The Washington Monthly

October 12, 2009

MARCH FOR EQUALITY DRAWS A CROWD IN D.C.... It didn't have a cable news outlet promoting the event for months, and it didn't have Dick Armey and other corporate lobbyists sending in activists by the thousands, but the Equality Across America event on the D.C. mall yesterday drew a reasonably big crowd, and delivered an important message.

Tens of thousands of gay-rights activists marched Sunday in Washington to show President Obama and Congress that they are impatient with what they consider piecemeal progress and are ready to fight at the federal level for across-the-board equality, including for the right to marry and the right to serve in the military.
Key votes on same-sex marriage are coming up in the District and Maine, and Obama reiterated his campaign promise Saturday to end the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that forces gay and lesbian members of the armed forces to keep their sexual orientation a secret.

But organizers of the National Equality March and its participants said they want to shift the political effort toward seeking equality in all states, rather than accepting just local and state-level victories.

This was the fifth major gay rights march in D.C., though it was the first since 2000. The AP noted that previous events "included many celebrity performances and drew as many as 500,000 people," while yesterday's gathering "was driven by grassroots efforts."

As for turnout, getting reliable numbers for any such event is always tricky. The New York Times reported, "The organizers were rating the march a success, saying that at least 150,000 people had attended, though the authorities gave no official estimate of the crowd size." The AP added, "Washington authorities don't disclose crowd estimates at rallies, though the crowd appeared to number in the tens of thousands, overflowing from the Capitol lawn."

Either way, the march comes at a key moment in the larger drive for equality. Gay marriage, for example, is now legal in several states, though efforts are underway to scale back those victories. President Obama is committed to advancing the broader cause, including repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," but progress is slow.

Here's hoping policymakers noticed yesterday's gathering and act accordingly.

—Steve Benen 8:00 AM Permalink | Trackbacks | Comments (13)

Comments

With those campaigns going in Maine and Washington, the march seems like a distraction. Up in Maine, we have people who have opened their homes to people who want to come to work on the No on 1 campaign and this was just a beautiful fall weekend. The vote is likely to be close and yet activists wanted to march on the often-trampled National Mall. I don't get it.

Posted by: Mainer on October 12, 2009 at 8:12 AM | PERMALINK

How can a thing like this be written without touching bases with the holy trinity ?
A ) Mavrikee earth mother assassins , safely weighing in
B ) Flared and balanced personalities anchoring commonalites
C ) The trembling truth , askeering me of danger from browns . Reminding me , one more time , of my breathless and precarious position .

If it bites me on the behind , I am able , and cain generally tell if it has teeth that want to murder me

Are our righteous taliban pretenders becoming liberals ?

Oh Noes

Posted by: FRP on October 12, 2009 at 8:27 AM | PERMALINK

Here's hoping policymakers noticed yesterday's gathering and act accordingly.

Did they bring guns and posters showing Barack Obama having grown a cute Hitler mustache? No, well then how could they hope to be noticed!

Posted by: SRW1 on October 12, 2009 at 8:58 AM | PERMALINK

Here's hoping policymakers noticed yesterday's gathering and act accordingly.

I'm sure the ceaseless coverage on the teevee will make it impossible not to notice the full brunt of the 1 million gay folks clogging the streets of washington...

but steve,,, you and they and i are just pajama-wearing goofballs who need to grow up...

Posted by: neill on October 12, 2009 at 10:05 AM | PERMALINK

Absent reliable estimates, I am forced to assume that 1.8 million people attended the march.

Posted by: sven on October 12, 2009 at 11:08 AM | PERMALINK

Has anyone consulted the University of I can't Remember for a more reliable estimate of attendance?

Posted by: BuzzMon on October 12, 2009 at 11:29 AM | PERMALINK

Absent reliable estimates, I am forced to assume that 1.8 million people attended the march.

sven wins the internets!

Posted by: trex on October 12, 2009 at 11:39 AM | PERMALINK

After millions of people all over the world marched in protest against the start of the war on Iraq to no effect, I gave up the idea that these kinds of protests are effective. Sure, they're more interesting when everyone shows up wearing a tricorner hat or a gun as a fashion accessory, but these marches are street theater that appeals only to the like-minded. Policymakers don't actually care what people want; it's the corporations they're listening to. We need more lobbyists and the HRC needs powerful corporate allies.

Posted by: Gaia on October 12, 2009 at 12:28 PM | PERMALINK

Media calculus for providing coverage of protests:

10 progressives = 1 teabagger.

I'm afraid "tens of thousands" just isn't enough to rate with the MSM.

Posted by: bdop4 on October 12, 2009 at 12:39 PM | PERMALINK

I agree with Barney Frank that marches like these are a waste of time and energy. Marches on Washington accomplish nothing more than make the participants feel like they're doing "something." I had already thought that before the anti-Iraq war protest (which I attended since I lived in DC at the time) and it was confirmed when that amazing, historic day of international protest amounted to nothing.

However, that being said, for those folks in the GLBT community that come from places where they are very isolated, I know attending events like these mean a lot emotionally. Let's just hope that they're able to harness that energy and turn it into something more effective and constructive.

Posted by: zoe kentucky on October 12, 2009 at 1:03 PM | PERMALINK

FWIW, as someone who has been on the front line of the women's movement. Women still do not have equality. The battles are long and hard.

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