Blogging about the march seems like cheapening the experience somehow. I can't portray the energy, the power, so why try, right? But regardless of this ineptitude, I'll give it a shot.

Sunday morning dawned cloudy and cold as my Join the Impact companions and I boarded the Metro for D.C. Rag tag and grassroots, the National Equality March was meant as a show of force unconnected and largely unsupported by "mainstream" LGBT rights organizations and though the march was hardly the be all, end all of our movement, it was definitely a positive start to a new era.

Speakers ranged from Cleve Jones, Judy Shepard, and Julian Bond to Lady Gaga. They were eloquent, their words ruckus raising and fucking empowering.

Participants represented the rainbow in more ways than just hair color. Straight people, gay people, and transgendered people were all widely represented. All races and ethnic groups, socialists, communists and parents.

I walked around in my socks on Captiol Hill, listened to David Mixner draw on his decades of experience in advocacy for gay rights and Kate Clinton joke her way to how we all feel, tired of homophobia.

I don't believe in marriage, not really. The concept is lost on me. I certainly don't want to join the military. But those are my choices and my beliefs that not all LGBT people share and shouldn't have to. Some people want marriage, and to fight for their country and they deserve that right. We deserve equality.

And just because we want justice and are willing to fight for it, to push Obama and rally for our rights, doesn't make us naive. It doesn't make up leftist wing nuts and it doesn't give anyone carte blanche to dismiss us or our message. It makes me proud to be a part of this community and proud to have been a part of this march.



Some photos and speeches
C-SPAN's full coverage

After a suckass night playing Insomniac Jack's tired tune the fire alarm went off at 7:30 a.m. -or 7:40 depending on who you ask. I'm taking it as proof that god hates fags. Actually just me and the other couple thousand people in my dorm and by god I really mean this chick's microwave that exploded on the second floor. But you know what still loves me? Coffee and that's all that really matters. And free used books (I love my job), those matter too.

Also! I bought my bus ticket from Join the Impact (MA branch) to go down to Washington D.C. for the equality march next week. I then proceeded to almost pee my pants and jump around in excitement because, yeah, sanity lives here.

This was amazing. It was a mass of gays and their straight supporters standing beneath the threat of rain, and against the wind to show that we're still here and that we're standing up. The LGBT community isn't taking the loss/lack of our rights lying down.



Stay tuned bitches, we're not done in yet.