Still Marching: Terry Bean Reflects on the Evolution—and Urgency—of LGBTQ+ Civil Rights

Oregon, US, 27th May 2025, ZEX PR WIRE, At 75 years old, Terry Bean remains a defining figure in the American LGBTQ+ civil rights movement. With more than five decades of organizing, fundraising, and advocacy behind him, Bean has witnessed extraordinary changes—from the days when coming out could cost you your livelihood, to the election of openly gay leaders to the U.S. Congress. And yet, as he reflects on the past, he warns the work is not over. In fact, he says, it’s more urgent than ever.

“I’ve been doing this for decades,” Bean says, seated in his Portland home filled with memorabilia from a life spent in struggle and celebration. “And even now, in 2025, we are still marching. That tells you something. We may have come far, but we haven’t arrived.”

A Front-Row Seat to History

Terry Bean’s name is etched into the foundation of the LGBTQ+ political movement. A fifth-generation Oregonian, his journey began not in politics, but in protest—demonstrating against the Vietnam War as a student at the University of Oregon. There, his political consciousness sharpened, and his desire to challenge injustice crystallized.

In the 1980s, as America turned a blind eye to the AIDS crisis and LGBTQ+ people were demonized in political discourse, Bean took action. He co-founded the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) in 1980, now the largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization in the country. Its mission: to ensure that the rights of LGBTQ+ Americans were protected at the highest levels of government.

“That wasn’t just a political decision,” Bean explains. “It was about survival. We had no voice in Washington. None. HRC was about saying we won’t be ignored anymore.”

But for Bean, building organizations was only the beginning.

Turning Advocacy into Political Power

Bean’s vision extended beyond visibility—he believed that equality would never be fully realized unless LGBTQ+ people held political power. In 1991, he co-founded the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, the first national organization dedicated to electing openly LGBTQ+ candidates to public office. The idea was radical at the time. Today, it is a pillar of LGBTQ+ political success.

Thanks in part to the Victory Fund’s early efforts—and Bean’s strategic fundraising—leaders like Senator Tammy Baldwin, Representative Ritchie Torres, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg rose to national prominence. Their elections didn’t just change the headlines; they changed policy.

“When we run for office, we don’t just put faces on the movement,” Bean says. “We bring lived experience to policy-making. That’s how you get real change.”

The Fight at Home: Defeating Measure 9

While his national impact is undisputed, Bean’s most emotional—and defining—fight may have happened in his own backyard. In 1992, Oregon voters faced Measure 9, a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would have declared homosexuality “abnormal, wrong, unnatural and perverse.” The measure would have banned public schools from discussing homosexuality in a positive light and allowed state agencies to discriminate based on sexual orientation.

Bean recognized the existential threat this posed and sprang into action. He led the fundraising efforts, raising over $1 million to defeat the measure—a massive amount at the time for an LGBTQ+ campaign.

“That campaign was about more than a ballot measure,” Bean says. “It was about our right to exist with dignity.”

The campaign successfully defeated Measure 9 and sent a resounding message to the nation: LGBTQ+ people would not sit quietly while their rights were stripped away. It also laid the groundwork for Oregon’s transformation into a progressive stronghold for LGBTQ+ rights—a legacy Bean still takes pride in.

Recognition, Reflection, and the Work Ahead

In 2008, Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski declared August 23 “Terry Bean Equality Day” in honor of Bean’s decades of activism. Yet Bean remains humble about such accolades. His focus, he insists, isn’t on legacy—it’s on urgency.

“Of course, I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished,” he says. “But I’ve lived long enough to know that nothing is guaranteed. The moment we stop fighting is the moment we begin losing.”

Bean points to the growing wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation across the United States. Over the past two years alone, more than 500 bills targeting LGBTQ+ individuals—especially transgender youth—have been introduced in state legislatures.

“These aren’t symbolic attacks,” he says. “These are real policies that endanger lives, block access to healthcare, and stoke hatred. It’s as serious as anything we’ve ever faced.”

Advice for the Next Generation

Having seen progress won and threatened again, Bean has become a mentor to younger activists. His advice? Stay informed, stay engaged, and never forget your history.

“There’s a tendency to think the fight started the day you showed up,” Bean says with a smile. “But you’re part of something bigger—something that started before you and will go on after you. Respect that history, build on it, and never take a single right for granted.”

Bean stresses the importance of activism that extends beyond social media. “Posting is not organizing,” he says. “Change happens when people vote, protest, donate, run for office, and show up—even when it’s hard.”

The Importance of Intersectionality

In recent years, Bean has also focused more on intersectional activism, emphasizing that LGBTQ+ rights cannot be separated from racial, economic, and gender justice. He’s quick to point out that LGBTQ+ people of color, transgender individuals, and those living in poverty often face the harshest discrimination and the least support.

“If your activism isn’t lifting up the most vulnerable among us, then it’s incomplete,” he says. “Equality must be for everyone—or it’s not equality at all.”

He encourages LGBTQ+ organizations to reflect on their own power dynamics, representation, and outreach, ensuring that the movement is truly inclusive.

A Call to Action in 2025

As America enters another presidential election season, Bean sees a pivotal moment for the LGBTQ+ movement. The visibility won over the last few decades now demands accountability—from elected officials, corporate allies, and the community itself.

“We’ve got seats at the table now,” he says. “The question is: what are we doing with them?”

Bean urges continued investment in LGBTQ+ political campaigns, grassroots organizing, and legal advocacy, noting that each plays a role in shaping the future.

“We can’t afford to sit this out—not any of it. We must stay loud, stay organized, and stay committed,” he adds.

Still Marching at 76

At an age when many are stepping back, Terry Bean remains engaged, determined, and hopeful. He continues to support causes close to his heart, mentor new leaders, and speak out when justice demands it.

“There’s no retirement from equality,” he says. “I’ll stop marching when there’s no more need to march—and we’re not there yet.”

For Terry Bean, activism is not a chapter of life—it is life. And as long as injustice exists, so will his voice.

About Terry Bean

Terry Bean is a pioneering LGBTQ+ civil rights advocate, strategist, and philanthropist. He co-founded the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, and played a pivotal role in defeating Oregon’s Measure 9. A lifelong Oregonian, he remains an active voice in political advocacy and LGBTQ+ organizing. In 2008, he was honored with “Terry Bean Equality Day” by the Governor of Oregon. Today, at 75, Bean continues to work on behalf of equality, justice, and inclusion for all.