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The First National Third World Lesbian and Gay Conference was a convention that aimed to address the intersecting issues of racism and heterosexism in America and worldwide. Held from October 12 to 15 1979, it was one of the first conferences to explicitly create a space for lesbians and gays of colour across different backgrounds to network. It was organized by the National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays (then known as the NCBG) and hosted at Harambee House and in close proximity to Howard University, a Historically Black College and University. It was widely attended by many established groups, such as the Combahee River Collective and the Salsa Soul Sisters. It was also the birthplace of new groups, such as the Lesbian and Asian Gay Collective. This conference, alongside the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights that took place on the same weekend, is regarded as a historic moment of open solidarity and national consciousness in the gay rights movement.

History

The 1970s marked an important political moment in the United States. The radical New Left was emerging, informed by the civil rights, women's and anti-war movements. For the gay rights movement, the 1969 Stonewall riots was highly significant in ushering a new era of ardent and organized activism. An example of an organization forged out of the Stonewall fire was the Gay Liberation Front. It was especially important because it was led by queer and trans women of colour, like Marsha P. Johnson and Silvia Rivera, who experienced multiple oppressions. Yet, even with this political activity, queers of colour found themselves alienated and underrepresented, as these organizations vastly comprised white gay men.

At the same time, these activists also faced deep-seated sexism, homophobia and transphobia in Third World nationalist organizations. Many found that they had to actively conceal their sexuality in these settings, leaving them in an uncomfortable, liminal position in existing political space. Filipino activist Gil Mangaoang went to the extent of calling the experience "a state of schizophrenia". One instance of this was the 1974 Third World People's Conference, held in Ann Arbor. It was a revolutionary conference that aimed to create solidarity across different racial minorities. Yet, it was found that homophobic rhetoric and sentiments were perpetuated even by radical leaders. This was experienced by many gay activists across different ethnic and racial backgrounds. In the socio-political climate of that time, radical queer activists of colour were doubly oppressed.

Gradually, many queer communities of colour, even in their infancy, broke off to form their own organizations. For instance, the Gay Liberation Front initially held a Third World Caucus, created by radical activists of colour within the front. Eventually, the Caucus left and established their own independent organization, the Third World Gay Revolution. With a profound and growing awareness of intersectionality, activists began to connect different systems of oppression. From this emerged a broad and revitalized approach to social advocacy. This informs our understanding of the title "Third World Gay Revolution", as it becomes clear that organizing activists intended to show solidarity with anti-imperial and class struggles worldwide .

This gained traction in various regions, like in the West Coast and in New York. Many groups, like the National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays, were gaining popularity and providing empathetic, targeted service in their communities (such as HIV/AIDS care in gay black men). Likewise, the Combahee River Collective, a black lesbian organization formed in 1974, became very well known for their Combahee River Collective Statement which explicitly incorporated the rights and demands of black lesbians. In 1976, a smaller series of Third World gay liberation workshops were held in Oakland, California. However, prior to 1979, this effort was not consolidated or brought to a national platform.

Conference Agenda

The conference was explicitly tailored to racial minorities, namely African Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans and Latin Americans. Still, anyone was allowed to attend and this led to a great diversity in conference participants, such as socialist compañeros from Mexico, affiliated with Lambda, as well as Canadians and caucasian Americans. It also received attention from international sources, as it was lauded by the Sandinistas of Nicaragua. The conference thus took on a highly intersectional and internationalist tone.

Goals

The NCBG planned the conference with a specific mission in mind. This is captured in three goals, which were included in the conference program.

1. To establish a national network of Third World Lesbians and Gays.

2. To establish an education and communications network for and among Third World Lesbian and Gay organizations.

3. To confront the issues of racism, sexism, homophobia and heterophobia among, by and against Third World Lesbians and Gays.

Beyond this, resolutions were made on a number of more specific issues, such as prisoner's rights and undocumented workers.

Itinerary

Conference participants split into a number of different caucuses according to their interests and identities. Alongside caucuses, workshops were held to discuss specific issues. Many were designed for an audience of lesbians and gays of colour, although there were some that were intended for non-Third World and non-queer participants.

