A 1965 Civil Rights Test – For All The Wrong Reasons

In these peculiar times where rules (and logic) are constantly challenged when it comes to gender, sex and discrimination, we are often oblivious to historical precedents.

In 1965 the idea that a man could be a join an organization, team, or club exclusively comprised of women (and vice versa) was considered unacceptable by consensus. Today, the situation seems reversed and anyone can become a member of practically anything by filing a complaint or lawsuit.

One contentious issue is the infiltration by a small number of boys saying they identify as girls, wanting to compete against girls in high school or college athletics.

Title IX in college athletics was implemented in 1972 by prohibiting discrimination based on sex in education programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance. Essentially Title IX protects female athletes by granting equal funding and representation for women in athletic competition.

But the transgender brouhaha is an example of how equal rights can go awry when stretched to implausibility and end up harming women. When written, lawmakers never conceived that one day people born as boys would take girls spots on teams and have them compete as girls in sports and often defeat them because they are biologically stronger and faster than the girls they are playing against.

Its kind of unfair critics say and 21 states have passed legislation “to limit team participation based upon sex (which) shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.”

However, currently this “controversy” affects a minuscule number of athletes. Out of the hundreds of thousands of college athletes only 32 have openly identified as transgender.

1965 A Year Of Change

Getting back to 1965, Robert Lloyd went to enlist in the U.S.Navy’s WAVES, a women’s branch of the military and was denied.

Now before anyone gets themselves in an uproar over this “obvious” discriminatory denial, there are a a couple of facts to take into account.

Lloyd was testing the legality of the Civil Rights Act. You might say, “How noble to try and break new boundaries.”

Ah, not so fast. Lloyd was really protesting the other implications of the Civil Rights Act, mainly the racial component.

Robert Lloyd was a member of American Nazi Party and the campaign manager for George Lincoln Rockwell, the leader of the Nazi’s and Rockwell’s campaign manager for governor of Virginia.

Robert Lloyd (in blackface) being restrained by Capitol police Jan 4, 1965 photo: Pictorial Parade

Earlier in the year during the opening session of Congress, Lloyd  burst into House of Representatives wearing blackface to mimic Mississippi Blacks seeking representation in Congress. Bursting on to the floor of the House, Lloyd assaulted a guard, and then shouted Nazi slogans and created a general disturbance. The police quickly subdued Lloyd. After being arrested Lloyd was set free quickly after he and Rockwell pooled their pocket money to post the small bond ($20) which had been set. They later forfeited the bond to avoid trial.

Below is the original September 8, 1965 Asbury Park Press article of Lloyd’s attempt to enlist in the WAVES excerpted from the United Press.

CIVIL RIGHTS ACT TEST

Nazi Fails In Attempt To Enlist In WAVES

ALEXANDRIA, Va. UP) -Robert Lloyd, 20, got all dressed up in a black summer suit and went down yesterday to enlist in the WAVES, the petticoat part of the U.S. Navy.

But he never set foot on the gangplank to a WAVE career –  he was overweight.

Anyway, Navy recruiter Yeoman 2nd Class Diane Pashke in the Alexandria Federal Building, was prepared to cite Public Law 635 passed in 1948 which says the WAVES is for women.

Cites 1964 Law
But, said Lloyd, a member of the American Nazi Party, that law was superseded by the 1964 Civil Rights Act which says there can be no discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin or sex.

“I feel I’d most enjoy serving my country in the WAVES,” Lloyd said.

“We have to prove that the civil rights law is an absurdity.” said George Lincoln Rockwell, head of the American Nazi Party.

“We are very interested in having young ladies who are qualified to enlist in the WAVES said Navy recruiter Lt. Frank Miller.

Going to Court
And so it all ended with Rockwell saying they’d have to go to court “as soon as we can.” “We had to find out first if there was discrimination,” he said. “If he had been accepted, we probably would have had to file a segregation suit because he’d be segregated in the WAVES barracks.”

Lloyd, campaign manager for Rockwell’s race for governor of Virginia, gave the campaign headquarters in Richmond as his address.

Oh yes. His weight. He weighs about 185 pounds. Uh- – uh, said Yeoman Pashke. The WAVES won’t take any girl who weighs over 170 pounds.