LGBT Equality activist Richard Noble (rt with Rainbow Flag) with San Antonio activists Dec. 9 (Photo courtesy Richard Noble)
SoCal LGBT activist Richard Noble is on the road again for his Walk Across America for Full Equality. On Friday night, Dec. 9, in commemoration of the 63rd anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Noble, GetEqual activists and allies from the San Antonio, Texas area marched along San Antonio’s famed Riverwalk “to raise awareness of the need for full legal equality for LGBT people and promote a message of human rights for all.”
“It pains me to see cities and states falling behind in equal rights and protections under the legal terms ‘sexual orientation and gender identity,’” Noble said in a press release. “I’m happy to join the San Antonio’s LGBT population, friends and allies in the Walk Across America on Friday evening as we petition the federal government to bring about our long awaited equality and raise awareness in our demand for full federal equality. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is an American entitlement and we look forward to a relationship with the City of San Antonio as Texans rise to the heights of awareness regarding civil rights and equality for all its citizens.”
Here are two quick videos of the march. Please see more about Richard’s walk and a new Full Federal LGBT Equality Pledge below:
Noble notes that Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO2) is slated to introduce a federal equality bill in Congress in January, which would expand legal protections already covering other minorities to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
James Poindexter, an organizer for Pride San Antonio, said in the press release: “Pride San Antonio celebrates the courage of the Walk Across America and is honored to have it pass through our historic city. We believe this walk will raise awareness and bring the issues to unique pockets of the country that perhaps have never thought about them before.”
“Some may believe that LGBT people deserve ‘less than’ status, but if we allow any segment of our populace to suffer discrimination, all of our populace suffers. Representative Polis’ omnibus legislation, Richard’s walk and our joining in his walk are about putting an unequivocal end to human rights violations,” said Jay Morris, Texas State Lead for GetEQUAL.
Here’s the new Full Federal LGBT Equality Pledge which Richard is distributing on postcards (ACT on Principles is developing the online pledge):
THE PLEDGE FOR FULL LGBT EQUALITY
IN ORDER TO FULFILL the promises of life and liberty, and to ensure equal protection of the law as guaranteed by the United States Constitution;
TO PROTECT the inalienable human right to be safe from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity as required by international law and treaty; and
TO END the systemic stigmatization, cease the societal rejection and heal the suffering of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans as mandated by conscience;
WE, the undersigned, pledge our support for the passage of omnibus LGBT equality legislation that grants full non-discrimination protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity equal to those accorded other statuses under existing civil rights laws and Supreme Court jurisprudence, specifically including:
- Public Accommodations (Title II, 1964 Civil Rights Act)(e.g., restaurants, hotels, theaters)
- Public Facilities (Title III, 1964 Civil Rights Act) (e.g., courthouses, jails, hospitals, parks)
- Federally-Funded Programs (Title VI, 1964 Civil Rights Act) (e.g., adoption, police, schools, homeless youth, health care)
- Employment (Title VII, 1964 Civil Rights Act; 1978 Civil Service Reform Act; 1991 Government Employee Rights Act; 1995 Congressional Accountability Act; 10 U.S.C. Ch. 37) (e.g., civilian and military government, private sector)
- Housing (Title VIII, 1968 Civil Rights Act, aka the Fair Housing Act) (e.g., rental, purchase, finance)
- Education (Title IX, 1972 Education Amendments Act) (e.g., schools, bullying)
- Credit (1974 Equal Credit Opportunity Act) (e.g., credit cards)
- Federal Marriage Equality (based on gender, SO) (e.g., 1967 Supreme Court Decision, Loving v. Virginia)
- Immigration, Disability, and Family Leave (Uniting American Families Act (proposed), the American With Disabilities Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act)
We call upon the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus to lead the way by filing an omnibus LGBT equality bill in January 2012 that includes all of the provisions enumerated above.
We further call upon Congress, and all candidates for elected office, to sign this pledge to pass such omnibus LGBT equality legislation immediately, but no later than 2014 — the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act — fulfilling both their individual duty and that of the United States government to ensure justice, equality, and fundamental human rights protections for all Americans.
Meanwhile, Noble was given the gift of this “sweet” dog Trinity by Gabe, an EMT for the City of San Antonio. For more information about Richard Noble’s Walk Across America, visit http://walk.usfreedomring.com.
Richard Noble and his new dog Trinity (Photo courtesy Richard Noble)
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Karen, I really appreciate your ongoing dedication to Richard’s journey and story. This is also where I found out about him. Once again you shine a light on so many story’s of importance for the LGBT communities that so many other LGBT media outlets don’t seem to have yet developed a taste for…
Thanks. I think it takes a lot of courage to do what he’s doing. It’s important to acknowledge that kind of grassroots commitment to a “higher” purpose – full federal equal rights.
Our time is now! Hopefully Richard’s walk will inspire a new generation of activists and will spread the message to obscure areas of our nation thus educating people and gaining new support.