Richard Noble Walks Across America

by Amanda Benton | Published Online on April 30, 2011

Photo Courtesy Richard Noble

Richard Noble, an activist and founding member of Connecting Rainbows and Queer Nation Los Angeles, is hoping to prove that just one person can make a difference. On March 12th, he embarked on a Walk Across America to promote full federal civil rights for LGBT people with a tent, a sleeping bag, a backpack, an iPhone, and a battered rainbow flag.

Noble packed up all of his belongings and put them into a storage unit to begin his 3,500 mile trek that will take him from the Golden Gate Bridge, to Washington, D.C. with many stops in between. This is the first time the rainbow flag, the pride of gay America, will be walked across America, solo. "My heart was broken time and time again over my life time with discrimination and harassment. I know the pain and effects bullying had in my life. To watch the friends and mothers cry from our gay kids taking their lives had become too much for me to bear. I decided for them to walk the Rainbow Flag across America."

"How many suicides/murders and hate crimes will it take for LGBT Americans to be treated with full equality? It will take nearly a year of my life to complete this walk. I am walking especially for the youth. I am walking for those who feel they have no hope. I am walking to wake people up and do what is right. This coast to coast walk is a call to action against discrimination, bullies, and injustice."

On his journey, Noble is also educating the public and members of Congress, state assemblies, city councils, state senators and LGBT caucuses about the American Equality Bill. This bill would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Supporters across the nation are invited to meet Noble along the national route. Once he reaches Colorado there is a chance he will visit Texas.

I encourage you to contact Noble to offer him much needed resources, supplies, and donations to keep him moving. Look for his page on connectingrainbows.ning.com. You can also follow him on Facebook and Twitter for the most up to date milestones in his journey.

This article appeared in the May 2011 of ignite Magazine.