Profile
Photos
Comments
National Equality March: Signs of Change
10.12.2009 2:35pm EDT
News & Politics
I was at the National
Equality March yesterday. And I can’t tell you for sure how effective I
think it will all be. I do like that on something of a slowish news day the
event and our push for LGBT equality snagged some good press time on pretty much
all of the mainstream news shows and outlets. And I’m thrilled that Obama is
committed to signing the hate crimes bill this week, though it’s no bold move on
his part.
More immediately, what I was impressed by at the March (aside from the truly
stunning weather and spirit of activism and enthusiasm that was tangible) was
the huge number of young activists – or would-be emerging activists – present
and eager to be accounted for. Students had come from Maine, Alaska, Texas,
Tennessee and California. Lesbians had driven up from South Carolina. A gay
plumber was there from Wyoming. And everywhere were gay parents, straight
parents with their gay kids, and many many bunches of male and female straight
people, some with their LGBT friends, some just there on their own to support.
As Leah
McEltrath Renna noted in her piece on The
Huffington Post, it wasn’t just a crowd of white gay men. It was diverse,
old and young, male/female/trans, and every skin tone and ethnicity was present.
It looked like America.
As the amazing speeches by the likes of civil rights veteran Julian
Bond, activist Urvashi Vaid, event organizer
Cleve Jones, poet/performer Staceyann Chin and
screenwriter/activist Dustin Lance Black all noted, change is
urgent and must be fought for aggressively. (To watch speeches by all of those amazing people, you can visit a video roundup via the Bilerico
Project.)
But seeing the youth and diversity represented so impressively yesterday
convinced me that our progress is inevitable and that momentum is on our side.
Sure, much of the press focuses on Lady Gaga and other celebrities, and folks
will haggle over the numbers that were reported, the lack of early big LGBT
organizational backing, and whether or not Barney Frank’s comments about the
march’s efficacy were valid or not.
You can decide for yourself. But witnessing the energy and promise of what
will be ours was still pretty empowering. And it was certainly worth the
trip.
To give you a sampling of that enthusiasm, what follows is my collection of
the best signs seen along the March and at the Rally. Enjoy!
Keeping Obama at his
word.
word.
He knows what he
wants…
wants…
Put a ring on it,
indeed.
indeed.
Powerful.
Equality: It does a body
good.
good.
This kid’s expression says it
all.
all.