Does a March on Washington make sense now?

Act Local, Affect Global...

The stunning silence that comes out of DC in response could undo more than it does.

Hate stops a beating heart.

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by: KarenS @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 09:20:48 AM CDT

If congress is in recess

then there's no point. Better to spend our time and resources on something tangible like sealing our victory in Maine.

I am the lizard queen!

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by: RainbowPhoenix @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 09:35:25 AM CDT

Money and Priorities

No a march does not make sense. I've marched on Washington many times over the decades, for many purposes.

Marches always make marchers feel good, feel that they've accomplished something -- until they turn on the TV news and read the next day's papers (olden days) or check out the MSM web sites (now) and find out that they've been undercounted, "balanced" by opposing views, or ignored entirely.

Meanwhile, our cause needs money elsewhere, it needs money in vast amounts, and it needs it now. Just getting a Prop 8 repeal on the ballon in California, for example, would probably cost millions. And then we* would need tens of millions more to try to win at the polls in 2010 or 2012. [* "We" means all of us. We're a community. California is everybody's battle, as is New York's, and Rhode Island's, and every one of 44 other states]

Our household is doing what everyone should do: Make equality a line item in your household budget. Figure out how much you can set aside to contribute to good advocates for equality (no flaky groups!) each month. Then see how you can increase that amount. Think about what you can do in your own state (even if you're in a particularly backwards state and can only work toward helping elect less-awful politicians). Try to find ways to help out in other states. Unless doing so poses grave risks, be out and open to everying.

Oh, and one other thing: Once a day, every day, call 202-456-1111 to urge support for full equality for all Americans.

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by: S1 @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 09:37:13 AM CDT

You say you need $$$ ...

... but if I'm reading correctly, the point of the OP is that targeted offline action shouldn't cost an arm and a leg.

I tend to agree with that sentiment.

Interesting times.

As an ally, all apologies, but we're looking to y'all for cues.  Have your discussion.  Hash it out.  And let us know.

That said, Orrin Hatch sits on the SJC.  If you think Sotomayor is not about you, well, you need to get acquainted with DC politics.

 

twitter.com/ChinoBlanco | youtube.com/ChinoBlanco

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by: Chino Blanco @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 10:09:19 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Yeah, we continue to make progress

at the state level, let's keep doing that. 2010 may be a good time for a DC March (and election year).

Since Congress is not in session and will be at home, home is where we need to be.

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by: kevinchi @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 09:38:55 AM CDT

I agree 1000%!

We need people in the states to work on their own legislatures, and as Pam said -- doing it in October is stupid, as Congress isn't in session!

You'd best be visiting their offices or if they're holding town hall meetings, confronting them and demanding why they won't support equality!

Listen to "TransTalk" every Monday from 4-5pm ET on http://www.falconradio.org beginning January 11th!

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by: Marlene @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 09:39:18 AM CDT

no a march on washington does not make sense now.

Plain english its tooo expensive in this economy from my point of view. Where we need to spend money is on lobbying. WE need to finance our lobbying groups (not the hrc) but the National Gay Task Force (they multi task on their issues) and probably need more Washington on site lobbiests. I will not go into each and every org that i personally feel are inclusive and focused on the INCLUSIVE HATE crimes bill and the INCLUSIVE ENDA - those two bill imo are the cornerstones of our full equality under the Federal Law and this must come from the TOP down...as history shows us.

So no for every thousand people there   , thousands could not makes it - and we are 30 million conservation estimate of the population - we need to spend our money making the elected Congress pass these bills - and the rest i.e. the Repeal of DOMA and DADT will follow. Thats where our money needs to go BUT each and every one of us, seriously needs to CALL WASHINGTON - lobby with calls and email. Intensely polite but adament -   so short answer no it does not make sense to me , its hard enough finding money to donate to our very valuable TlgbQ organizations.  

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by: proudprogressive @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 09:41:47 AM CDT

It's not a good idea, which is why it's not happening.

We're closing in on the middle of June.  That's not when you should be in the pre-planning stages for a national event in October.

The area the march is supposed to happen in is already booked by other groups.

Finally: nobody cares because everybody knows it's not possible and so it's not going to happen.  More people have more plans for their Octobers already than there are concrete plans for any detail about this march.

If a MOW were happening in October, EVERYTHING would have been booked LAST October, at the absolute latest, and, ideally, TWO Octobers ago.  I'm glad Cleve Jones wants to help, but thinking that this is going to happen is not helping.

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by: diablorobotico @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 09:42:09 AM CDT

A march can be a good thing

Organizing a march for April, of an election year, is a great way to get people organized for candidate and ballot initiative campaigns.  There may not be enough time to organize one for April, 2010, so I would consider 2012.  

NOW has organized a number of marches over the years, and they found that every time they organized a march in the spring, before an election, feminist candidates faired better at the polls that November.

If done correctly, they can build the infrastructure needed in local communities for ballot initiative and candidate campaigns.

And it is also important to be able to add a lobby day to the march.

So, for all those reasons I would say "yes" -- but only in the spring.

BAC

Don't agonize, organize!

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by: BAC @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 09:44:18 AM CDT

When do protests make sense to attempt to influence legislative bodies?

I agree that a protest when Congress (or a state legislature) is not present, makes little sense.

Then, my question becomes, when do protests make sense?  

If the goal is to influence legislators or legislative bodies, it is my experience that protests make little sense at any time.  

Rallies are a dime a dozen in DC and most state capitals.  Most legislators consider protests and rallies part of the normal scenery rather than something that shakes them out of their strongly held beliefs.

If the goal is to attract media attention, perhaps a large gathering does make sense.  Real vote changes come from conversations and lobbying by constituents.

But to what end?

A national media dialogue seems to be happening.  The non-stop 24 hour news cycle needs fodder and there sits Ted Olson on Larry King talking about marriage equality.  

Though I may disagree with the legal usefulness lawsuit, it certainly has generated considerable media interest that a protest likely wouldn't.

To borrow from another thread -- What's the vision?  What's the plan?

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by: HunterC @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 09:48:28 AM CDT

I agree Pam

this is stupid. Hope they change their minds and direct their time, energy, and resouces towards an event that WILL make a difference.

This really ticks me off.

