[/caption]Hundreds of thousands of gay rights supporters rallied in DC this past Sunday to protest “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the Defense of Marriage Act, workplace and housing discrimination, and many other issues affecting the LGBT community.
Different news sources have given different reports as to how many marched on Sunday, with estimates falling between 75,000 and 250,000 – a number that would rival that of the March on Washington of 1963.
The march came at an important time, with two major LGBT issues on the ballot this Election Day: Proposition 1 in Maine, which would overturn the Maine legislature’s recently-passed law allowing gay marriage, and Referendum 71 in Washington state, which would uphold the state’s legalization of civil unions.
[caption id="attachment_3000" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="LGBT Marchers stopped in front of the White House to tell Obama to "let Mama marry Mama.""]
[/caption]After meeting at McPherson Square, the gigantic crowd marched to the White House holding hand-made signs and waving Gay Pride flags, chanting war cries such as “Hey Obama, let Mama marry Mama” and “Gay, Straight, Black, White, same struggle, same fight.” After pausing in front of the White House to scream “Yes We Can” at the Oval Office, the crowd continued down Pennsylvania Avenue, cheered on by DC residents and tourists alike on the sidelines of the packed street, ending up in front of the Capitol Building as the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington welcomed the marchers with “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and The National Anthem.
The crowd easily filled the Capitol Building lawn, spilling out onto the streets and the National Mall. The rally began even as many of the marchers – seven blocks’ worth – were still coming down the Avenue. The event included speeches from several prominent figures within the LGBT community, as well as various musical performances.
[caption id="attachment_2999" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Lady Gaga claims that the National Equality March is one of the most important moments in her career."]
[/caption]Perhaps the most prominent of the speakers was Lady Gaga, who has long been a supporter of “the gays,” who said that this was among the most important moments of her career. Responding to Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank’s statement that “the only thing they’re going to be putting pressure on is the grass,” Lady Gaga said that “we put more than pressure on the grass… today, this grass is ours.”
Other notable speakers included political humorist Kate Clinton, who said it was time to “tax the church,” and her partner Urvashi Vaid, a gay rights activist who said that full equality will come only with the political and cultural demise of the Republican Party. Cleve Jones, a protégé of Harvey Milk’s who created the AIDS Quilt and who called for that day’s march, gave a stirring and exciting address, and poet Staceyann Chin revved the crowd up, saying that “I march today because I believe that change is not only possible, it is inevitable.”
[caption id="attachment_2998" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="NAACP Chairman Julian Bond tells the crowd that "gay rights is civil rights.""]
[/caption]Giving the keynote address was NAACP Chairman Julian Bond, who was a co-founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) during the Civil Rights Movement of the 60’s and who believes that “gay rights are civil rights.” Addressing concerns that the gay rights movement doesn’t have its own Martin Luther King Jr, Bond pointed out that King believed in equal rights for all people, and that “the Martin Luther King Jr. of the gay rights movement is… Martin Luther King, Jr.”
[caption id="attachment_3003" align="alignright" width="296" caption="The marchers filled the Capitol lawn and then some."]
[/caption]Between speeches, performers came on to entertain the crowd, including British singer-songwriter Billie Myers, who teamed up with saxophonist Dave Koz to perform a smoky version of “America the Beautiful,” and the cast of Hair, who led the crowd in a chilling performance of “Let the Sunshine In.”
Throughout the event, activists asserted that the work was not over after the march, urging supporters to go home and organize their communities, get involved, and call their Congressmen.
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