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Julian Bond to Speak at LGBT Conference

Between the Lines News, a Michigan LGBT publication, reports that the chairman of the NAACP will give the opening address tonight at the Creating Change Conference, a high-profile gathering hosted by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. NAACP Chairman and former Georgian Julian Bond’s appearance at the event is just another example of his high-profile support of LGBT rights. Bond, who served in both the Georgia House of Representatives and Senate for two decades, has repeatedly stood up for LGBT rights, often over the objections of some African-American community leaders.

Even though the NAACP has no official position on gay rights, Bond and some others within the organization’s leadership have spoken openly about LGBT issues. Bond in particular has been a vocal supporter of gay marriage rights and was instrumental in getting the NAACP’s support for the Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA). He is currently an honorary board member for the campaign to defeat Florida’s anti-gay marriage amendment, which will be on the ballot this November. Bond has been quoted connecting gay rights with African-Americans’ civil rights movement, saying:

“We know there was a time, not so long ago, when black people in this country couldn’t marry the person of their choice either. That’s why when I am asked, ‘Are gay rights civil rights?’ my answer is always, ‘Of course they are.’”

Bond’s commitment to equality for everyone, including the LGBT community, is a powerful asset to human rights in this country. His courage in standing up for gay rights, even in the face of objections from some in his own community, is leadership we can admire and should value. There are, of course, differences between the gay rights cause and the historic civil rights movement of which Bond was and is a part. But there are also many similarities. Discriminatory hiring and workplace inequities. Hate and physical violence based on who you are, rather than what you do or how you think.