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by: Donna @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 09:51:31 AM CDT

Hotel space isn't a problem for me

I have family that lives in the District, so expenses are the least of my concerns actually. And with the marriage equality debate in DC heating up (isn't today a deadline for the out of state marriages to take effect?) I may go there to do some grassroots work anyway.

But economically, we are in a recession. Give us time to plan.

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by: kevinchi @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 09:53:51 AM CDT

We could all stay with Aravosis

Oh wait, no the transgendered people couldn't as we "aren't really part of the LGB movement".....

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by: Margaret @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 11:18:18 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

A March on Washington CAN be effective,

but it has to be done right.  

For instance, before the '87 MOW, there were only a handful of LGBT organizations here in Pittsburgh.  In the wake of the march, within a few months, there were more than fifty, including the Pittsburgh Fairness Campaign, which grew directly out of the local march organizing committee and which ultimately got the city's gay rights ordinance passed.  Even though the march accomplished very little at the national level, the way it galvanized people at the local level was marvelous.  (I didn't get to attend the '87 march--I was laid up with a broken ankle.)

But a successful March on Washington requires careful long-range planning.  One of the biggest fights for the '93 MOW was the requirement that all 50 state march committees have gender and racial parity.  That was a MAJOR fight, especially in parts of the south and midwest, but also in areas of the supposedly enlightened northeast.  But the fight was well worth it, and it contributed hugely to the success of the march.  (There was no trans parity required, but I'd certainly argue for that.)  That sort of concern should not be forgotten in a rush to have a march NOW.  If we're going to do this, let's do it right.  (A date just before or during the 2012 primary season might be worthwhile.)

And that, plus all the other logistical concerns Pam mentions make planning for a  march in a mere four months a very bad idea.

Cynic, n.  A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be.  

-Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

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by: QScribe @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 09:58:56 AM CDT

I agree with you

although I could see it being done in 2010 if we get our shit together. To plan this 4 months just seems like we're being a bunch of drama queens. Let's continue to do our work at the state level, get more states on boar with whatever legislation is necessary (and each state has different priorities) then let's take it national.

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by: kevinchi @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 10:08:44 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

If they have it I will come

if nothing else it would point out that Obama has done absolutely nothing to fulfill his promises.

If we don't keep acting up, we will get nowhere.

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by: tiponeill @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 10:07:43 AM CDT

Uh, okay

But Obama won't be in town.  And you can point that out without going all the way to Washington.

Obama is aware of our issues, and our anger, he's too involved with social media NOT to be aware of that. So I don't see the point of going all the way to washington to remind him of two things (gays exist, and we want our rights) that he already knows.

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by: PunkZanyJ @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 16:11:31 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Just Another Feel Good Party Time March? No Thanks!

I marched in 1979, 1987, and 1993, but in 93 I became disenchanted with the march because instead of serious political work it just seemed to me to turn into big feel good dance party. In 1987 at least we had direct action with over 700 arrests at the Supreme Court. Since then the various marches have lacked a serious tone, have cost a ton of money, and accomplished nothing. We've been screwed over by our enemies and friends alike in DC. Call me when people wake up and demand action on our issues and are prepared to shut things down and go to jail until our demands are met.

Jim Kelly, Cherry Grove, NY

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by: skeptic49 @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 10:11:32 AM CDT

I agree.

I will never forget the humiliation of marching in a saturday gay rights parade years ago in Lansing, MI, only to realize that on the weekend, the capitol rolls up the sidewalks.  you can almost hear the lonesome moan of the prairie winds.  What an insult to ask people to march in protest on a day nobody else is around to notice the protest.

Click HERE and sign up: Campaign For Military Partners.

Lurleen on Twitter.

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by: Lurleen @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 10:21:42 AM CDT

Lansing

Are Lansing's sidewalks ever un-rolled?

"In order to maintain an untenable position, you have to be actively ignorant."  The Colbert Report

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by: Lev Raphael @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 13:02:09 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Perhaps a better plan

Is to organize good sized rallies/marches/protests in the 50 state capitals on that day. As a community we need to focus our energies at the state level, yes it would be nice to resolve all our issues with one sweeping victory in washington. The reality is we need some more victories in america's state houses before we go back to dc.

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by: wearbear @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 10:27:15 AM CDT

state action question I received

On Facebook, someone asked:

Why not a state by state march on our own capitals?

My response:

State-by-state won't work, PR-wise, in all states. I can't imagine that in, say Oklahoma, Alabama, Mississippi, even NC, you could mobilize as many LGBTs and allies out there as fundies could in a counter protest. That's a PR disaster for those states. Too many people are still closeted for their own safety (or perceived safety). Until we can get more LGBTs and allies out of their closets and active, we need a variety of approaches.

We have to remember there is no one-size-fits-all way to work for equality, and we have to use the tactics that fit the situation and location and political climate rather than abandoning what seems like a hopeless situation to those outside of the red states and trying to do a top-down sort of action. Apply the the Principles to the best of your ability in all spheres.

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by: Pam Spaulding @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 10:29:33 AM CDT

I disagree on this note, Pam

I think those are the exact states that we need to mobilize in. The civil rights issues may vary from state to state but, for example, to find people willing to come out of the closet and to see the bigots out in full force may be, just may be, effective.

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by: kevinchi @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 10:38:34 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

the point is

you cannot create the numbers where they aren't there (yet). People come out on their own time in their own situations. We have to work on making them come out through education, and appealing to their need to do so. However these are the people least likely to then come out in a very public way, such as a march, isn't going to happen in a politically hostile environment when they may be fired if they end up on camera. I may be willing to do it, I may tell people they SHOULD do it, but that doesn't translate into guaranteed numbers.

Unless we are willing to do what the fundies do -- bus people in from states where people are out and unafraid to be out, that's a real problem. The secondary problem is that you need the locals to come out because they are the only people the elected officials will listen to -- actual constituents.

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by: Pam Spaulding @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 10:46:40 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Now I agree with you on this

This is exactly where we need to do much more work; with the local LGBTs in extremely hostile states on the very basic levels that you mention.

And we also need to be highly sensitive to the in-your-face bigotry that they really face (see today's Okie thread).

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by: kevinchi @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 10:54:28 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

I'd support a 50-state capitol march before a DC march

First off, are there 50+DC statewide LGBT organizations?

