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Huey Newton’s Support of Women and Gays

Back in the day on August 21st, 1970, Huey P. Newton of the Black Panther Party wrote an honest and powerful statement in favor of gay and women’s rights. Published in the pages of the party’s newspaper, “A Letter from Huey to the Revolutionary Brothers and Sisters About the Women’s Liberation and Gay Liberation Movements,” argued for the formation of coalitions over acknowledged insecurities. The passages contained strong sentiments from the black power leader who wrote, “We recognize the women’s right to be free,” and further cautioned against the use of derogatory terms when he said, “The terms ‘faggot’ and ‘punk’ should be deleted from our vocabulary.” Newton advanced from this premise to call for the inclusion of these movements in rallies, demonstrations and revolutionary conferences.

The words of the influential Black Panther leader were hailed in retrospect as a “major breakthrough,” and “the first openly pro-gay statement by a major heterosexual movement activist of any race,” by author Sherry Wolf in her new book “Sexuality and Socialism.”

For Uprising, this is your truth professa’ saying it’s no mystery why they conceal our people’s history