Gays Demonstrate Against Falwell Speech

Demonstrators both inside and outside Town Hall in Midtown Manhattan protested on December 10 [1984] a speech scheduled to be delivered by the Reverend Jerry Falwell, a member of the religious right wing, who views homosexuality as "a perversion." Falwell left the building undercover about an hour and a half after he was unable to complete his speech which had an 8 pm starting time.

The protest, sponsored by the People's Anti-War Mobilization, and supported by various gay and lesbian groups, among them Black and White Men Together, Lesbian Activists at Barnard College, and the National Coalition of Black Gays drew a crowd of more than 300 who carried signs and chanted slogans condemning Falwell's homophobia. One sign read "SAY NO TO REAGAN AND THE RIGHT WING." Another said "KEEP NEW YORK CLEAN, DRIVE OUT FALWELL."

Andy Humm of the Coalition of Gay and Lesbian Rights, estimated  that about two-thirds of those entering Town Hall were protesters. "Jerry Falwell is a clown, a puppet," said Humm, addressing those surrounding a makeshift platform. "The next time he comes to New York, he'll be ignored."

As the crowd chanted slogans like "Falwell and the Klan go hand in hand" from police barricades, protesters, who were mostly white, were being forcibly ejected by police from the auditorium. Some had to be dragged to the sidewalk. As each ejected person came out, they were cheered on by their supporters. The mood of the crowd was festive. Even the cops seemed to be enjoying themselves throughout the event. Protest songs were performed by a singer and a guitarist over a loudspeaker to bolster the spirits of the demonstrators as they stood out in the cold night air.

An interpreter for the deaf stood nearby as each guest speaker came to the mike.Those who spoke included the Reverend Renee McCoy, pastor of the Harlem Metropolitan Church, which has a gay and lesbian congregation and city councilwoman Ruth Messinger. McCoy told her listeners that the God she serves is "a God who sent Jesus Christ to die for our sins and not [for] our sexuality." She also pointed out that "to stand against Jerry Falwell is not to stand against God but to stand with God."

Messinger vowed that "we will see to it that [Falwell] does not intercede in his efforts to deny people their sexual preference."

This article was originally published in the Gay Community News (Boston) on December 22,1984.