The Equality Federation only has 44 members, not 51. There are some reasons some orgs wouldn't join th EQ Fed but my point is that we do not even have the basic infrastrusture to organize in some of our states.

Until people start supporting the local response, we're not going to get anything federally.

Congresscritters listen to constituents. Period.

The DC march being called for on October 11, 2009 is a joke and a waste of resources. But, if people want to go ahead, I won't oppose their planning. I will not be attending and will recommend to anyone who asks me not to go. Donate the money you would have spent on going to Equality Maine and Equality Washington instead, since they are most likely fighting anti-gay referenda this fall.

They should plan it for October 11, 2012!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Mad Professah Lectures http://madprofessah.com
"In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act." George Orwell

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by: Mad Professah @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 10:55:23 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

This is the map ...

For better for worse, for richer or for poorer ...

Problem is, you head over to Kos (or wherever) and the sideblog is all a bunch of state blogs.

In the days, weeks, months, years ahead, the goal should be to have 435 distinct blogs reporting on developments on the ground.

Unless we're all resigned to treating this contest as a states' rights issue (per our opposition).

twitter.com/ChinoBlanco | youtube.com/ChinoBlanco

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by: Chino Blanco @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 11:01:01 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Sure....

Does a March on Washington make sense now?

Sure it does...

for all of the corporate schlockmeisters - and this includes HRC - who will use the opportunity to, yet again, extricate our money from our pockets and purses and, in return, give us hollow speeches, empty promises and another festival full of trans-subjugation.

>^..^<

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by: KatRose @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 10:41:33 AM CDT

a march right now would be a horrible waste of time and resources

Child, we are in a recession!  I believe people's energy and funds would be best spent working with their local organizations instead of spending hundreds or thousands of dollars up in DC.

The (assumed) party atmosphere is a big reason there are always calls for marches, but that is not the best move at this time in my opinion.

I do admire Jones for being able to single-handedly decide that there needs to be a march.

 

Be better, not bitter!

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by: Anthony in Nashville @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 10:42:01 AM CDT

I don't recommend a March on Washington

A stronger show of our strength would be in all 50 states, a huge rally at each capitol. It's easier for most people to drive to their capitol and we have contacts for people who need to stay overnight. It'd also spread the money LGBTs would spend at such a rally, in their own states.
Maybe a nice autumn weekend, that's when New Orleans does Southern Decadence and Pride, because in tropical climates June is unbearably hot.

"race, taste. and History finally overcome....and you ain't there"
by Tony Kushner

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by: peteyPornpig @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 10:43:49 AM CDT

If we don't do 50 States

I can think of 6 states I'd say deserve our spending. Maybe Iowa would be a good centralized spot. Des Moines is a pretty city.

"race, taste. and History finally overcome....and you ain't there"
by Tony Kushner

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by: peteyPornpig @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 10:46:31 AM CDT

did I mention sexy corn fed boys?

   http://i206.photobucket.com/al...

and how cute are these womyn?

  http://www.swamppolitics.com/n...

"race, taste. and History finally overcome....and you ain't there"
by Tony Kushner

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by: peteyPornpig @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 10:54:03 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Already done

A bunch of us are doing a show of support on the 21st.

On June 21st there will be a gathering called "Colors Across the River for Equality (CARE)" on the Centennial Bridge between Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa. QC Pride purchased 1,000 rainbow flags and wants 1,000 people to display them at the bridge. This demonstration is designed to celebrate Iowa's recent decision and help spread equal rights to every state. Bring $5 for the flag deposit.

I will be there!

Oh, and those corn fed boys, petey...Yum!

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by: kevinchi @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 10:57:29 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

kev

Enjoy
One of the best nights I've had in being hit on was in Quad City(Moline)...100 yrs ago. My first lover and I drove there from Minneapolis, I was 13 years younger, and still boyish, he was a strapping farm raised bear guy with a V shape body and 54 inch chest. The guy checking I.D. asked him right on the spot "if he'd wanna ___ him?" All night long if one of us went to the restroom,the other would have 5 guys hitting on him. I think the community had all done each other so often, the fresh meat syndrome was kicking in BIGTIME.
So help yourself to my share of Iowa lads, and play safely.

"race, taste. and History finally overcome....and you ain't there"
by Tony Kushner

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by: peteyPornpig @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 11:05:55 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Here's more

There will also be a picnic prior to the even on the Centennial Bridge.

http://accesslineiowa.com/inde...

I made a promise to myself that I was going to show up and support and than kour gay brothers and sisters in Iowa. And...who know, I might find me a corn-fed husband. :)

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by: kevinchi @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 11:10:47 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

"the event"

And...who knows, I might find me a corn-fed husband. :)

Sheesh, more coffee is necessary!

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by: kevinchi @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 11:12:55 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

I should write Iowa tourism commercials......hehehehe

"race, taste. and History finally overcome....and you ain't there"
by Tony Kushner

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by: peteyPornpig @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 11:12:27 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Why does the threat of a series of mass marches in DC, regionally and locally, frighten Democrats so much?

Because they get out of hand, unleashing the pent up anger of our communities and directing it at the Congress and the White House, which are controlled by bigots of both parties.

Because they create new political formations independent of and opposed to the two parties of bigotry.

Because they allow the movement to raise a serious program of militant forward-looking demands that lobbyists would never have the guts to raise with Congressbigots. Lobbyists value their 'power' relationships with movers and shakers like Reid, Kennedy, Pelosi and Barney Frankenstein who've all demonstrated that far from being our friends they can be our bitter enemies.

Examples of this independent, cutting edge program are:  

1) Passage of an omnibus anti-discrimination bill that would make it easy to win awards from bigots who discriminate in housing, education, employment and access to social services and medical care. (The current laws are restrictive and make it hard to sue. ENDA would have changed that which is why Frankenstein and the Republicans shredded ENDA.)  

2) Passage of a law mandating harsh prison terms for bigots who discriminate or who call for or endorse violence.

These laws should apply equally to our LGBT communities, the pro-choice and women's movements, African Americans, Latinos, Asians and Pacific Islanders, immigrant workers and trade unionists.  

3) Demanding that the White House order the dismissal and courts marshal of any military officers guilty of bigotry.

4) Demanding that the White House and State Department open US Embassies and Consulates to GLBT folks fleeing death, torture or imprisonment at the hands of homobigoted governments like the US puppet governments in Iraq, Afghanistan and Central America.

