Description
This conversation serves as a continuation of the previous post on Walter Naegle Meets Senator Scott Wiener: Honoring Bayard Rustin's Pardon and Presidential Medal of Freedom. While the earlier discussion established the legislative victory of the pardon, this exchange centers on the lived experience of Walter Naegle as he reflects on the “stymied” career of his late partner. Naegle provides a visceral account of the 1953 Pasadena arrest, explaining that the “lewd conduct” charge was not merely a legal hurdle but a weaponized blotch used by both segregationists and movement allies to distance themselves from Rustin. He recounts the heartbreaking reality of Rustin being pushed out of the very organizations he helped build, describing a period where the “architect” of non-violence was left “depressed and downhearted” because of the internal homophobia of the movement.
Naegle speaks to the emotional weight of witnessing a legacy being restored in real time, from accepting the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama in 2013 to seeing the 1953 conviction finally wiped clean in 2020. He emphasizes that Rustin’s resilience was rooted in a refusal to abandon his commitment to justice, even when the system and his peers sought to silence him. By sharing the specific history of the War Resisters League taking Rustin in when others would not, Naegle highlights the vital importance of secular, principled spaces in the fight for equality. This dialogue moves beyond the legalities of a pardon to explore the dignity of a man who spent his life picking up the “trash” of a democracy that refused to recognize his love.
Historical Context
The “morals” laws used to arrest Bayard Rustin in 1953 were part of a broader mid-century effort to criminalize LGBTQ+ identity under the guise of public safety. As Walter Naegle notes, these convictions often resulted in mandatory sex offender registration, a “huge blotch” that effectively destroyed lives by barring access to housing and employment. For Rustin, this meant a career spent largely in the shadows; despite his technical genius, respectability politics required that he work as a “deputy” or advisor rather than a public-facing leader.
The transition described by Naegle, from the religiously based organizations that pushed Rustin out to the secular War Resisters League that embraced him, marks a significant shift in the infrastructure of the civil rights struggle. It underscores that the “intersectional” coalition-building Rustin pioneered was often born out of necessity when traditional institutions failed to protect queer activists. Naegle’s reflections, shared during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests and the wake of the Bostock decision, bridge the gap between the “invisible” activist of 1963 and the celebrated hero of today, affirming that racial justice and LGBTQ+ liberation have always been part of the same heartbeat.
Naegle, Walter, and Scott Wiener. "The Pardon of Bayard Rustin: A Conversation on Legacy." Interview with Robt Seda-Schreiber. BRCSJ Power Hour, Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice, June 17, 2020.
