Birmingham Jail, is a way of revolting against an injustice in a peaceful manner. The March on Washington for LGBT rights was a peaceful protest in 1993. It was against the widespread discrimination through policies like the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy. Many people resigned from the army due to this policy and turned to peaceful protesting. Civil disobedience has been exemplified through the LGBT movement, the March on Washington in 1993, and in the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. In April 25, 1993, many
LGBT rights advocates went to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., calling for government action on topics ranging from open military service to the repeal of sodomy laws and LGBT employment protections to increased savings for HIV/AIDS research and treatment. John Clarice an activist at the march stated “We demand passage of a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender civil rights bill and an end to discrimination by state and federal governments including the military” (Belkin 26) They wanted change and they weren’t about to wait around for it. Many military personal were being severely discriminated. One college student in the march stated “We demand full and equal inclusion of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgendered people in the educational system!” (Belkin 31) School systems were known to limit LGBT

Moorhead 2 relationships and often times made them underprivileged. The LGBT community felt they were being treated unfairly in all fields and were ready to demand their rights. The March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights was a large political rally that took place in Washington, D.C.
that happened between the 1987 March on Washington and the early 1990s, LGBT people achieved much more recognition than they ever had in the past. Malice Sinberg describes in “A MARCH FOR GAY RIGHTS” ‘The LGBT community still faces discrimination, although such policies as Don't Ask Don't Tell, Colorado's constitutional amendment is invalidating laws that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.” Activists were gaining support and recognition from fellow citizens causing pressure on law makers to change discriminatory laws. They were bringing attention to the issues of LGBT discrimination to the table by peacefully protesting and teaching others of their struggles. In the HuffPost, an interviewer said, ‘we had to educate them, we choose the hardest way to win this war and that was the peaceful path” They choose to educate the people of their inequalities, they weren’t going to fight with fire, but in hopes of enlightenment they marched. The March on Washington was a strong act of civil disobedience which can be connected to The Letter to Birmingham by Martin Luther King. The letter responded to several criticisms made by the "A Call for Unity" clergymen, who thought that social injustices existed but argued that the battle against racial segregation should be fought solely in the courts not the streets. King argued that not only
was civil disobedience justified in the face of unjust laws, but it was necessary and even patriotic. “I submit that
Moorhead 3 an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law”(King 268) Laws just like the unjust laws for LGBT oppression.
The March on Washington would be seen as patriotic in his definition because of its push for social justice. Martin Luther King states that "Actually, we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out in the open where it can be seen and dealt with." They were not creating a tenser situation by peacefully protesting but bringing to the front the underlying problems that they had to resolve. The Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy was one example of these discriminatory unjust laws that needed to be resolved. Many people felt this law forced people into closets instead of allowing freedom.
The LGBT movement, the march on Washington, and the Letter to Birmingham Jail all exemplifies civil disobedience. The March on Washington was a successful act of civil disobedience because it attracted a lot of attention from LBGT rights supporters and proved to be a great stepping-stone to achieve more rights. The march proved to spread awareness and solve some underlying issues in newly passed laws. The March on Washington was a successful protest because it won people freedoms and
helped gain supporters.

Anna Moorhead Moorhead 1
Ms. Duran
English 11
13 March 2015

Works Cited
Belkin, Aaaron, and Bateman Geoffry. Don't Ask, Don't Tell. N.p.: Boulder, 2003. Print.
"Parade for GAY!”, with “gay” Groups Marching and Catholic Groups Absent, Loses Luster of past Years." MassResistance. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2015.
Cannistra, Mary Kate. "A History of 'don't Ask, Don't Tel." PostPolitics. N.p., 30 Nov. 2010. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.
King, Martin Luther. A Letter from a Birmingham Jail. Andover, MA: Publisher Not Identified, 1968. Print.
"Mass Resistance." MassResistance. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2015.
Schmalz, Jeffrey. "MARCH FOR GAY RIGHTS." The New York Times 26 Apr. 1993: n. pag. Print.
Smith, Nadine. "The 20th Anniversary of the LGBT March on Washington." HuffPost 25 Apr. 2013: n. pag. Print.