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Loading ...Speakers announced for National Equality March
09.30.2009 4:19pm EDT
More than 30 speakers, representing the diversity of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and its straight allies, will take the stage at a rally following the march on the west lawn of the Capitol.
“We are coming to Washington with new messages and new strategies to build our national movement,” said Mixner. “We will have one demand in Washington: full and equal and equal protection for LGBT people in all matters governed by civil law in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.”
Joining Mixner on the stage will be the national co-chairs of the march, Cleve Jones, Lt. Dan Choi, and Nicole-Murray Ramirez. Co-directors of the march, Kip Williams and Robin McGehee, also will be speaking.
Civil rights leader Julian Bond, will be one of the featured speakers. Bond was a founder Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and today serves as Board Chairman of the NAACP, the country’s oldest and largest civil rights organization.
Bond likens the National Equality March to the Civil Rights March of 1963. “We had a dream and marched on Washington to demand our rights; I am proud to stand with the LGBT community as they march for theirs,” he said.
St. Olaf college student Richard Aviles will be speaking on behalf of student activists from across the country, who have organized for the march and are descending on Washington.
Also speaking will be Judy Shepard, who lost her son Matthew to a murder motivated by anti-gay hate and who founded the Matthew Shepard Foundation in his memory. The Foundation is dedicated to working toward the causes championed by Matthew during his life: social justice, diversity awareness and education, and equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
Following is a complete listing of speakers to date.
Stuart Applebaum
Richard Aviles
Jarret Barrios
Dustin Lance Black
Julian Bond
Marsha Botzer
Staceyann Chin
Lt. Dan Choi
Tanner Efinger
Hawaii Board of Education Member Kim Coco Iwamoto
Cleve Jones
Michelle Lopez
Robin McGehee
David Mixner
Nicole-Murray Ramirez
Chloe Noble
Tobias Packer
Reverend Troy Perry
New York City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn
Los Angeles Council Member Bill Rosendahl
Babs Siperstein
Judy Shepard
Maxim Thorn
Urvashi Vaid
Derek Washington
Falls Church City Council Member Lawrence Webb
Kit Yan
Kip Williams
Sherry Wolf
The march will be the first step toward a larger goal of creating a national movement – the 50 State Legislative Outreach Campaign — in all 435 congressional districts to demand of elected representatives full equality under the law.
“The march is just the beginning,” said McGehee. “We are not expecting to wake up on Monday morning with a federal bill on the presidents desk to sign.”
“We will no longer be told to wait. This march is our chance to demand full equal protection under the law, and it will help us realize the dream of Equality Across America: a committed group of grassroots activists in all 435 Congressional Districts,” added Williams.
Lordy, back to counting women… duh. There goes Equality.
Anyhow, I am waiting anthem announcement.
Vote for TOBY!
Leeanne Henry,
so I’ll see you there 
The gender of these names may seem somewhat confusing but 14 of the 30 speakers are women and at least 5 different races along with the spectrum of our community and allies. You can’t get more diverse than this
My partner and I are traveling from Atlanta, GA and we have many friends accross the country who will be attending.
What bothers me the most is the lack of support and promotion on the part of most National LGBT Organizations, which is why I have frozen all my contributions to most National organizations. My money now generally goes to local grassroots initiatives and the few national organizations that don’t only promote their own selfish agenda and wallet.
Leeanne….get over yourself. So because there aren’t enough women speakers, you’re not going and THAT sealed the deal. You’re rediculous.
I would understand if it were a thing about not being able to afford it, or you had to work, or you couldn’t find a sitter for your kids…or menopause was flaring up that day and it felt 150 degrees out with 100% humidity…but because there are not enough females speaking. That I must say this is the first time I’ve heard that excuse, and as a congressional district rep…I’ve heard them all.
Please…stay home. We don’t need your “Waahhh…women are still sufferagettes..” B.S. – Besides..your Al Borlan-like Flannel will most likely clash against all those Gay’s pink shirts, feather boas and tiaras.
OMG! OMG! No Ms. Mens? The march is a failure.
James
By a quick count 10 out of 30 are female? Yeah. No thanks. So tired of bloated gay men telling me about my lesbian life. Which is nothing like their gay life. Good luck to everyone that goes, this just sealed the deal for my non-attendance.
I don’t know anyone that is planning on attending this. I really hope that it’s not going to be a large flop. That would be very embarrassing for the community.
This is an impressive list of speakers. I wish I could be there to hear them, but I cannot. HOWEVER, I am sending letters to President Obama and Speaker Pelosi urging them to act on promises they made to the LGBT community when they sought our votes, our donations and work. I am also writing to my own Canadian provincial legislator urging action on education issues.
We are all in this together. It is not a United States thing. It is a unified action by all LGBT folk for all LGBT folk.
After the defeat of marriage equality in California through proposition 8, our opponents think we are just limp-wristed queens who can be shoved out of the way. Well, the unified action of LGBT people by marching, writing letters, phone calls and petitions might just give us the chance we need to show we are the strongest willed queens since Elizabeth I of England– with the full hearts and stomachs to win the fight for equality.
WE CANNOT ALL BE IN WASHINGTON, BUT WE CAN ALL DO SOMETHING!