Deaf & Queer Activism

Deaf LGBTQ+ organizations like CMRA and the LSGU participated in the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1979 and subsequent marches on Washington in 1987, 1993, and 2000. Like other marginalized groups within the hearing/white/cis/gay/male-led movement, deaf activists had to advocate for inclusion and accommodations within the queer community. The CMRA sent a delegate to a conference in Philadelphia to organize the 1979 March on Washington, where he shared CMRA’s demands for the march, which were published in the CMRA newsletter:

WE DEMAND: All participating organizations give recognition to the "Silent Minority", and act in a non-discriminatory fashion to the gay-deaf community.

WE DEMAND: Qualified sign language interpreters be provided for all gay rallies and activities where the general gay community is invited.

WE DEMAND: That the sign language interpreter be given a place to stand to the immediate right or left of the main speakers, and on the same level.

WE DEMAND: That the sign language interpreter which is now recognized by Federal Law HR 96-142 as a registered profession, be paid for services rendered. The fee based upon the scale of the local interpreter referral agency, for hourly or day assignments.

WE DEMAND: Special seating or standing space near the platform or stage, in front of the sign language interpreter be provided for those hearing impaired individuals who must rely on visual contact for the comprehension of the speakers.

WE DEMAND: That the local gay-deaf club be contacted prior to any rally or activity regarding their choice of a qualified interpreter, or to aid in locating the interpreter for the activity.

We feel that to refuse these demands is contradictory to the efforts and ideals of the gay community policies regarding discrimination, and to ignore these demands would be an admission of discrimination against our own brothers and sisters. THE DISCRIMINATION WHICH WE ARE TRYING TO ABOLISH!

We ask your support and the use of your voice in making our demands heard.

When the day of the march came, deaf Washingtonians and visitors from afar got their demands. At the stage where the march concluded, deaf attendees were given preferential seating with wheelchair users and blind people. A member of the Empire Rainbow Alliance of the Deaf, Ed Cruickshank, addressed the crowd, deaf and hearing alike.

At the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1987, marchers observed an especially strong sense of support from the crowd. One RAD member, Henry Carter, recalled, “The crowd were chanting so loud that I could hear them! I am profoundly deaf, not hard of hearing! Not only at the March but everywhere, I found thousands and thousands of people already knew the international sign, ‘I love you…’” RAD and its chapters, joined by the Lambda Society of Gallaudet University, marched down Pennsylvania Avenue sandwiched between an S&M group and a literary guild.

Despite the success of these marches, CMRA would continue to face access barriers at local Pride events. A frequent refrain was that the organizers of DC’s Gay Pride Day celebrations contacted interpreters too last-minute or hired too few of them, leaving hearing ASL users to informally interpret for deaf friends in the crowd. Still, CMRA and LSGU marched, tabled, and partied at these events, claiming their space and educating others.