The 1987 Gay Rights March

In 1979, the first national march on Washington for lesbian and gay rights was held. More than 100,000 demonstrators demanded repeal of anti-gay laws and policies. The second protest took place eight years later in the fall of 1987. Although it called for many of the same advances as the first march, it was also prompted by the outbreak of the AIDS epidemic in the United States. Despite the gray skies and chilly weather, the turnout was more than double that of the previous march.