As part of National Coming Out Week celebrations, historian John D’Emilio shared the story of Bayard Rustin, a major influence in the nonviolent protests of the 1960s civil rights movement.

Rustin, he said, has been “mostly ignored in history books” due to his homosexuality.

D’Emilio, who teaches at the University of Illinois at Urbana, outlined Rustin’s influences as an openly gay pacifist and civil rights leader, for a crowd of about 100 in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union Thursday night.

D’Emilio said Rustin was Martin Luther King Jr.’s closest adviser.

“Martin Luther King made no decision of significance without first consulting Rustin,” he said.

D’Emilio also said Rustin was a firm believer in Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of nonviolent protest. He said it was Rustin who first introduced King to these concepts.

Despite his noticeable influence, D’Emilio said Rustin’s sexuality caused him to hide behind the scenes. “His sexuality caused him to have to work in the shadows,” D’Emilio said. “Historically, he’s still ignored. It has something to do with being a gay man during the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s.”

Robert Borchardt, sophomore in chemical engineering, said Rustin’s story deserves to be told.

“I really appreciate having a knowledge of what this man did,” he said. “People like him deserve to get credit for their roles.”