Theodore Kirkland (2021)
“We [Skyline Faggots] were a group that we really wanted to include. We wanted to include everybody. And we wanted to sort of, like, not be the associates…We didn't want that. We wanted people to be able to join because this is what they wanted to do. This is what they felt comfortable with.”
Following the Stonewall Riots in 1969, Theodore Kirkland was eager to ensure that Stonewall was not a one time event. Born in Columbus, Ohio and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Kirkland moved to Washington DC in January of 1970, where he moved into and joined the now famous the Gay Liberation Front collective living house at 1620 S St NW, becoming an active member of GLF-DC. GLF-DC was a radical leftist organization whose members included many with anti-war and counterculture backgrounds. Reflecting the spirit of the era, GLF was intentionally unstructured, without formal leaders, membership fees, or strict rules—its guidelines arose organically as people gathered and organized. Later, as a founding member of Skyline Faggots, an offshoot of the GLF-DC, Kirkland was part of DC’s first gay pride week in 1972. He was also a member of the DC Gents Social Club, an organization for gay African Americans. In 1976, Kirkland joined and served the US Navy for over ten years.
“Black Panthers wanted us [GLF-DC] to be there [The Revolutionary Peoples’ Constitutional Convention]…and we went there, and I put on an orange dress, and I went across the altar or something. And that was the only time I ever wore a dress in my life…and it was wonderful.”
As Kirkland’s advocacy evolved, so did his commitment to addressing the urgent needs of the community during the HIV/AIDS crisis. Amidst the emergence of the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, Kirkland was a volunteer at the Washington Free Clinic, Gay Men’s VD Clinic and later the Whitman Walker Clinic. Kirkland also aided in conducting the first safe-sex-practice events, and was a member and case manager for Best Friends of DC, the first grassroots organization to offer hands-on help to those affected by HIV/AIDS. He was also a member of and provider of food and services for the Club House and Best Friends of DC’s Thanksgiving project for persons with HIV/AIDS.
“We [Skyline Faggots] really wanted the lesbian community. I mean, you know, we really wanted to deal with issues. We wanted to deal with racism. We wanted to deal with, you know, we wanted to deal with those things.”
In 1991, Kirkland was a founding organizer of DC Black Pride–the first ever Black Pride event– where he was lauded for his exceptional logistics skills. In collaboration with the DC Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gay Men and the Inner City AIDS Network, the first DC Black Pride was held that May, raising funds for HIV/AIDS organizations serving DC’s Black queer community. Around 800 people attended the initial parade, and DC Black Pride’s success inspired countless Black pride events to be organized across the country. To this day, DC Black Pride takes place every Memorial Day weekend, drawing over 500,000 attendees annually to celebrate the Black LGBT community.
“And that was what I loved about when we first came out as being gay. We really talked about it. I mean, we talked about racism and because well, we just talked about it. You know, it was like, well, how are we dealing with being gay? How are we dealing about loving other men? How are we doing all that? And we did that.”
Theodore Kirkland’s legacy is one of unwavering commitment to inclusion, justice, and liberation for DC’s queer community. From his early days in the Gay Liberation Front, through his service in the Navy, his work with Best Friends of DC against HIV/AIDS, and his pivotal role in creating DC Black Pride, Kirkland dedicated his life to organizing and advocating for Black and queer liberation.
Bibliography
“An Anti-Organization.” Rainbow History Project Digital Collections. https://archives.rainbowhistory.org/exhibits/show/glf/organization/anti-organization.
“Black Pride [Exhibit Panel],” Rainbow History Project Digital Collections, accessed October 28, 2024, https://archives.rainbowhistory.org/items/show/1866.
“Gay Liberation Front-DC Members in the Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade.” Rainbow History Project Digital Collections. https://archives.rainbowhistory.org/items/show/331.
“Oral history interview with Theodore Kirkland,” Rainbow History Project Digital Collections, https://archives.rainbowhistory.org/items/show/1279.