Dear Amy,

I am a student at a college in Boston, MA, and I am currently taking a course in public speaking. For my final project, I have to give a speech, and I want that speech to be meaningful. I would like to do a gay rights speech that brings tears to the eyes of my audience. Do you think you might be able to help me locate that speech?

- Casey

Dear Casey,

Your idea for your final speech sounds great. To find a speech specific to gay rights, I suggest that you contact a gay rights organization like the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force.

In the 70s and 80s there were two huge marches in Washington DC specifically on gay rights - the latter one was more focused on AIDS. These marches certainly must have had great presentations. Both the organizations mentioned above will have information about the marches. Check out books by Carla Jay and Urvashi Vaid which are likely to reference other speeches. Good luck .

Amy