5) A Manhattan Project to fund research, treatment and social services for those affected by HIV/AIDS and other killer diseases.

6) An end to bailouts and welfare for the looter rich until every American has a good job, good housing, good nutrition, good medical care and good education.

Can you imagine Joe Solmonese buttonholing Nancy Pelosi (one of the richest members of Congress with a fortune estimated at $131 million) and demanding that welfare for the rich be ended to pay for needle exchanges and condoms to help addicts, faggots and people in minority communities? Nah.

In the long run a combination of persistent mass marches featuring  cutting edge, "won't take no for an answer" demands is what will bring us victory while continued reliance on bigots in Congress and the White House will just add to our string of defeats.  
 

The looter rich much prefer working with Democrats like Obama and the Clintons - they're greedier, they fool more people and they're able to get away with a lot more than Republicans.  

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by: donal1944 @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 10:57:06 AM CDT

The timing issue applies to a DC event as well as a 50 state event

All state legislatures are not in session at the same time.

Having a 50 state day of action is fine and dandy for a media or perhaps even an organizing event, but is virtually meaningless to influence legislators.

March on Saturday in October?  Almost all state legislatures will be out of session.

A 50-state talk-to-your-Congressperson-day greatly appeals to me.   Not that some DC orgs don't already have lobby day (yes, HRC included), but perhaps in-district lobby days that are much more accessible to people of all means.  I know this idea has been tossed around by some national orgs.  Wasn't one of the National Coming Out Days several years ago a "Come Out to your Congressman" Day?

A revised version of that event using facebook/web/blogging from the meetings/etc. would seem to work well in this day and age.

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by: HunterC @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 10:59:00 AM CDT

I got thrown out of the Navy for being transgendered

This was before Don't Ask, Don't Tell afforded at least some protection for members. I was put out when it was considered a crime, I lost my benefits and I was labled a deviant. Today, I just got an automated email telling me that because of that, I am not eligible for civil service. Is it time for a march? I don't know. This and that email have dredged up all of the emotions that I had such a tough time dealing with back then. Those emotions caused me to hang myself several years later and I was very nearly succesful. The short answer is that I don't know if it's time to march but it's definitely time for something.

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by: Margaret @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 11:05:57 AM CDT

Remember the 2000 mess?

Every activist in the movement I have spoken to, except the few involved in calling for the march, has agreed with me that 3,000 people in Maine will do more to effect gay rights than 300,000 on the Mall. Maine is the next battleground.

Four months?  The last one took over two years and was still a mess. I remember the garbage bags filled with collected money that disappeared, the loans made to the march -- with huge profits, the infighting, the profits from the weekend by hotel room bookers and circuit party planners that had nothing to do with the March. (About a half of the opening paragraph of the The 2000 Millennium March WikiPedia page is dedicated to the Equality Rocks concert.)

The other thing that seems kind of off base to me is that four white people (who I do respect an great deal) from two states bordering two oceans thought they have the gravitas to "build it they and will come."  Does anyone has that in our movement? The promise to include POC, youth and others AFTER the fact seems like to me like "we've made the decision, we've established the website, now others may to the table."

Many people may not be familiar with the 2000 march, the missing $750,000, the debt of $330,000 and hundreds and hundreds of screwed gay business owners while. Some very large profits were made at the top.

Do people expect hundreds of buses to be placed in staging areas created on the spot? Does this effort have a DC office? Worked with the City Council? The Mayor's Office? Elanor Holmes Norton? The Park Service? Barney, Tammy, Jared? The Blogosphere? Now that they have announced it, do they have a plan?

I love and respect people who are behind this effort. But I wonder if it's what someone suggested to me: A brilliant way to collect email addresses. Surely it cannot be to make a huge presence on the Mall for which permits have not been secured, hotel rooms have not been reserved and transportation planning is non existent.

Before jumping in the deep end... Here is some reading about the messes in 2000.....

Mike

Millennium March: Gay Rally Bares Deep Divisions:  Critics say it's just an excuse for a big party
http://www.commondreams.org/he...

The Millennium March closes its books with $330,000 in unpaid debt
http://www.encyclopedia.com/do...

$750,000 Reported Stolen at Gay March in D.C.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/...
Ann Degroot: "We were informed that there had been a theft,'' DeGroot said. "Now we're letting the FBI sort it out.''

Millennium March Organizers Express Enthusiastic Support for "Equality Begins at Home" State Actions
http://www.ifge.org/news/1998/... (Note date, two years prior to march)

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by: pageoneq @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 11:10:56 AM CDT

Ooooops

PageOneQ=Mike Rogers of PageOneQ and BlogActive.com

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by: pageoneq @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 11:11:37 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

If all LGBT persons took a week off work

Or even a day, one day when ALL LGBT persons who have the guts to come out and be out took off work, that would get their attention. Money is the only thing they understand and money is where we can hit them hardest. A virtual march then. Nobody leaves homes and everybody takes off work. Maybe even combine that with the fifty protests in fifty capitals, as long as no one goes to work on that day or that week. I don't mean vacations or comp time. This must be orchestrated and unanimous to be effective. It has to cost them money.

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by: Margaret @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 11:13:36 AM CDT

Didn't we already try that?

I recall "Day without a Gay" being a colossal flop.

I am the lizard queen!

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by: RainbowPhoenix @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 11:23:03 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Yep, as I said

It would have to be unanimous. I took off but very few others did.

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by: Margaret @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 11:35:41 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

it's misguided

The bus boycotts worked because of the high concentrations of blacks using that system.  you simply could not ignore that boycott because there was nobody riding the bus!

The Day Without A Gay didn't work, not because of a lack of participation, but because it's an unfocused idea.

I've never worked in an office with more than a handful of gay people, if that, and you know what, on an typical day in a typical office of 80+ people, a handful of people are out for one or more reasons.  No one would notice.

Even if every gay person stayed home, no one would notice.  Why?  Because we're spread so thinly it's a blip on the radar. Most of the things people didn't buy on the day without a gay they bought the day before or the day after, or the week before or after.

We are, in many respects, very different from racial minorities.  We can pass, and are not concentrated in any area that we haven't already achieved certain rights.  So our absense is either a punishment on gay friendly employers, or something that can easily be ignored.  This is one tactic from the civil rights movement that we can't use, but there are plenty that we haven't used yet.

