LGBT Activists Arrested Protests

Since 2009, 329 LGBT Americans and their allies have been arrested in protests in the United States for LGBT civil rights, marriage equality, and an end to all forms of de jure discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

In what can reasonably be described as a giant "wave" of political protests in connection with the LGBT liberation movement, several acts of civil disobedience and other forms of direct action have taken place since 2009 to end the U.S. government's and the American culture's oppression of LGBT Americans.

Following below, is a brief summary of known protests, which resulted in the political arrests of activists. Not only are LGBT activists fighting the de jure discrimination embedded within the laws of the United States, but, in cracking down on political dissidents, the United States can also be seen as further violating the human rights of these freedom fighters.

DATE *	DESCRIPTION OF PROTEST AND ARREST(S) **
May 26, 2009	211 arrested for shutting down freeway in SF over Prop 8 ruling. [A forthcoming link with follow to a link with a list of many names as publicly available of the people, who were arrested.]
February 12, 2010	Four people were arrested at the NYC marriage Bureau : Alan Bounville, Jake Goodman, Justin Elzie, and Gabriel Yuri Bollag.
March 18, 2010,	Lt. Dan Choi and Capt. Jim Pietrangelo were arrested after they chained themselves to the White House fence in a protest of the Military's controversial "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy (DADT) ; Robin McGehee was also arrested.
March 18, 2010	Ten arrested (4 in DC and 6 in SF) : [A forthcoming link with follow to a link with a list of many names as publicly available of the people, who were arrested.]
April 20, 2010	Six military activists were arrested at the White House fence during a subsequent protest against DADT : Those, who were arrested, were identified to be : Lt. Dan Choi, Capt. Jim Pietrangelo, Petty Officer Larry Whitt, Petty Officer Autumn Sandeen, Cadet Mara Boyd and Cpl. Evelyn Thomas.
April 26, 2010	Five arrested in Phoenix at McCain’s office over DADT. The names of the people, who were arrested, are : First Class Petty Officer Lonnie Allen Howard-Stidham, Meg Sneed, Jimmy Gruender, Luisa Valdez, and Lee Walters.
May 2, 2010	Six civilian activists were arrested at the White House fence during still yet another protest against DADT : Anne Tischer, Nora Camp, Alan Bounville, Natasha Dillon, Iana Di Bona, and Mark Reed.
May 20, 2010	13 arrested in Chicago at Durbin’s office over the draft congressional bill known as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). [A forthcoming link with follow to a link with a list of many names as publicly available of the people, who were arrested.]
May 26, 2010	Kip Williams arrested at Obama Fundraiser over DADT.
July 21, 2010	13 arrested in Las Vegas for shutting down the freeway over ENDA. [A forthcoming link with follow to a link with a list of many names as publicly available of the people, who were arrested.]
July 28, 2010	Eight people were arrested at the Rotunda because of their support of ENDA. The people, who were arrested in this act of civil disobedience, were identified to be : Orelia Busch of D.C.; Charles Butler of D.C.; Sean Carlson of Hyattsville, Md.; Shannon Cuttle of D.C.; Robert Diesu of D.C.; Erika Knepp of Edgewater, Md.; David McElhatton of San Francisco, Calif.; and Zack Rosen of D.C.
October 8, 2010	Alan Bounville and Iana Di Bona were arresting during a ''die-in'' at Grand Central Terminal in New York City; the protest was staged to bring attention to the lives that are being lost due to homophobia/transphobia/bullying against LGBT people
October 14, 2010,	Alan Bounville was arrested while he and Iana Di Bona were holding a vigil for LGBT civil rights outside Sen. Gillibrand's New York City campaign office.
November 15, 2010	13 activists were arrested, after they had handcuffed themselves to the White House fence in protest of DADT. [A forthcoming link with follow to a link with a list of many names as publicly available of the people, who were arrested.]
November 16 2010,	Audrey Smith was arrested after she refused to leave a sit-in that she and Tyson Daniels and Caryn Winters had organised at the office of Pennsylvania Congressman Chris Carney.
February 14, 2011	Six activists were arrested in Chicago during a Valentine's Day protest. The names of the people, who were arrested, are : Cassandra Avenatti, Lindsey Dietzler, Corrine Mina, Noa Francis Shayden, Judy Heithmar, and Danelle Wylder.
February 14, 2011	18 arrested in San Francisco following a marriage license protest. [A forthcoming link with follow to a link with a list of many names as publicly available of the people, who were arrested.]
March 1, 2011	Eight members of Queer Rising were arrested in New York City following a protest in support of marriage equality. The people, who were arrested, were identified to be : Kevin Beauchamp, blind gay activist; Nora Camp, queer activist; Natasha Dillon, lesbian activist; Frostie Flakes (aka Adam Siciliano), drag queen activist; Jake Goodman, queer activist; Honey LaBronx (aka Ben Strothmann), drag queen activist; Eugene Lovendusky, gay activist; Kitten Withuwip (aka Caldwell) drag queen activist.
March 9, 2011	Five people were arrested at House Speaker John Boehner’s office over the Speaker's plan to defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The names of the people, who were arrested, are : Sean Watkins, Morgan Bonney, Jesse Bonney, Liz Mills, and Karay Miller.
April 4, 2011	Five LGBT activists were arrested following a series of coordinated political protests in New York City. The activists, who were arrested, were identified to be : Natasha Dillon (26, lesbian activist); Kevin Donohue (51, gay Jewish activist); Melissa Kleckner (31, straight ally); Ali Lozano (20, lesbian student activist); and Robert Moore (30, gay Mormon activist).
June 6, 2011	Three arrested in North Carolina over proposed constitutional amendment defining marriage between man/woman. Those, who were arrested, were identified to be : Angel Chandler, the North Carolina organizer for GetEqual; her partner, Nancy Counce ; and Jim Neal, an Asheville city councilman who ran for the U.S. Senate in 2008.

