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Ready for Another March?

COMMENTARY: Taking to the streets — and to the World Wide Web — is the only way get this White House to move on gay issues, columnist Michelangelo Signorile says. So it could be time to plan another march on Washington.

MARCH ON WASHINGTON 2009 X390 (MV JANTZEN FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS) | ADVOCATE.COM

The National Equality March, which Time magazine estimated brought roughly 200,000 people to the National Mall earlier this month, was such a huge success even before it happened that we must plan another one — even if it never happens. That’s because we’ve learned a few things in this first year of Barack Obama’s presidency.

First off, this administration responds to pressure, and unlike the previous Democratic administration, these White House officials cannot contain our discontent by going to groups like the Human Rights Campaign or politicians like Barney Frank (more on that and the reasons why farther down).

They want to keep LGBTs at arm’s length, but we continue to make that difficult, and we force them to move — ever so reticently — each time we have applied pressure.

Sure, it was dispiriting to realize that after electing Obama we have to make a lot of noise to get even a little attention, but hopefully we’ve gotten over that: They’re politicians, they must be pressured, and there is absolutely no downside to pushing them hard.

The successes of the march began when the president decided to address our issues days before the march, agreeing to speak at HRC’s annual dinner. Just as he decided to commemorate Stonewall back in June, inviting gays to the White House after much public criticism of the administration’s dragging its feet, the president was responding to the marchers’ criticisms. The speech didn’t outline any new details on how the president would follow through on his promises, but he did spend a bit of capital just by speaking to a gay group — and doing so with much more passion than any time before, and saying a few things more emphaticall y— and sending a message via the televised coverage to the mainstream and to the opponents of LGBT rights.

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Reader Comments
  • Name: rgm
    Date posted: 10/26/2009 3:50:45 PM
    Hometown: wdc

    Comment:

    I expected an article about the success of the march but was surprised to read an article about the failing of HRC. I am not an apologist for HRC nor have I ever attended one of their black tie dinners but I am confident that the organization has its place in our struggle. Even in our disappointment with Obama (and the democratic majority in Congress who should be held accountable too) it is still refreshing to see the President of the United States stand before HRC and speak to the dignity of all people. The march does appear to have moved the needle slightly, to which I am thankful, but I would argue seeing Obama speaking to gay and lesbian Americans at the HRC dinner on the nightly news is also instrumental in convincing straight people they have a vested interest in equality.

  • Name: Dan Massey
    Date posted: 10/26/2009 3:23:46 PM
    Hometown: Washington, DC

    Comment:

    The idea of another march is fine. We worked for months with the DC Host Committee and the NEM national committee to help make the march weekend and events a big treat for everybody. I would happily do it all over again, and I'm sure we could do even better the next time. But there is something more important happening. As a result of the march, Equality Across America (EAA) is now well-positioned to put pro-LGBT activist "boots on the ground" wherever an LGBT candidate needs support or an anti-LGBT candidate needs to be shown the door out of office. EAA can work synergistically with groups like Victory to change the political landscape. If it takes more marches to keep this initiative, lets have more marches. But working the precincts and the streets is where political change can really be made. Money helps but it is never enough. I hope and trust we will demonstrate this for the 2010 elections and strike great fear into the hearts of all the anti-LGBT bigots in public office.

  • Name: James E. Pietrangelo, II
    Date posted: 10/26/2009 10:41:27 AM
    Hometown: Cleveland, OH

    Comment:

    Does anyone remember MLK, Jr.? You know, the guy in the 60s who successfully led the civil-rights movement for Black equality. May I suggest that we do what he said at the time was the only thing that would lead to Black equality, and what ultimately was the only thing that led to Black equality: continuous marching in front of the White House, continuous protest, and continuous civil disobedience. The LGBT community also needs to hit Bigot Obama where it hurts: his messiah complex. Obama sees himself as the embodiment of MLK, Jr.'s "Dream." We need to point out that in reality, he has betrayed the "Dream" by enforcing discrimination against Gays and by failing to use his presidential powers to achieve Gay equality where possible (such as by issuing an executive order on DADT).

  • Name: Ginelle
    Date posted: 10/25/2009 3:43:51 PM
    Hometown: British Columbia, Canada

    Comment:

    We do not get anywhere in life just sitting on our backside! Politicians have a very bad habit of making promises to get our vote, and then they also have a very bad memory when it comes to fullfilling those promises . It is up to Gay men and women to ensure that they do not forget and the only way to do that is by being in their faces, CONTINUOUSLY! If it takes one march to do the job, or if it takes twenty marches, we must not and cannot sit still any longer. This is our lives, our well being, and the well being of future generations, that we are fighting for; the heterosexuals are not going to do it for us, in fact a lot of them would just as soon we would go away. But we are not, we have been given Hope, and we will fight for what is rightfully ours!

  • Name: libhomo
    Date posted: 10/25/2009 3:35:01 PM
    Hometown: NYC

    Comment:

    The HRC never has been a serious lgbt activist organization. It's really just feel good dinner theater for wealthy queers.

  • Name: James Highsmith
    Date posted: 10/25/2009 12:57:07 PM
    Hometown: Fresno

    Comment:

    Having participated 35+ years ago in the marches on Washington protesting the Viet Nam war, i believe successive marches which get larger each time do build momentum for change. Keep the pressure on, have another march on DC, have concurrent marches throughout the US. Let the country and the administration know we will not be marginalized or ignored. We expect the equal protection of the law.

  • Name: Scott
    Date posted: 10/24/2009 11:47:10 PM
    Hometown: Portland

    Comment:

    The young guy on the picture is really cute.

  • Name: PePa
    Date posted: 10/24/2009 11:41:39 PM
    Hometown: california

    Comment:

    The whole point of marching is mindless unless you have a specific goal and are willing to challenge authority. Obama says this, and promises that, blah, blah, - If he is not challenged by would he even bother? No one has challenged him on why he continues to dismiss gay soldiers being the commander and chief of the armed forces. G.H. Bush didn't bother to fire any gay soldiers during the gulf war. DADT is a fight about what powers does congress posses to run the military for the president, for which they don't. All integrations in the military were done by executive order. And then we need to ask the messiah Obama why he continues to defend DOMA via Eric Holder and expect us to donate more cash for his coffer? And if we cannot marry why should we pay more taxes that benefit that institution creating a transfer of wealth from gay working couples to lazy opportunistic liberal straight couples.

  • Name: Art
    Date posted: 10/24/2009 9:00:15 AM
    Hometown: Trenton, New Jersey

    Comment:

    I was very opposed to the march but I was very wrong. I realized that days before the march. This article is right one. We need to threaten to march again. They need to know we can keep point to this White House's broken promises. We need to start organizing another one. This time I'll be with it from the start.

  • Name: mark snyder
    Date posted: 10/23/2009 10:16:00 PM
    Hometown: San Francisco

    Comment:

    Check out the new stophrc.com.

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