I have yet to see our rosa parks, or our lunch counter protest, something that forces bigotry and inequality to rear it's ugly head.  We've protested to death, it's old hat, it's old news, it ONLY makes the protestors feel good.

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by: PunkZanyJ @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 16:20:39 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I got called twice this weekend from HRC!

....and basically they threatened to call back if I did not raise my (paltry $10/mo)

partnership donation. (I basically do this just to keep up on 'Partner News".)

So they are hurting!

No March to HRC Headquarters for me! 

It's the Hammer of JUSTICE,
It's the Bell of FREEDOM,
It's the Song about LOVE between,
my Brothers and my Sisters
...All over this Land.

---

by: Orion45 @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 11:16:11 AM CDT

I was thrown under the bus by the HRC

I wouldn't send them a single dime of somebody else's money, much less any of my own.

---

by: Margaret @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 11:20:48 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Likewise

The non inclusive ENDA killed any incentive I had for supporting HRC, and I had been a member for 20 years before that. Joe Solomese can kiss my queer a$$.

"race, taste. and History finally overcome....and you ain't there"
by Tony Kushner

---

by: peteyPornpig @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 12:46:43 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

October National Equality March - Washington, D.C.

This is both a march/rally and organizing effort. This is the 30 year anniversary of the very first M.O.W. for LGBT rights, it's the anniversary of Matthew Shepard's murder, we just had the Supreme Court refuse to hear a case that would have saved the jobs of 12 gay U.S. Military members kicked our due to D.A.D.T. What are we ... Read Morewaiting for? We need to work to remove elected officials who do not support our efforts. This event will be our opportunity to start those wheels in motion.... I personally think this is long overdue. It doesn't have to be fancy, or attended by a million people, it just has to make an impact.

Every M.O.W. has happened on a weekend when Congress was not in session - They'll be back on Tuesday and I'm sure the people who want to lobby them, will remain in D.C.

Bayard Rustin and MLK put together their historic gathering on the Mall in SIX WEEKS....and that was before the internet. We have four months and a friendly D.C. government.

---

by: Trooper @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 11:27:45 AM CDT

Get Outta My Yard!

As a DC resident, I will be here whether there is a march or not, but a march could be a HUGE problem here if there is a referendum on our local ballot re: marriage recognition. My biggest fear is that a huge influx of TEH GAYZ! could destroy our efforts toward equality here in the city, if the referendum is approved on Wednesday and they somehow manage to get the signatures. With so much attention focused on Maine, California and potentially Washington state referenda, I am already concerned that DC will be the forgotten fight and we could lose.  

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by: CPT_Doom @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 11:42:02 AM CDT

50 state strategy

As another DC resident

--who attended the great march of 1987 (when AIDS was killing off whole networks of gay friends and lovers and the Supreme Court had only a year before upheld criminal sodomy statutes); and in 1993 when we desperately needed to show community strength in trying to move the Clinton administration forward and just as Don't Ask Don't Tell was being crafted and cemented into policy--

Those marches were amazing to me, and I believe were worth the effort and money spent. I believe a new generations of leaders left DC permanently changed and ready to work in their native cities and states. Back then, we had no internet or social media to do networking, and I will never forget the empowering energy that I took away from those marches.

--and who also attended the significantly disappointing 2000 millennium march, whose shortcomings were well documented by a previous poster

--and although I would love to have another excuse for hosting a bunch of friends from out of town, great dinners and smothering DC with our sheer numbers . . .

--I, too, say no to a natl march and instead focus on marches to every state capitol, scheduled on days when lobbying is possible and we are not speaking to empty buildings on a Sunday afternoon.

It's Lansing, Phoenix, Sacramento, Tallahassee, Albany and Trenton where the action is for now--and it is at local and state levels where we have made the most progress in recent years. Sadly, it may take another decade for the federal govt. to progress, even with a Democratic administration and supposedly more friendly congress.

---

by: mitch wood @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 12:06:53 PM CDT

House is in Session

Link to the calendars. The House is in session until Oct 30. The Senate reconvenes the Monday after the March. Any march we plan would be on the weekend.

The compromise. If you don't want to go DON'T GO! Stop discouraging other people and trying to ruin it for the rest of us.

I don't particularly think pouring bucket loads of money into the state that already has the most protections for LGBT people than any other state aside from marriage is the best use of funds for the entire LGBT population.

---

by: GrrrlRomeo @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 12:25:41 PM CDT

House and Senate

http://www.house.gov/house/Hou...

http://www.senate.gov/pagelayo...

Actually Senate doesn't have a date for adjournment. Please don't make me have to fact check everything.

---

by: GrrrlRomeo @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 12:34:30 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

they didn't say adjourned

they said it's a holiday weekend and they won't be in town, that's different than adjourning for the session.  Is congress ever open on Columbus Day weekend?

---

by: PunkZanyJ @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 17:28:29 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Yeah, getting a little bugged

by all the nay-sayers. We're going to be there. No, we don't have the money, but thanks to my job and the wonders of frequent flyer miles, and frequent guest points, our airline tickets and hotel are free. As for meals, that's why they invented cup-o-noodles and hotel room coffeepots.

I agree with this - if you don't want to go, don't go. But cut the doom&gloom crap.

Cause any fool knows, a dog needs a home; a shelter from pigs on the wing

---

by: QueerInSoCal @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 13:54:10 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

you might have free air/hotel

But the majority of people don't and will have to spend how much money to get there for the march -- all of it will be money they could have spent back home. If they can dig it up to march, they can dig it up to canvas or spend a day at their state legislature, etc. The issue is are priorities being weighed? For some people -- like those in Maine or New York -- is spending the money on going to DC the best use of expendable cash?

Obviously if it costs people nothing, go ahead head to DC. I'm already hearing that people are booking non-refundable flights to DC. What if this march doesn't materialize? That could have been money used for a state action. Just saying.

---

by: Pam Spaulding @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 14:56:10 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I'll blame you for tearin' it down. ;)

If this march doesn't materialize, I'll blame you...and Queerty.

Oh hey, I'm lower class...I don't need a fancy hotel room. We can charter a bus. You know, when you're poor you learn how to make due for the things that are important. If you can't figure out how to make it happen, then you probably don't want it that bad. Maybe you don't feel that oppressed.