Activists Arrested After Blocking Traffic In New York City ; Activists Demand Marriage Equality

Members of the LGBT equality advocacy group called Queer Rising blocked traffic near Bryant Park on March 1, 2011, in an act of civil disobedience, demanding marriage equality in New York.

Eight activists from the were arrested after the group had unfurled a 75-foot banner and blocked traffic on 42nd Street and Avenue of the Americas in New York City. The activists were later released by police, according to a statement issued by GetEQUAL.

The marriage equality demonstration was reported about by a network-affiliate news program on WPIX 11.

Following is the full statement from GetEQUAL, followed by additional links to other Internet coverage of the protest and the arrests.

Earlier this morning, eight activists were released from a NYC jail after they took action to stand up to our politicians' unceasing cowardice to do what's right for the LGBTQIA community. After years of waiting for marriage equality in New York and countless broken promises, members of the direct action group Queer Rising, allies of GetEQUAL in New York, demonstrated their growing frustration by sending a clear message to our elected officials.

At 8:30 this morning Kevin Beauchamp, Nora Camp, Natasha Dillon, Frostie Flakes (Adam Siciliano), Jake Goodman, Honey LaBronx (Ben Strothmann), Eugene Lovendusky, and Kitten Withuwip (Caldwell) blocked traffic at the intersection of 42nd Street and 6th Avenue in Manhattan, where they unfurled a 75-foot banner that read "NY DEMANDS MARRIAGE EQUALITY NOW!" and chanted "I Am...Somebody! I Deserve...Full Equality! Right Here, Right Now! I Deserve...Full Equality!"

We know the courage these eight activists showed today is the same courage that lives inside many who are reading this email right now -- that the hunger for full equality that drives these activists is the same hunger that drove the suffragists to keep fighting for their right to vote; it's the same hunger that drove our civil rights fighters to keep fighting for their constitutional guarantee of equal protection, equal opportunity, equal access and equal justice; it's the same hunger that drives our fellow LGBTQIA brothers and sisters to keep fighting for the day when our dignity will be recognized, our love will be revered and our humanity will be respected.

Today's action is just the beginning of a sustained campaign that Queer Rising will be organizing in the months to come, in partnership with GetEQUAL and other civil rights activists in New York. If you're hunger for equality is pushing you toward taking up the fight, whether occasional grumblings or unrelenting pangs, today we invite you to take action for what is rightfully ours -- full equality!

If you want to get more involved with equality organizing in New York, email GetEQUAL.NY@gmail.com and we'll get you connected with opportunities in your area!

Every moment is one more opportunity to change your world...

Read More :

• Next Magazine : Queer Rising protesters clash with police on 42nd Street
• Pam's House Blend : Queer Rising NY marriage equality protest; live Tweeting by Village Voice's Steven Thrasher
• The Advocate : Activists Arrested in N.Y. Marriage Protest