Bayard Rustin was a Black civil rights activist. Born in 1912 he and twelve others were raised by his grandparents. Rustin was born and raised in Pennsylvania and attended West Chester High, where he played football and was remarked for intelligence and leadership skills. Rustin was raised as a Quaker, which taught him the importance of non-violent resistance. Rustin spent five years in several different universities, but never graduated.

In 1941, Bayard Rustin joined the Fellowship for Reconciliation (FOR), a non-denominational religious anti-war organization. Rustin became their Field Secretary (although one source says he was actually the Field Secretary for CORE), and eventually he was the Race Relations Director of FOR. During WW2, Rustin spent over two years in prison as a conscientious objector. Also in 1941 Rustin helped found the New York branch of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE).

Come 1947, Rustin and other participants in CORE's Journey of Reconciliation across the states were arrested. This journey was a test of the Supreme Courts decision barring segregation in interstate travel and became the model for the Freedom Rides in the 1960s.

In 1953 Rustin was arrested and beaten by police for being caught having sex with two men in a parked car in Pasadena, California. Upon arrest Rustin was beaten and ended up losing a tooth. He spent fifty days in jail and was registered as a sex offender. Upon release, Rustin was asked under the table to resign from his position in FOR due to his homosexuality.

Bayard Rustin met Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1956. Shortly thereafter, even knowing of his homosexuality, Dr. King made Rustin his advisor. As his advisor Rustin was King's proof-reader, ghostwriter, philosophy teacher, a nonviolent strategist. He even helped Dr. King draft his memoir "Stride Toward Freedom" but refused to be credited.

In 1963, Rustin had two months to plan the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The march where Dr. King gave his well-known "I Have a Dream" speech. Rustin was put in charge of this event by A. Philip Randolf, a long-time friend, despite criticism coming from other activist leaders such as Roy Wilkins. For his work on the march, Rustin was nick-named by Randolf as "Mr. March-on-Washington".

From 1965 until his death in 1987 Rustin was active in the A. Philip Randolf Institute as President and then later as Co-Chairman. He was dedicated to Black worker unionization, racial equality, and economic justice.

During the following years Rustin was increasingly active in supporting world-wide Human Rights campaigns. He continued to promote non-violent change and went on many political missions across the world.

In 1982 Bayard Rustin and his partner Walter Naegle did something amazing. As gay marriage was illegal at the time, and not even a consideration by most, Rustin instead adopted Naegle to ensure he would inherit Rustin's estate after death. While maybe not the first couple to do so, Rustin and Naegle became an inspiration for many others to do the same.

Further during the 1980's Rustin advocated for equality bills. He spoke to the National Association of Black and White Men Together, connecting the efforts of the Civil Rights movement and the LGBT community; lobbied for New York to add and defend protection from discrimination on basis of sexual orientation; wrote to the New York mayor in defense of the NY Gay Rights Bill; and was featured in The Advocate that confronting racism and division in LGBT activism was necessary for an integrated "Beloved Community".

In 1987, Rustin died to a perforated appendix during surgery.

In 2013, President Barak Obama awarded him posthumously the Presidential Medal of Honor. It was presented to Naegle, Rustin's surviving partner. Obama is quoted referring to Rustin as "an unyielding activist for civil rights, dignity & equality for all" and that Rustin "fought tirelessly for marginalized communities at home & abroad".

In 2020, Rustin was officially pardoned for his 1953 conviction in which he was arrested for having sex with two men.

Masterpost - References in Notes

Part 2

Part Three

Disabled couples are probably the most evident and easily researched example. Healthcare in the US is notoriously expensive. It also is lacking in several different areas, but that's a topic for another time. Many disabled people rely on Social Security Benefits(SSB) to be able to support themselves and have access to the things that they need. But if they get married, they could completely lose access to their SSB regardless of whether they still need it. According to DREDF, if two individuals relying on SSI (social security income) get married they could lose access to not only 25% of their stipend, but also 25% of their asset limit. Further, if one person with SSI marries someone without SSI they also get a 25% cut in their asset limit, along with potentially completely losing their SSI. Finally, if someone receives DAC (Disabled Adult Child benefit, which is available for disabled adults who are still considered Dependents, allows access to Medicare and Medicaid, and is based on the work record of a parent or guardian, not the receiving adult), then marriage will in most cases immediately end their DAC benefits.

Another group lacks marriage equality is the polyamorous community. People in polyamorous relationships lack the right to get married. This in-turn creates a whole bunch of legal difficulties. Insurance frequently only extends to married partners, healthcare is often reliant on insurance. Further, if one partner gets admitted to the hospital, the other partners may not have the appropriate allowance to make necessary medical decisions. They may not even be contacted. Property, housing, and joint-tax filings are also things that polycules may have difficulty with. Not to mention, not all members of a polycule will have the same rights and allowances if a break-up or divorce happens. Because they wouldn't necessarily all be married, separation of assets and child custody may not be evenly or fairly split.

