As masses of marchers - numbering in the tens, if not hundreds of thousands - weaved their way through the streets of our nation's capitol, brandishing signs and chanting equality mantras, it was clear that this was not simply a protest... it had the hallmark of a full-blown civil rights movement.
Congregating on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building, the immense crowd was enthralled as speaker after speaker eloquently and passionately expounded on the injustices endured by LGBT Americans, and resolved to fight the battle for equality until it is won. Men and women of all ages, races, ethnicity, religious beliefs, and sexual identity were unified with a singular mission: equal rights for all.
Skeptics said we wouldn't come. We did. Antagonists said that the LGBT community was too fractured and apathetic to summon a true identity, let alone speak with a unified voice. They were wrong. We know who we are, we knew why we were there, and we spoke with conviction and power. As was said many times throughout the orations, we are on the right side of history. And we will persist until this battle is won.
The National Equality March achieved its objective. It marked not the end of a journey, but the beginning of one.
While many may have heard the inspiring collection of speeches delivered on the steps of the Capitol Building (if you haven't, I encourage you to go to YouTube and listen to each and every one), equally as inspiring are the reasons individual citizens gave for joining the cause.
Here are some of the response people (including me) gave when asked to explain "Why I March":
- I march because my conscience demands it
- I march to demand the repeal of DOMA
- I march to honor the sanctity of marriage for all committed couples
- I march to speak out against bigotry and hatred towards gays
- I march for the right to join the military - regardless of my sexual orientation
- I march for the right to raise a family with my same-sex partner
- I march because I'm proud of who I am
- I march for respect, dignity, and equality
- I march to make a difference
- I march to give the finger to the Phelps freaks
- I march not to impose my beliefs on others, but to protect myself from others imposing their beliefs on me
- I march to stand up against the National Organization for Marriage
- I march because apathy is our biggest enemy
- I march so congress will know I'm LGBT and I'm serious
- I march because LGBT equal rights can only be achieved at the federal level
- I march because every voice counts
- I march to end LGBT discrimination in the workplace
- I march to make my mother proud
- I march to show the world I'm not afraid
- I march to raise awareness of the rise in LGBT hate crimes
- I march to remind Obama why we voted for him
- I march because I am equal, and I deserve equal rights
- I march because in my lifetime, our marriage was illegal (interracial heterosexual couple)
- I march because I'm from California, and we lost Proposition 8 - and we're not going to lose anything else, Goddamnit!
- I march so my partner and I can have equal rights for our baby son
- I march for liberty and justice for all - equal rights for everyone
- I march (and rode the bus all night to get here) because LGBT rights are human rights, and I'm tired of waiting
- I march so our baby daughter can grow up and love who she wants to love
- I march because it's the right thing to do. I want my children to have the rights that I don't currently have
- I march for equal rights for all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity
- I march because our family should be respected just like any other family
- I march so I can actually marry my partner of 10 years and have the same rights that every straight couple has
- I march because I deserve equal rights, as does my girlfriend
- I march because "if you are gay, gay is OK" (spoken by a little kid)
- I march because we need equal rights, and we need them as soon as possible... like today... or tomorrow... or NOW
- I march because I don't understand why people are so afraid of she and I getting married
- I march because I think you should be able to love whomever you want to love
- I'm marching for my family and for myself. I am a lesbian, and my Latino family is largely an immigrant population
- I march for 100% equality. We've been together for 21 years, yet we don't have any legal rights
- I march to send a message to President Obama to keep his promise on equal rights
- I march for the generations to come and those cast to the margins - ignored by the media and decision makers
- I march for all those who can't
- I march because I was married for 30 years and enjoyed all the legal rights of a married person. Now I'd like the same rights married to a man
- I march for equality and safety, which has been denied on our campus
- I march because we've been together for 31 years in February, and we want to get married
- I march because I trust the president, and wish him well, but he can do more for us and I think he will. He gives great speeches... we want great acts
- I march because I want to have a family with my girlfriend
- I march for full equality for all Americans
- I march for love... for pure honest love in all circumstances
- I march so Americans can have the same rights we enjoy in Canada
- I march because no one should be a second class citizen
- I march for those who cannot
- I march because sometimes it takes a bunch of people to get together before people notice them
- I march because I feel that everyone should have a choice and an opportunity to be with the one they love
- I march for our four kids that need our support. We want to get married and we can't. We deserve equal rights
- I march because 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' hurts our troops and hurts our country
- I march to protect love
- I march because I think Bert and Ernie should have gotten married
- I am marching for me, so I can have a stronger commitment to this movement
- I march to support the repeal of DOMA and "Don't Ask Don't Tell", to support adoption rights, and international marriage
- I march to be counted
- I march because they've been telling us it's not our time since Stonewall
- I march because everyone should have the same rights and privileges in America
- I march as a straight guy who supports the cause of equality
- I march not because I believe change is possible, but because I believe it is inevitable
This is just a small sampling of why we marched. These are real voices from real people who invested the time, money, and energy to make sure their voices were heard in Washington DC. Make no mistake... every voice counts.
The National Equality March was just the beginning. We will continue to fight the battle until it is won. We will contest every piece of bigoted legislation at all levels of government. We will introduce and support LGBT equality legislation on every front. We will use our collective strength to ensure our elected officials are advocates for equality.
We are not asking for equal rights, we are demanding it.
[Special thanks to Tweeter @jaysays for his tireless efforts in interviewing scores of marchers and posting the videos on Twitter - from which many of these quotes were compiled. Bravo!]
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