Marching on Washington: An Activist's Diary

I got there Saturday at 7:30 a.m. while fencing was being put up around us to 'prevent' anyone entering from our rally. There were also 25 police and security. I was setting up by myself without knowing who else would show up.

CNN showed up but didn't stay. AP TV and NBC and the New York Times did.

We also had four gay media representatives as well. And while the New York Times gave us two\ paragraphs in its Sunday (April 30) edition, they'd said we only had 10 folks, while we actually had 25, and "either active duty or former military personnel and their partners".

Sandy Rapp sang with her guitar. Tom Swann came in his Marine uniform. Swann had won a court action against the Pentagon. He's also legally blind from AIDS. He was doing another military ceremony at the Congressional Cemetery at 1 p.m.. where Leonard Matlovich has been buried. Mike Rankin was a Captain in the Navy and on the President's Council on AIDS. Lt. Col. Nancy Russell also spoke representing the Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Veterans Association.

Frank Kameny denounced all 'traitors' from the politicians to the Pentagon brass who, he said, should be hung. And he said he'd buy the rope. While small in numbers, we made an impact with our protestors from Boston, Washington D.C., Indiana, Chicago, California, Atlanta Michigan, and Miami Beach. It was a terrific morning of movement and consciousness. We swore not to forget those who'd served in Korea as well as Vietnam.

Swann related his own experience dealing with the Pentagon's politics and with the Christian Coalition that had approved of killing Gays to" liberate their terrible souls."

This day, was also the 55th Anniversary of the Liberation of Dachau Death Camp, by the U.S. 142 and 145 Divisions and all those who were gay, who gave life and limb to accomplish to liberation which is why the 'pink triangle' became a gay symbol.

Awards were given to two gay men who had served in WWII and a number of letters were read from key people.

Sunday, of course was the big day for the Millennium March. My "No More Bushit" buttons went like hot cakes, and I decided to take my two signs: "Bravo Reno" and "No More Bushit" with an "Impeach the GOP" sticker on it, to where the marchers would have to deal with them.

I stood right where the 50+ homophobes with their tee-shirts: "Got AIDS Yet?",were standing and so while the marchers reacted to them, they also see my sign, which made this site perfect for over 2 hours.

Reactions to the signs were enthusiastic. And I also wanted to let lesbians and gays supporting the GOP that to me, their marching seemed hollow. They'd surely empower the Falwell's and Robertson's to keep on attacking us, which is what promises to happen if Bush gets installed in the White House.

So on this great day, the March ended about 12:30 p.m.., and I liked it still and there were a lot of much younger marchers than in previous marches, which was inspiring. A good mix of people.

I didn't stay for the speeches, as I was quite tired.

Yesterday, I got a call from 80-year old and wonderful activist Morris Kight from Los Angeles., who was also quoted in Monday's New York Times editorial in support of the March, and we talked about everything.

I also got a call from the Los Angeles Times interviewing me about Jerry Falwell and Mel White, and my experiences with both.

What a week of events. And today the 30th anniversary of the "Kent State" shooting and killing by National Guardsmen of 4 American student war protestors, and last week the 25th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, and yours truly having involved for 13 years in the anti-war movement, and leading a slew of protests against Richard Nixon and now doing this effort at the Pentagon.

What amazing life experiences!

Yours Faithfully,
Bob Kunst
Oral Majority

I just finished reading feeds of press coverage of the Millenium March on Washington, and wanted to share a couple of quick thoughts.

It's funny how being there provided a completely different perspective than the insular, maybe jaded New York point of view that I had before the event.

I had thought the boycott of the event by elected officials was kind of surprising. Once there, I found it deeply offensive. Because I couldn't explain it to the schoolteachers from Texas whom I met, nor the PFLAG activist (a straight, fiftyish woman from California with no gay children), nor to the 15-year-old High School student from Maryland. I talked to as many people as I could during the weekend, trying to understand the disconnect between the leaders and the rest of us. And I came away feeling HRC and Tom Duane have more in common with each other than with the hundreds of thousands who came to the March. They all talk. A lot. And apparently have forgotten to listen.

Related Stories from the GayToday Archive: Millenium March Rally Attended by Tens of Thousands The Millennium March: Should I Stay or Should I Go? Signorile & Fop Fashions Related Sites: Millennium March on Washington Human Rights Campaign or GayToday does not endorse related sites.

I heard, again and again, how happy attendees were that the majority of marchers "looked like normal people." They were deeply concerned that media coverage would focus on those of us they consider freaks. I am very uncomfortable with such exclusionary thinking. But. Obviously a LOT of marchers, voters, donors feel this way. Are we just declaring they SHOULDN'T feel this way and moving on, or are we taking the time to address this fundamental undercurrent in a meaningful way?