Some of the Conference's caucuses included:

• Dynamic Women's Caucus
• Third World Women's Caucus
• Latino Caucus
• Transperson's Caucus
• Asian Caucus
• Freedom Socialist Party and Radical Women

Caucuses also put out a number of resolutions and demands. See 'Resolution' subheading for the full list of demands.

Beyond the educational and political functions, the Conference also served an important phatic purpose - to create a community of solidarity amongst activists. Following workshops on Saturday, organizers threw a disco in the Harambee House ballroom. This event attracted many attendees, including the iconic Beat poet, Allen Ginsberg.

Notable Speakers

The keynote speaker of the conference was Audre Lorde, the influential African American, lesbian poet. On October 13, 1979, she gave a keynote address entitled 'When Will the Ignorance End?', originally printed in the 1979 edition of the feminist journal, Off our backs. 'When Will the Ignorance End?'' was also the theme of the conference. Her speech touched on the sacrifices and trauma of older activists and the hope she held for children in the future. She also pressed conference attendees to think about the agenda of their gathering, asking

"We have to ask ourselves some difficult questions here this weekend. For instance, what does real support mean in a consistently hostile environment? What does a genuinely non-sexist, non-racist culture require and imply? What does the responsibility of a community mean? [...] In this room now there is a significant amount of people-power for social change and it must become conscious and useful power. That is the meaning of support and community."

On behalf of the Asian American contingent, Tana Loy also gave a speech to the entire conference, called 'Who's the Barbarian?'. In it, she gave an overview of the discussion brought up during the Asian American caucus, and linked it to the oppression experienced by all Third World gays and lesbians trying to find their place in social activism. She also made clear the historic nature of this gathering, especially given the trauma, internalized racism and homophobia and self-hatred that runs deep in the gay Asian American community:

"When an Asian sees another Asian - they run from each other. Because whatever the reason, and there are many many reasons, we run from each other: because of the pain, because of the anguish, because of the deep self-hatred of racism in this country. [...] It is extremely important, and that is, that in the context of this history making conference, we Asians, we gay Asians [...] - we have for the first time, for many of us, with open hearts and minds, run toward each other."

Claudia Hinojosa and Max Mejia of Lambda received thunderous applause during the opening night general session. This address, coming from Mexican delegates who risked detection and deportation, was particularly moving. They helped to broaden the understanding of the Third World lesbian and gay struggle, linking it to both other systems of oppression as well as global movements,

"Our struggle consists of the subversion of all concepts and practices which have defamed lesbians and gay men, and subjugated women in general. The struggle against sexism, racism, imperialism, and class oppression is integral to gay liberation. We wish to leave no aspect of daily life unchallenged."

Although not present, the General Counsel of Nicaragua, Ms. Aura L. Beteta, sent a message expressing solidarity. This was read by Rodrigo Reyes, who was a member of the Gay Alliance of Latin Americans. She lauded the convention, stating "To the first national conference of Third World lesbians and gay men, revolutionary Sandinista greetings. May from your conference be born a movement that identities, that unites and struggles with the liberation movements of all oppressed people."

Ties to the National March on Washington

This conference coincided with the National March on Washington for Lesbians and Gay Rights in 1979. It was a strategic move on the parts of the NCBLG, as it allowed for the organizing of a significant Third World contingent in the predominantly white protest. This foregrounded the concerns and bodies of queers of colour and held white allies accountable for their visibility and privilege in the gay rights movement. It also allowed them to integrate the March into the schedule as a manifestation of the political solidarity being fostered at the conference.

Over 200 of the Third World Conference participants attended the National March together. They were led by a small group of Native American lesbians and gays holding a sign that read "The First Gay Americans". Their visibility was especially important given the complete alienation of indigenous people in the gay rights movement of the time.

A critical symbolic move made by the Third World delegation was the route they chose to take to the March. In subtle defiance of the organizers of the National March, the organizers chose to walk straight down through George Avenue and Chinatown. This led the protest straight into the heart of neighbourhoods traditionally inhabited by people of colour. Activists saw this to be a cathartic and empowering action, as a way of directly addressing the rampant heterosexism in their ethnic communities.

