The Youngest LGBT Political Activist?

categories: Changemaker Profiles, Gay Marriage, LGBT Rights and Politics, Marriage Equality

Published May 24, 2009 @ 10:22PM PT

Talk about inspiring...change.org contributor Dave Hershey has a post below about a nine-year-old who might be the youngest LGBT political activist out "there. His message? Well, all Ethan McNamee wants to say is "Marriage equality now."

Thanks to Dave Hershey for the guest post below...

Out of the Mouths of Babes!!!

Sure we have heard this phrase before, but Ethan McNamee deserves our special recognition. I know, I know! Who is Ethan McNamee, right? Well he is a nine-year old third grader from Denver, Colorado who has become an overnight celebrity.

Ethan is possibly the youngest political activist and community organizer his home state and perhaps the country has known. So what did he do? He organized a marriage equality rally in Denver.

According to news channel KMGH report he overheard one student tell another that "if a gay person kissed you, you could die." He stood up to this falsehood, and when he found out that a gay couple in his neighborhood couldn't get married he requested to change his project to organizing a marriage equality rally. According to Pink News over 200 people turned out to show their support.

Of course, there are criticisms about him being "brainwashed" and "indocrinated," but he insists that it is and was 100% his idea. So there you have it folks, "From the Mouths of Babes!" Kudos to young Ethan for being a voice of reason, even if our politicians don't recognize that equality for all citizens should be the real voice of reason. I truly hope that he knows that the stand he has made is not the popular one to make, but it should serve a very great lesson to us all; if he can stand up for what is right at the age of nine, as adults, so can the rest of us.

Thank you Ethan McNamee! We applaud you not only for your courage, but your determination in seeing that this country fulfills its promise to treat all of its citizens equal under the law.

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Comments (1)

It's great that Ethan McNamee supports same-sex marriage, a necessary LGBT right. In addition, although his position may not be popular with conservatives because their reasons against LGBT rights are based on intolerance, thus of no merit. Being the youngest LGBT political activist at age 9 shows how important LGBT rights is. Equality for the LGBT community is a demand that must be achieved with the advance of the LGBT rights movement.

Posted by Edwin Bonilla on 05/25/2009 @ 05:08PM PT
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Michael is the Communications Director for the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School, and previously was Communications Director for Pax Christi USA, a progressive Catholic human rights organization.