Final answer:
The first March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights was on October 14, 1979. It highlighted the LGBTQ community's fight for civil rights and was followed by subsequent marches, including one on October 11, 1987. These events helped spur the creation of National Coming Out Day and increased activism across the country.
Step-by-step explanation:
The first gay and lesbian march on Washington, known as the March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, took place on October 14, 1979. This historic event was a pivotal moment in the LGBTQ community's fight for civil rights, signifying a broad coalition and the desire for federal and state anti-discrimination legislation, same-sex partner benefits, and challenges against bans on same-sex marriage and military service. Six years after the Stonewall riots, the march celebrated the achievements of the LGBTQ movement and increased visibility for the plight of gay and lesbian individuals in America despite a media blackout.
Further significant events followed, such as the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights on October 11, 1987, which marked a larger scale mobilization. This particular march took place in response to the discriminatory Bowers v. Hardwick Supreme Court decision and the Reagan Administration's mishandling of the AIDS crisis. It called for the recognition of gay relationships, the repeal of sodomy laws, an end to discrimination, and increased funding for AIDS education and patient care. Prominent figures including Cesar Chavez, Eleanor Smeal, and Jesse Jackson attended, with demonstrators arrested outside the Supreme Court in protest after the march.
These marches spawned important entities like BiNet USA and led to the foundation of National Coming Out Day by Robert Eichberg and Jean O'Leary in 1988, celebrated annually on October 11 and emphasizing the importance of visibility and equality for the LGBTQ community.