Luke Montgomery
Encyclopedia
Luke Montgomery is an American
political activist.
to The Sydney Morning Herald
. On December 1, 1993, World AIDS Day
, he attended a speech in Washington, D.C.
, by President
Bill Clinton
marking the occasion. Montgomery interrupted the speech and shouted at the president that he was not taking enough action against the disease. The protest was widely publicized and was even covered in The New York Times
editorial page, and Montgomery said he had staged it to remind AIDS activists of their responsibility to hold Clinton to his campaign promises. Montgomery also protested the next year at speeches by Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala
and an Easter
service that Clinton attended.
Montgomery ran for mayor of Washington, D.C., unsuccessfully.
Although he played up an effeminate image in his early public appearances, he changed his name back to Montgomery in 1995 and spoke against what he considered counterfeit and self-destructive expressions of sexual orientation
.
near the end of the 1990s on the staff of the animal rights
group Last Chance for Animals. He started a ballot initiative, "Beverly Hills Consumers for Informed Choices," to require all fur
coats sold in Beverly Hills to carry a label describing how fur manufacturers put animals to death. The initiative did gather the necessary number of signatures to appear on the ballot, but was defeated in the election.
Montgomery's personal website defines his current activity as "a marketing and Internet
fundraising consultant for non-profits and a media strategist whose work has captured front page coverage in The New York Times
, The Washington Post
, and The Los Angeles Times. The website also discussed his work in non-profit marketing and animal welfare. Montgomery has worked with the Humane Society of the United States and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
of Canada
, and was a founder and designer of 1-800-Save-A-Pet.com.
In September 2005, Montgomery, with Tom Kertes
, started "Bill for First Lady.com", a humorous web campaign whose stated objective was to build support for a 2008 presidential run
by Hillary Clinton and "to tickle the red states pink and make the Republican attack jokes old news". The website features videos of "First Lady" Bill Clinton wearing a woman's suit.
Currently Montgomery is raising funds and volunteering in Haiti with earthquake relief efforts along with his partner Nate Gaudias via Cause Commandos
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
political activist.
Biography
Luke Montgomery helped lead efforts to distribute over 500 safer-sex packets outside Seattle high schools. In 1993, he changed his last name to "Sissyfag", in an effort to make a point about discrimination against gays and lesbians, a move that was covered in papers from USA TodayUSA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
to The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
. On December 1, 1993, World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day, observed December 1 every year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. Government and health officials observe the day, often with speeches or forums on the AIDS topics. Since 1995, the President of the United States has made an...
, he attended a speech in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, by President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
marking the occasion. Montgomery interrupted the speech and shouted at the president that he was not taking enough action against the disease. The protest was widely publicized and was even covered in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
editorial page, and Montgomery said he had staged it to remind AIDS activists of their responsibility to hold Clinton to his campaign promises. Montgomery also protested the next year at speeches by Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala
Donna Shalala
Donna Edna Shalala served for eight years as Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Bill Clinton and has been president of the University of Miami, a private university in Coral Gables, Florida, since 2001. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest...
and an Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
service that Clinton attended.
Montgomery ran for mayor of Washington, D.C., unsuccessfully.
Although he played up an effeminate image in his early public appearances, he changed his name back to Montgomery in 1995 and spoke against what he considered counterfeit and self-destructive expressions of sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
.
Recent activity
Montgomery is also an animal rights activist. He worked in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
near the end of the 1990s on the staff of the animal rights
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
group Last Chance for Animals. He started a ballot initiative, "Beverly Hills Consumers for Informed Choices," to require all fur
Fur
Fur is a synonym for hair, used more in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensives body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal...
coats sold in Beverly Hills to carry a label describing how fur manufacturers put animals to death. The initiative did gather the necessary number of signatures to appear on the ballot, but was defeated in the election.
Montgomery's personal website defines his current activity as "a marketing and Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
fundraising consultant for non-profits and a media strategist whose work has captured front page coverage in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, and The Los Angeles Times. The website also discussed his work in non-profit marketing and animal welfare. Montgomery has worked with the Humane Society of the United States and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a non-profit animal welfare organization originally founded in England in 1824 to pass laws protecting carriage horses from abuse. SPCA groups are now found in many nations, where they campaign for animal welfare, assist in cruelty to animals...
of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and was a founder and designer of 1-800-Save-A-Pet.com.
In September 2005, Montgomery, with Tom Kertes
Tom Kertes
Tom Kertes is an American human rights activist living in Canada.-Notability:Tom Kertes was media strategist for the United Workers Association's successful living wages campaign at Camden Yards. The association claimed that workers at Camden Yards were paid less than the state and federal...
, started "Bill for First Lady.com", a humorous web campaign whose stated objective was to build support for a 2008 presidential run
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
by Hillary Clinton and "to tickle the red states pink and make the Republican attack jokes old news". The website features videos of "First Lady" Bill Clinton wearing a woman's suit.
Currently Montgomery is raising funds and volunteering in Haiti with earthquake relief efforts along with his partner Nate Gaudias via Cause Commandos