National Equality March 2009

Today turned my cynical heart into one of hope again.  It was amazing to be surrounded by thousands (maybe 250,000) brothers and sisters along with straight allies with the same hope.  A hope of action now. 

Last night, I stood in the Madison Hotel bar with a room full of a varied LGBT folks.  Our President spoke and at times my heart leap and then would fall on the word web that was shared.  I watched how the room didn't bust into applause as the HRC audience so often did at each word of our President's speech.  Do you get a special note card or interpretation of the same speech  when you pay $250 or so a plate?

As the HRC audience stood at times and cheered often it was not the same where I stood.  I searched the room for faces that wore the California mask.  Many of us were there and the truth is we have been burnt by words and speeches.  To have the wonderful equal right of marriage then have our state government strangely manage the after wards of it all - hurts!  To lose your equal right to a fear based vote and have it supported by a "salt in the wound" court decision is enough for most to take.

Today.  Today was different.  It was all types of LGBT folks!  Folks who wanted to pay the money to go to that type of event to the local teenager who gets an allowance to homeless LGBT and everyone in between.

Today's hope for me was four women.  My gift was the L.A. Girls as they have been dubbed!  Four young women of different POC make up marching to learn to change our world. I witnessed their conversations change.  I watched when they met Lt. Dan Choi and were shocked to learn he was fired for being gay.  I witnessed as Robin and Cleve hugged and kissed welcomes into our struggle with them.  I was tickled as Stacy stood proudly with the L.A. Girls an hour before the March.  It was a kick in the pants when Rick took a photo with them and then Judith Light stood side by side with them in a picture.  To snap the picture of Judith Light with the girls was magical because Judith Light was fighting for LGBT rights before the girls were even born.   To see the L.A. Girls at Camp Courage and learning the "story of self" was exhlirating.   Torie Osborn and Lisa Powell sharing their "stories of self" and  guiding the new activists to a productive path of action was powerful!  I can go on and on but I will leave it to the gals to do so. 

Keep your eyes posted to this blog for their experiences and their new actions for this fight.

By
Anne-Marie Williams