For many, this was also the first time that they could proudly, and politically, show their gay identity. Even with the support of the conference, this was a risky move as many Asian participants were at risk of being deported for coming out, due to a "reactionary McCarthy period law which [barred] gay people from abroad from entering [the United States]".

Michiyo Cornell, an attendee of the conference and Japanese-American lesbian, gave a speech at the march on the theme of "Living in Asian America".

Resolutions

These are the resolutions produced from the conference.

NATIONAL THIRD WORLD LESBIAN AND GAY CONFERENCE RESOLUTIONS

A. FROM THE THIRD WORLD WOMEN'S CAUCUS

BE IT RESOLVED that the Third World Lesbian/Gay Conference strongly supports principled feminism (that feminism which addresses the needs of all women, including those of Third World Lesbians, rejecting the feminism of the NOW-type feminist movements as it does not address the needs of all Third World women), which addresses the oppression of all women, especially Third World Lesbians;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Conference goes on record in support of the promotion of the leadership of Third World Lesbians in defense of all our interests in the race, sex, sexuality and class struggles;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Conference demand that the feminism, gay and Left-Wing movements ride themselves of their racism and sexism; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Third World Women's Caucus demands that white men and Third World men resolve to deal with feminism and racism in their communities.

B. FROM THE FREEDOM SOCIALIST PARTY AND RADICAL WOMEN

BE IT RESOLVED that the Conference go on record demanding an end to all deportations of undocumented workers and calling for open borders with Mexico;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Conference demand that the US government grant undocumented workers the same rights guarateed documented workers, including the right to unionize and strike, the right to apply for legal resident status or US citizenship and the right to unemployment compensation, bilingual education and all available social services;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Conference demand the complete dismantling of the Immigration and Naturalization Service police apparatus; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Conference condemn the using of "illegal aliens", which is a racist and degrading term for undocumented workers who come to work in the United States without legal papers.

C. FROM THE IMMIGRATION WORKSHOP

WHEREAS immigration laws have traditionally been used by the US government to keep outcertain classes of politically active people such as communists and anarchists, and for decades the laws have been used to exclude Asians;

WHEREAS the 1952 Immigration Act has been repeatedly used to harass and exclude from the US our Lesbian sister and Gay brothers from abroad; and

WHEREAS many of our Third World Lesbian sisters and Gay brothers live in constant fear of harassment and deportation because of this McCarthy-era law;

BE IT RESOLVED that all concerned people and Lesbian and Gay organizations actively work to abolish this outrageous law;

BE IT RESOLVED that all concerned people and Lesbian and Gay organizations call on Congress to enact and approve legislation to repeal this law; and

BE IT RESOLVED that all concerned people and Lesbian and Gay organizations pledge their support for our international sisters and brothers who face this legal barrier to visiting and living in this country and to sharing in our common struggle.

D. FROM THE CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS FROM MEXICO

BE IT RESOLVED that the Conference demand that the Mexican government stop immediately the police repression and imprisonment of political activists, homosexuals and women accused of having abortions;

BE IT RESOLVED that the Conference go on record condemning the role of the Mexican mass media in perpetuating the genocide of Mexican women, Gays and Lesbians; and

BE IT RESOLVED that this Conference send a telegram, letter and petition to Lopez Portillo and other government heads, signed by all conference participants, demanding that the Mexican government immediately stop all police repression, imprisonment and genocide of Mexican citizens.

Significance

The First National Third World Lesbian and Gay Conference is considered to be a watershed moment for the activism of lesbians and gays of colour . It led to the creation of a mumber of revolutionary new groups, such as the Lesbian and Gay Asian Collective and Latin American Lesbian and Gay Men's Coalition. It also proved to be a successful event of the NCBG. Following the conference, a number of new chapters opened in cities such as Philadelphia, New York and San Francisco and membership overall surged. The conference also led to the development of other groundbreaking events. For example, the first Black Lesbian Conference was held in San Francisco, California in 1980, and Angela Davis was the keynote speaker

Following the success of the Conference, a Second National Third World Lesbian and Gay Conference was planned. It was held during Thanksgiving in Chicago, Illinois in 1981. However, due to insufficient advance planning and steep registration fees, attendance suffered. There was less than a quarter of the original conference's participation. Furthermore, some found it to be more focused on individual networking than radical political organization.