I think people have marched on Washington with less money than even I have. I think they got on school buses and traveled from Alabama with no AC. I think I'm that strong.

---

by: GrrrlRomeo @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 15:53:05 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

it ain't pam's fault

so you can't blame her.

I have serious questions that nobody seems to get.

What can a modern march accomplish?  Name a March from the last 5-10 years that actually got something done.

What's the goal of a march?  To let Obama know we're pissed?  He already knows, thanks.  To enlighten congress on our issues?  They know, thanks.

I don't see a tangible goal, I don't see any tactics for getting that goal accomplished.  This is like the underpants gnomes on South Park, their philosophy was:

Step 1: Collect Underpants
Step 2: . . .
Step 3: Profit!

Whenever people ask them what Step 2 is, they ignore the question and restate the steps.

Only in this case it's:

Step 1: March on Washington
Step 2: . . .
Step 3: LGBT Equality

What's step 2, and how does the march get us there?  This isn't snark, this is an honest question.  I don't see what a march does other than make the participants feel good and feel validated, it's a chance to be angry in public, awesome!  Who's the audience, how are you going to make them listen, and what do you expect to accomplish with this?  

Since the historic March on Washington, lots of groups for lots of reasons have marched on washington including gays!  Why on earth would we repeat the same step over again?!  Whatever we accomplished at those other marches can't be accomplished again.
A repeat of Woodstock was just to make money, it didn't recreate the feeling of that first event.  And this march can't do that either.  We have to break new ground, we have to be inventive, we have to start using other tactics like civil disobedience.  Protests and marches are old hat.  They're so old hat they have Bud Light Sponsorship.

I thought this new wave, Stonewall 2.0 was going to come up with new ideas?

---

by: PunkZanyJ @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 17:39:56 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

It's For Us

We need a bigger army. We need to connect. We need to include more people. The online tools are great, but I do think we need to see each other. We do actually need to feel good and validated...that is ESSENTIAL. I've been saying this.

Yes, gays have marched on Washington...but not the new generation. There were many cities and towns that participated in the Nov. local protests that were between 3 and 30.

We are too focused on a handful of states that already have many rights. There are more of us living in small cities and towns than in large cities and they need to feel like they're part of something bigger.

We need to break this isolation. You can be on the internet and still feel isolated.

---

by: GrrrlRomeo @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 19:29:09 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Permit from U.S. Parks Service

To march on Oct. 11th.  The proposed LGBT march was denied.

Same-Sex Marriage is good for the economy.

---

by: CharlesMerrill @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 19:53:06 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

that's your argument?

That we need to gather in washington to feel good?

We have connected, we are including more people.  The online tools are what this generation does really, really, really well.  

So the point is NOT to influence politicians and bring our issues to the table, then why does it need to happen in Washington?

We're up to our asscracks in symbols and symbolic gestures.  Feeling validated and feeling good doesn't change laws.  It doesn't get us our equal rights.

"You can be on the internet and still feel isolated."  And you can be in the middle of a crowd and feel isolated.

We.
Need.
Action.

Real action. Action that gets us what we want.  Not sidetrips to pat-ourselves-on-the-backville.

It's sad that south park understands this better than we do.  They have that hippie episode where the Hippies gather and put on a big hippie concert and they talk abut taking down the establishment, and they talk about getting things done and NOTHING happens.  They just talk.  They get wasted, dance, feel good and get zero done.  No action, no plan, no point.  Just a bunch of people barking in the dark.
This is NO better than the HRC that puts on fancy dinners so that rich gays can feel good and STILL GET NOTHING DONE!

We need action.  Rosa Parks action.  Nadine Smith action.  

We have proved time and time again we can organize and get people to stand somewhere, but that DOES NOT GET ANYTHING DONE.  Not anymore.  People go "whatever, another protest YAWN" and walk on.  

We need civil disobedience.  We need married gays to refuse to fill out any government form with anything other than WE ARE MARRIED.  Taxes, the census, we need gays to go on national TV and talk about how they were denied access to their dying spouse despite their "marriage lite" certificates.  We need these folks to chain themselves to do the door of their partner's room and get dragged out, crying, to bring this injustice to light.  We need single gays to come out, and insist on being treated as if their sexuality does not matter, just as the blacks sat at that lunch counter and insisted on being treated like their skin color does not matter.  Just as Rosa Parks sat in her seat and waited for the inevitable bigotry to rear it's ugly head in such a way that it could not be ignored.

I am THROUGH with HRC and pointless masturbatory symbols!  I will not support anything that is not a real, tangible step toward equality. I don't need to feel good about myself, I need my damn civil rights.

---

by: PunkZanyJ @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 20:47:04 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Beg or Demand

March if you want to beg.
Tax Revolt if you want to demand.

Decades MORE of Psychological Abuse? - OR - Stonewall.  Nationwide.  NOW!

---

by: John Bisceglia @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 12:30:48 PM CDT

yes

coming from a peace and justice organizer's point of view, i find it odd that folks can't conceive of putting together a march by october, and don't understand the notion that a national march would preclude folks also working locally instead of stimulating local action.   a march this year could be used as a building action for yet another march next year.     the time and energy being spent coming up with arguments why this just couldn't work would be put to better use figuring out what is needed to make it a reality.

20 years of fundraising and organizing experience lead me to believe that now (as well as later) is a good time for this march.   i also respect other folks experience which leads them to the opposite conclusion,  but as i put on my organizer hat and do my job of attempting to gain support and workers in the coming weeks i will do my best to change your minds.

(in the interest of keeping my job, i'd best wait til after i clock out)

folk the war

---

by: suejeffers @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 12:37:54 PM CDT

"a march this year could be used as a building action for yet another march next year."

Sweet Mother of Pearl!  That's got to be the WORST reason to hold a march of this size.

Listen, I've patiently read this entire thread and I still don't understand what the rationale for a LGBT March on Washington 2009 is.  Can anyone tell me what the stated PURPOSE of this proposed event is?

I've read lots of good reasons for NOT holding it.  

---

by: Pollyanna @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 20:15:35 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

apparently

it's to feel good, shake hands, and talk about organizing next years march.  Cause, you know, cell phones, facebook, SMS, and websites don't exist.

