National Equality March In Washington D.C.

By Anne Rodeman, Broadway Magazine

After months of organizing, on October 11th, 2009, over 200,000 people from all over the country gathered in Washington, D.C. for the National Equality March. A grassroots movement demanding equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender citizens, the march was called for by activist, Cleve Jones. Jones, who was mentored by gay rights pioneer, Harvey Milk, conceived of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt and for 30 years has been a tireless advocate for the LGBT community.

The march was a galvanizing force for the LGBT community, bringing together activists, politicians, celebrities, and citizens in the fight for equal rights under the law. The massive crowd included a diverse group of LGBT people, as well as many straight allies marching for the rights of their friends, family, and loved ones. They marched through the streets of D.C., down Pennsylvania Avenue, past the White House and rallied in front of the Capitol Building.

The Broadway community saw the national event as an opportunity to show its support. Upon hearing of the National Equality March, the cast of Hair canceled its Sunday matinee in order to march on Washington. Broadway Impact, a community of Broadway professionals united by the fight for LGBT rights (created by Hair cast member, Gavin Creel) organized a fleet of buses to take over 1,000 New Yorkers to Washington, D.C. for the march, free of charge.

In addition to the cast of Hair, the march attracted such theatre luminaries as Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Chenoweth, Marc Kudisch, Steven Schwartz, and Audra MacDonald. The rally featured rousing speeches from Nixon, who announced her engagement to her girlfriend earlier this year, lesbian poet StaceyAnn Chin, and the openly gay screenwriter of Milk, Dustin Lance Black. The march also offered something audiences could never see on Broadway: With the Capitol Building behind them and the Washington Monument in the distance, the cast of Hair performed a rallying cry rendition of "Let the Sun Shine In" with a 200,000 strong chorus of marchers.

Also in attendance was pop star, Lady Gaga, who made an appropriately dramatic impression donning sunglasses, a crisp white shirt and black suspenders. The diminutive star-standing on a plastic crate in order to reach the microphone-said, "Obama, I know that you're listening," then screamed, "ARE YOU LISTENING?!?"

With a new administration and a president that many have called "a friend to gay people," organizers focused on the fight to repeal three acts of discriminatory legislation: "Don't Ask Don't Tell," the current policy for gays and lesbians serving in the military, the Defense of Marriage Act, legislation that allows states to not recognize same-sex marriage licenses issued by other states, and Proposition 8, the measure passed last year that refuses same-sex couples in California the right to marry. Speaking at the Human Rights Campaign gala the evening before the march, President Obama promised to end "Don't Ask Don't Tell," but has yet to say how or when. Cleve Jones applauded the marchers but told them that there is still much work to be done. He urged citizens to get involved and demand their rights, reminding them, "We didn't organize to march. We marched to organize."

The National Equality March was full of inspirational speeches, songs, and stories, but the most moving part of the day may have occurred in silence. As thousands of people gathered on that cloudless, Sunday afternoon to march with their friends, families and signs in hand, they looked up to find a rainbow arching over the city of Washington, D.C. Strangers embraced and tears flowed easily as the crowd started the march towards their nation's capitol.

See the video coverage of the National Equality March here on Broadway.tv. If you want to know how you can get involved in the fight for equal rights check out the following sites:
Equalityacrossamerica.org
Broadwayimpact.com
Hrc.org