Out4Immigration at the National Equality March
By Doug Haxall,Saturday, October 24, 2009
Over the weekend of October 10th and 11th, 2009, Out4Immigration activists participated in two glorious actions to bring awareness to the Congress of the United States and the President of the United States about the situation of bi-national LGBT couples.
Saturday night, October 10th, President Barack Obama was the guest of honor at a dinner hosted by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). While the speech he gave was beautiful and stirring, it lacked critical details such as a timeline and specific actions. Most particularly, the LGBT community is disappointed that the new administration has not taken any action yet on DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act), DADT (the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" military policy), ENDA (the Employment Non-Discrimination Act) and UAFA (the Uniting American Families Act).
Activists from a number of organizations including Out4Immigration gathered outside the HRC dinner to hand out literature, stickers and to talk with participants at the dinner about the lack of action from the Obama administration. We spoke with over a hundred dinner attendees on their way in, and several dozen of them agreed to proudly wear our "Out4Immigration" sticker on their lapels. While not all of the attendees seemed to be aware of our issue, most did, and most seemed appreciative of our efforts.
Sunday, October 11th marked the big day for activists around the country - the National Equality March came to fruition. It was, by all accounts, a smashing success - much more broadly attended than was predicted (over 100,000 participants), overwhelmingly peaceful and inspiring. In fact, there was even a somewhat miraculous moment when, just as the march was starting, a giant rainbow suddenly appeared in the sky over our heads! News flash to the right-wingers: We received a message from God, and he/she appears to be on our side!!
Out4Immigration played a prominent role in the march with our wide banner visible from far away. We were caught in a number of photo and video retrospectives of the day including one produced by the March organizers themselves, so it is clear that our message got out there.
The March followed a path from central Washington past the White House and up Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol. Many observers lined the walls and terraces of the grand structures lining Pennsylvania Avenue such as the Newseum and the Canadian Embassy, waving flags and cheering in support. Once at the Capitol, participants were treated to raging and righteous speeches by the likes of David Mixner, Cynthia Nixon and even Lady Ga-Ga.
By all accounts, the March was a big success and most of those who came along returned home feeling re-invigorated and inspired to take the fight for complete and total equality to the next level. Let's keep up the fight for federal and state equality for all, and for the immediate passage of the Uniting American Families Act!
See more pictures of the event
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