Cause you know, when you do the exact same thing again and again expecting a different result --- that's not the definition of insanity.

Oh wait, that IS the definition of insanity.

---

by: PunkZanyJ @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 20:49:11 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Strategicly a DC March is a NIGHTMARE

Read about the 93 March from Monette, and others who attended. it takes a year to orchastrate one of these to be SUCESSFUL, and if you aren't going to GO STRONG don't go at all. Meet in the Middle in Fresno showed what NOT TO DO.

"race, taste. and History finally overcome....and you ain't there"
by Tony Kushner

---

by: peteyPornpig @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 12:50:17 PM CDT

Does Cleve know what he's doing?

Have any of the issues presented here (and over the past few weeks) been addressed to him?

He keeps making these calls for a march, and now there is a website...or more like a page...about it.  

Four months is very short time to plan and if something real doesn't develop by the end of June, he better hang this up.  

I'm all for a march on DC and I'd love to see it BIG and in DC during Obama's 2012 re-election when he wants us giving our money to him - I'd rather we spend it on ourselves.  Buidling our coalitions.  Solidifying our position especially toward the end of Obama's term when we know what he has tried to do or hasn't accomplished...or perhaps hasn't even addressed.  The list could be long.  We should help every LGBT between CA and Maine get on a bus to make it to the rally.  

And we should do it to realize and capitalize on our own power and determination - without allegiance to the Democratic Party - and in a year when they will need us.  We can use our wallets now...by threatening to keep them closed when they need it most.

If Cleve has more of a vision / plan / purpose and an argument about why it has to happen NOW - when CA should be stepping it up (if we are serious about a 2010 repeal) and when Maine is being threatened...and NY can't get it done....Cleve needs to say more about why he means right NOW in the face of some serious obstacles and reasons to wait.

---

by: Patrick @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 12:51:18 PM CDT

I understand young LGBTs who haven't had a March to DC of their own

older LGBTs just look on and say "been there, done that."

I'd rather INNOVATIVE new rebels make NEW demonstrations our generation never thought of, your generation has much more interactions with other groups than many of us had, whether straight allies, or maybe greens or international.

Show us what you can do.

"race, taste. and History finally overcome....and you ain't there"
by Tony Kushner

---

by: peteyPornpig @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 12:58:38 PM CDT

Iffy about the March... Could it target the executive branch?

Group:  National LGBT Equality March on Washington D.C. October 10 - 11, 2009
http://www.new.facebook.com/ho...

Fan Page:  LGBT Equality March on Washington, D.C. - Oct. 10-11, 2009
http://www.new.facebook.com/pa...

As an organizing tool that some of the younger generation is using, there is still a lot of room to grow on those, they only have a few thousand each.

I'm kind of iffy about the march, on the one hand, the money could be used more efficiently, but my question is:  will it?  Is someone who would get excited about going to Washington to make a stand the kind of person that you can talk into staying home & donating to their statewide equal rights group instead?  Will shifting energy diminish it?  I remember one thing Gravel said during the presidential primaries is that you build political capital by using political capital, not by inaction.

I think if this keeps new people who got engaged during the prop 8 protests engaged, and if it can be used to highlight Obama's inaction (if congress isn't in session, it could be marketed as targeting the executive maybe?), then it might still be worth while.

---

by: Jake Gellar-Goad @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 14:54:55 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Short answer: with whose million$?

If we had the money it would take to make a march succeed, it would be better spent in the state capitols.

As we don't have that money in our couch, and I'd prefer that the large ticket donors keep spending on activities that produce results like state-level lobbying...

No.

But wait, there's more!

---

by: PhoenixRising @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 13:41:07 PM CDT

People who spend money going to a march

You are assuming people who would scrounge to get to a march would send that money off in a check to some org if there was no march.

That's not necessarily true.

Some people would be more likely to get involved in a march. And we need to get bigger. We'll constantly need new blood. We can keep doing the same stuff, we have to keep doing different things. This isn't stay the course, this is keep people interested and involved.

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by: GrrrlRomeo @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 16:39:30 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I'll Be There

If the moment is right for a march, it will happen. Much of it will be spontaneous, the result of last minute decisions. You can't properly plan such an event. We will either make it happen or we won't.

---

by: myroro @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 15:02:44 PM CDT

why i'm not convinced by those 10 reasons

Figured I wouldn't clog up the comments area with a long post, so i posted it in my diary instead.

http://www.pamshouseblend.com/...

folk the war

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by: suejeffers @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 18:27:36 PM CDT

What is Cleve Jones smoking ?

It ain't gonna happen.  That weekend is booked with two marches and the U.S. Park Service has denied the LGBT march of Cleve Jones.

http://gaycitynews.com/site/ne...  

Same-Sex Marriage is good for the economy.

---

by: CharlesMerrill @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 19:23:19 PM CDT

Thanks for the link.

It'd be nuts to have a civil rights march without access to the Mall.

Three different organizations have permits to hold events on those days on the National Mall, the setting for the gay community's four prior national marches.

Collectively, the three groups are expecting in excess of 135,000 people, which would mean that even if the organizers of the proposed march could get a permit -- and it is doubtful that they could as most groups file for a permit a year in advance -- the gay marchers would be joining a three-day walk-a-thon against breast cancer, a Treasury Department event, and the Million Man March for God.

---

by: Pollyanna @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 20:30:43 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Wrong idea

Its just simply not feasible to march in October as many of you have said. Money is a huge issue. Without knowing too much about the past I have read here that there is also an issue with accountability with the money that was donated in the past.

My advice is to find a good group who will use the money wisely, and hold a Ron Paul style of "money bomb" type of event. In one day he raised more that $6 million, it was a pretty big deal. I know there has to be more LGBT than there are Ron Paul supporters. You have from now until October-ish to put aside a little cash each week. Then whip out your check books and show your strength in numbers that way.  

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by: offspring311 @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 20:20:54 PM CDT

Why now? Why D.C.?

Why not stage marches on Albany and Trenton?  That's where we need to show numbers and solidarity, that's where we might have a chance of influencing legislators.

This cockamamie idea of Jones' runs the risk not just of wasting precious community time and money, but of making us look weak, because you can't get a march going with so little time.  It's handing our enemies a victory: "Look how few of them there are!"

