The National Equality March is moving full steam ahead and picking up lots of supporters along the way. Earlier this week, they released a list of over 140 endorsements from high profile people from across the country including
- Alan Cummings, Actor (X-Men 2, the L Word)
- Bruce Vilanch, Writer/ Actor (Hollywood Squares)
- Bryan Batt, Actor (Mad Man)
- Charlize Theron, Academy Award Winning Actress (Monster, The Italian Job)
- Chad Allen, Actor/ Producer (Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman)
- Cleve Jones, Activist, The Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt
- Dustin Lance Black, Oscar Winning Screenwriter (”Milk”)
- Harvey Fierstein, Actor/ Writer (Mrs. Doubtfire)
- Judith Light, Actress (Ugly Betty)
- Lt. Daniel Choi, West Point and United States Army
- Melissa Etheridge, Singer-songwriter, Musician, Activist
“I’m touched by the support of folks from all walks of life, said Kip Williams, Equality Across America (EAA) Director. “Celebrities, elected officials, faith leaders, and LGBT movers and shakers have joined the grassroots rank and file to support the National Equality March. The March will be the first step toward a larger goal of creating a national movement in all 435 congressional districts to demand of our elected representatives full equality under the law. We will come to Washington with new messages and new strategies to build our national movement.”
The National Equality March’s facebook fan page has over 28,000 fans, and is rapidly growing, but perhaps the reason why it took so long to gain support is because of poor marketing. The event is being promoted as a “march”, but in fact it’s so much more than that. The two-day event will also include a media training workshop from GLAAD, an educational event from the HRC, lobbying tactics, and much more. The most important part of this event is probably the lobbying tactics session, because as Kip Williams said, the larger goal is to create a national movement in all 435 congressional districts to demand full equality under the law. It’s about teaching people how to go back to their home cities and pressure politicians to make change locally and nationally. You don’t sell a steak dinner by hyping up the mashed potatoes side dish, and the same thing should be true about this event. The main course is the lobbying teach-in, getting the attendees to continue the push for change when they get back home. The march is a side dish, and while it’s good to promote it as a side event, it shouldn’t be the title of the event because it’s misleading.
The National Equality March does look like it’s going to be a success though, even in the poor economy. Activists have been donating airline miles, setting up busses, and creating rideshares to help people get to DC. Check out the Equality Across America website to see how you can get to Washington and stay there for the entire weekend on a budget. If you have had doubts about attending the event, you should really check out the site. DC is definitely the place to be this October.
National Equality March video to the song "Going to DC" by Gavin Creel, cofounder of Broadway Impact and star of the Broadway musical HAIR. Video courtesy of Jamie McGonnigal.
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Comments
Maine, not March. That's where our resources and focus should be. After the Prop. 8 disaster, the Maine referendum is our best shot at re-gaining the momentum. The March is a huge distraction from what should be our main priority this fall.Even if the March is a success (which I very much doubt), if the Maine referendum loses a few weeks later, Cleve Jones and Company will have a lot to answer for.
Maine, Washington, Kalamazoo AND the March in DC are all important for various reasons. The March is crucial as it will galvanize an entire nation of LGBTers and straight allies to expand the fight to the Federal level and get our federal civil rights that can not be taken away from us, through legislation (Hate Crimes, ENDA, MREA) and court cases (DOMA and Prop 8 challenges). The Maine and Washington elections will be paramount, but we can not afford to be nearsighted and blind ourselves from our long-term path, and we must realize that going state by state will prove be inefficient in the long-run. Getting federal rights will save us time and resources from fighting for anti-discrimination bills in places such as Utah and Anchorage, Alaska. The notion that a failure by the Maine No on 1 Campaign would be due to the March taking away resources is sensationalist, distorted and unfounded. Both the March and the state election campaigns will derive strength from synergy.
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