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Sunday, October 11, 2009

National Equality March Draws 500,000

They were told that their presence would be a waste of time. Even Barney Frank, an openly gay Congressman, and perhaps the biggest ally the LGBT community have in Washington, told them to stay home. He said their energy would be better spent lobbying their elected officials rather than standing in Washington D.C.



They came anyway. By the tens, and hundreds of thousands.

Now, especially now, the message needed to be sent to the rest of America: "We're here. We're queer. Get used to it." The religious and conservative right have been treating the LGBT community like a disease in recent years, with bigotry and hatred and fear not seen since the initial outbreak of the AIDS virus. Pushing lies in the media, making them out to be adulterers, pedophiles, and much worse.

A picture is worth a thousand words. A video is worth so much more. When the videos from today's events start pouring in on the various news organizations, on Youtube, and in emails, I really hope something amazing happens. I hope people see the old men and women holding hands. The couples that have been together since the 40s but have just now been in an environment where they could make their relationship public. I hope they see the children...the families...how many HAPPY, NORMAL families are parented by same sex mommies and daddies. And, I hope they see the love. This isn't about pleasure. It's about love. For god's sake, they just want to love each other and be able to express it in the same way you and I do. What's the big deal.

Frankly (no pun intended), I disagree with Mr. Frank. Although today's march may not directly make a change in Washington, it will call attention to an issue. Martin Luther King Jr. had people gather at that very same location almost 45 years ago, for the very same reason, equal rights. He knew that standing there that day wouldn't change a thing, but the world would take notice. And they did. So, again today, the world will take notice. And, if history repeats itself, like it so often does, change will be made.

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