"In order to maintain an untenable position, you have to be actively ignorant."  The Colbert Report

---

by: Lev Raphael @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 20:53:22 PM CDT

Money well spent

All the money in the world is meaningless unless it's put to good use.

People are saying that there isn't enough money for this event or that it would be wasted and I'm not really disagreeing on that.

However, if not there, where?

And how and to who?

Let's put some things in perspective.  Prop 8 opponents were not outspent in the end.  When you look at the cash the No on 8 side brought in, it matched the Mormon/Catholic/Evangelical side.

But it was WASTED on commercials that were not effective and none of it seemed to be used to support people engaging in grassroots efforts around the state.  

So, in the end it's not really just about money.  It's about strategy.

IMHO, the strategy behind a MOW 2009 isn't compelling.  That money would be better spent in the battleground states.  Some of those groups, like Maine Equality, are small and struggling to get their message out.  Those battleground states or cities could use both money and warm bodies in the coming year and it would make more sense to funnel our resources to them.

And I actually believe that the state-by-state rallies/protests that were held immediately after the passage of Prop 8 did a whole heck of good; much better than a single rally in a single city.

---

by: kevin @ Tue Jun 09, 2009 at 02:04:05 AM CDT

I agree

and considering a few other bits of information.

The 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington was the 5th March on Washington since 1900.

Since 1963 there have been over 60 Marches on Washington (3 of them being LGBT specific).  In 44 years, there has been roughly 1.3 marches per year on average. Clearly this tactic is played out.

Yes, that's right, we've marched on washington 3 times already.  So this is gay rights march 4.  Clearly the last 3 marches didn't get us what we want, on what basis to we claim this one will?

What I see is a March For Ego, not equality.  A March for Nostalgia, not national equality. This sounds like it's merely a chance for the older generation to relive their glory days, when marching and protesting was relevent, and for those young gays who were too young for the first marches to have their own march.  To be a part of history, but not actual productive history, just so they can have a photo op on the capital and say "I was there!".  Yes, you were there, but what did you do, what did you win?
Being there  means nothing without substance, without a tangible impact, with out relevance.
This is a march for the sake of marching, in much the same way that Lauren Conrad is famous for no other reason than being on TV.

---

by: PunkZanyJ @ Tue Jun 09, 2009 at 14:58:25 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Yes, it does

UPDATE

Permit APPROVED for the National Equality March, October 11, 2009.  West Lawn of the United States Capitol.  It's ON.
www.nationalequalitymarch.com

Join us.

---

by: Trooper @ Wed Jun 10, 2009 at 23:07:03 PM CDT

I disagree

I found myself extremely disheartened after reading these comments.  Then it occurred to me.  The only reason this march is a bad idea is because so many people believe it won't work.  I take a different perspective.  I believe a March on Washington (MOW) could have an awesome impact if it could unify supporters of LGBT civil rights and help LGBT individuals heal from years of having their rights trampled on as a means for political gain.  

Sacrifices are inherent in any movement, and if mass numbers of LGBT individuals and their allies spent the time and money to join together it could, at this juncture, have a huge impact.  After all, it is in a recession when discrimination has the most devastating effect.  

A MOW's success depends on the support it can muster. We need to stop criticizing and dismissing the ideas brought forth by those passionate and willing to make change happen.  The time has come to join those leaders who have been active at every stage of our movement and invest the time, money and energy necessary to make it happen with them.    

10 REASONS WE SHOULD MARCH ON WASHINGTON:

1) The 1987 March on Washington demonstration and rally, which included the first public display of Cleve Jones' NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt and the first community wedding included an estimated half million people and took place on October 11th, the first National Coming Out Day.  

2) President Obama continues to ignore his promises to LGBT people, despite the ideals of hope, change and inclusion he espouses.

3) A federal suit has just been filed in an attempt to resolve the equality issue at the federal, rather than the state, level.

4) Momentum is building - 6 states have Marriage Equality.

5) Many Californians are sad and angry over Proposition 8 and are motivated and waiting for an opportunity to be a part of change.

6) Permits have already been secured.

7) The legislature may not be in session, but I guarantee they are paying attention to the media, which is paying close attention this issue right now.

8) The country is evenly split on the issue of marriage equality right now. Only 17% of the public believed interracial marriage should be allowed when the Supreme Court ruled in Loving v. VA (1967). We are at the tipping point right now!

9) A march would continue to enhance the dialogue and further expose LGBT people to the public, thereby having a positive impact on people's perception of us.

10) We are all ready for equal rights now!!

---

by: jenno @ Sat Jun 13, 2009 at 16:57:19 PM CDT

If not now, when? Reason No. 11....

Polls suggest that support for marriage equality is at all-time high.  

---

by: uluckidog @ Wed Jun 17, 2009 at 08:59:57 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Dallas Principles just lost my support...

Another thing that perturbs me is why someone who has reached out to our community in the similar call-to-action to support the Dallas Principles would not support this March in October...  shall I remind you?

The following eight guiding principles underlie our call to action.
In order to achieve full civil rights now, we avow:
1.Full civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals must be enacted now.  Delay and excuses are no longer acceptable.
2.We will not leave any part of our community behind.
3.Separate is never equal.
4.Religious beliefs are not a basis upon which to affirm or deny civil rights.
5.The establishment and guardianship of full civil rights is a non-partisan issue.
6.Individual involvement and grassroots action are paramount to success and must be encouraged.
7.Success is measured by the civil rights we all achieve, not by words, access or money raised.
8.Those who seek our support are expected to commit to these principles.

hmm...ok.  That's what wrong with the gay community in America is that every one wants all the glory and no one is willing to support each other.  

"Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail."  Sometimes, I'm really glad I live in Munich, Germany away from the American gay community.  If we can't support each other and our endeavors... who else do we have?  There's only one reason why this could possibly fail and that is because all of you let it happen.

---

by: uluckidog @ Wed Jun 17, 2009 at 09:09:46 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Dallas Principles just lost my support...

Not really, but you see... it goes both ways.  In order to gain support you have to earn it.  You earn it...by giving it.  If our own gay family can't love and support each other, how can we expect someone who is not one of us to give us anything else?

---

by: uluckidog @ Wed Jun 17, 2009 at 09:16:28 AM CDT

[ Parent ]