A third group is couples without children. This may seem like an oddball, but there is a good reason for it to be included. The system in the US assumes that you will have children or grandchildren to look after you when you are older. It also assumes that you will have started a retirement fund at some point. However, this doesn't apply to all people. And elderly care is dangerously expensive. According to an article on U.S.News, updated April 2026, at home care can be as "cheap" as $25,000 a year for two hours of supervision (not medical care!) a day. It can also cost over $300,000 for 24/7 supervision, also not including medical care. On the flip-side, the cheap end of nursing home is around $115,000 per year for 24/7 supervision, a semi-private room, and both medical and non-medical care. For a private room, it costs around $130,000 depending on where you are. According to the American Council on Aging, prices reach up to $300,000 in California. Or in other words, over $900 every single day. For elderly couples who have kids who can help pay for these services, or who can provide them for free or for cheap, it can dramatically lower the price.

Finally, immigrant families. More specifically, couples where one person gets a Green Card upon marriage. Firstly, in order to be legally recognized as married and to gain a Green Card, you need to be able to prove that your relationship is real. Then, depending on the length of time you have been married you can get either a permanent or conditional Green Card. A conditional Green Card is granted if you get married within two years of applying. If you get divorced with a permanent Green Card, then you have to update it. However, if you get divorced with a conditional Green Card then you will have to be able to prove that your marriage was real or that your divorce was because of something like Domestic Violence or Adultery. If you cannot do these things, then you will have to give up your Green Card. Further, if you try to divorce during the Green Card application process then your application will be stopped. Additionally, if you do not start the filing process to switch from a conditional card to a permanent one before your conditional one expires, after two years, then you lose your citizenship.

Marriage Equality will not exist until all marriages are equal. It is a good thing, definitely worthy of celebration, that same-sex marriages are legal. But the fight for complete marriage equality is far from over and many people are suffering as a result. Until disabled people no-longer have to decide between getting Social Security Benefits and having their relationships officially recognized (and the benefits thereof); until polyamorous people no-longer have to decide to only marry one partner or none at all, and face increased risk if a divorce or separation occurs; until married couples with no kids don't have to worry about what they will do when they are old; until immigrants don't have to worry about losing their citizenship; we will not have true marriage equality. If we want true marriage equality then we need to look out for each other, both within and outside of our communities. Vote for politicians that support marriage equality, call or text or email your representatives about bills concerning marriage equality, fund organizations that fight for marriage equality. Educate yourself, and educate others. Thank you.

In 2003, Kanako Otsuji was elected to the Osaka Prefectural Assembly as an independent. At 28, Otsuji was the youngest ever member of the assembly. Additionally, she was one of seven women in the assembly.

August 2005, Otsuji comes out as lesbian in her book Coming Out and immediately after walks in the Tokyo Lesbian Gay Parade.

October 2005, her prefecture started the House Sharing System, allowing couples that do not legally fit the distinction of family to live together in Osaka Housing Supply Corporation residences.

May 2006, Otsuji works on Act Against Homophobia alongside Tokyo Pride, Rainbow March in Sapporo, and GayJapanNews organizers.

June 2006, she visits Washington D.C. and San Francisco through a leadership program run by the US State Department.

September 2006, Otsuji, who had been speaking out against the amendment, expresses disappointment as Miyakonojo city ammends a non-discrimination law to no-longer include discrimination based off of gender and sexual orientation.

June 2007, Kanako Otsuji publicly marries Maki Kimura, her girlfriend of four years, in an unofficial wedding during HIV/AIDS prevention festival Nagoya Lesbian Gay Revolution. Their wedding was attended by around 1,000 people. The leader and secretary general of the Democratic Party of Japan as well as the Governer of Osaka sent telegrams congratulating the couple on their marriage. Following the wedding, Otsuji spoke with GayNewsJapan and said "Gays and lesbians are hiding themselves in society to protect themselves. I want people to know that gays and lesbians exist in society by looking at us (Kanako and Maki).”

June 2007, Otsuji gave a press conference at Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan for the up-coming Upper House election. She spoke on unbiased education and anti-discrimination laws specifically pertaining to LGBT legislation and civil-partnership.

July 2007, Otsuji lost the election to Ryuhei Kawada.

2012, Otsuji ran for House of Representatives but lost the vote.

2013, Otsuji was elected for the House of Councillors after other members resigned. Despite her short tenure, Otsuji was able to raise questions about discriminatory aptitude tests used to hire teachers.

October 2017, Otsuji was elected into the House of Representatives as a member of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.

July 2018, she spoke up against homophobic statements by Mio Sugita a liberal-democratic MP.

July/August 2018, she also spoke against Liberal Democratic Representative Tom Tanigawa by raising the point of the rate of suicide and suicidal ideation by minority children.

June 2019, Otsuji helped put forth a marriage equality bill, but it was shot down by the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito party.