I talked to the representatives of the Vermont coalition. The current poster children of the HRC (and, it seems, every other national group). You know what they said? Thank God HRC didn't come to help! If they had come in with their know-it-all attitude, they said, if they had applied a one-size-fits-all style of activism, they said, we would have surely lost.

We worry about Maine, they said. We hope they don't mess that up. Wow! Was HRC listening to this? Would not hearing this have been priceless for leaders

who were boycotting the event? I talked to many lesbians and gays from smaller towns. This was a thrill for them. It was still new. It was clearly emotionally overpowering. Hell, it was emotionally overpowering for me, an urban veteran of two other national Marches and countless Pride celebrations. I saw so many tears, embraces, raw emotions. Of course, those who boycotted the event didn't see that, either.

Perhaps it is a reality of how an event this large must be funded. But I was thinking about inclusiveness as I paid $5 just to get INTO the merchandise and food area. If I were unable to afford the cover charge, I would NOT have had access to more than just the $3 water and $5 polish sausage. I would have missed exhibits by GLAAD, NGLTF, FMC, ACLU, AI, LLDF, and HRC itself. The gay press, gay internet companies, gay investment companies. They were all behind a fence and a fee. That felt really odd. And inappropriate.

Also spellbinding: Melissa Etheridge, George Michael, and yes, Kathy Najimy (I was fascinated to read how she came across on C-Span; you must remember that by the time she spoke on the mall, a hundred politicians had introduced a hundred other politicians ("Now, the mayor of Denver!") These clearly left the crowd distracted.

Hispanic activists had already bashed the Millenium March Committee for inadequate prominence. A two-spirit Native American leader had already spoken ("I cannot forgive you for what your ancestors did to my ancestors...") The sun was hot. The dust was thick. Kathy cut through the malaise with her wit and language. It took all that and more to hold the crowd's attention at that point in the rally.

One more high point at the rally: Wisconsin's Tammy Baldwin. What an inspiring speaker! We are lucky to have her in our family.

One more low point: the HRC infomercials blasting from the jumbotrons between every act at the RFK concert ("we will be with you every step of the way, for the rest of your life. To guide you... Help you... Love you..." -- Yuk!) ESPECIALLY since there was such a backlash, you would think some of the really in-your-face self-serving rhetoric could have been toned down. There was a lot too much "hooray for us," way too little "Hooray for you" on the part of HRC.

HRC needs to listen. A lot. So does anyone who hopes to lead our fragmented movement into the 21st Century. You will never turn every GLBT person into an activist. But. If you hear their concerns, speak their language, engage them, you WILL see them turn out massively for a march (despite the boycotts, they did!

Never mind the niggling about whether this was bigger than '93 or whatever; this was BIG, period! And to many, many in attendance, it was clearly fantastically important. Not totally politically correct? Yup. Not perfect? Oh yeah. But it was IMPORTANT, and it was an important opportunity for the leaders to listen and learn and those who weren't there lost out and in the end so did we all.)

The back page of the commemorative edition of "The Outvocate" summed up the range of attitudes I preceive among our leaders succinctly. Columnists answer the question, "Why march?" (p. 128) A couple trite, cliche, feel-good answers. A few wry, post-millenial I'm-so-over-everything answers. A few condescending know-it-all answers.

And this from B. Ruby Rich: "March out of pride and our of fear. March because it's a presidential year and numbers count. March because marching is the only tactic the Christian right doesn't use. March because it's symbolic and ineffective and ours. March because it's democratic and messy and honorable." Yeah! (I also found some precious insights in PlanetOut's lengthy pre-march interview with Rep. Barney Frank, one of the most intelligent men alive.)

On the metro, and on the mall, and at the Starbucks on DuPont Circle and outside RFK, all these queers kept talking about why they were there. That's right, all those passive, comfortable, selfish 21st century GLBT's kept talking about how it was that something, anything, actually SPURRED THEM TO ACTION.

They kept talking about what they liked and didn't like, what they cared about, how they perceived the event our organizations, our culture.

How many of our leaders who boycotted the Millenium March missed out on this priceless treasure trove of research and public opinion? If they are sincere in wanting to serve the community, and to represent that community, how could they justify virtually abandoning that community's coming together? It's good to analyze. It's good to teach. But first, leaders must really listen. And never, ever condescend to their members, supporters and allies.

I came away from it all hopeful, frustrated, tired, motivated. I came away from it all with a better understanding of a particular segment of our community. I came away with a better understanding of our national organizations.

I know nobody at the NGLTF booth could tell me anything about how that organization pulled it's sponsorship of the Millenium March, nor how it worked with HRC to have it's concerns addressed. I know how members of the Vermont Coalition fear HRC. I know how clumsily HRC sold itself to its own audience, and have to wonder how clumsy they might be in representing us to the mainstream.

I formed my opinions by listening, watching, perspiring, singing, crying, applauding, cheering, holding hands with my boyfriend and hugging strangers. I came away changed. And I wonder with trepidation what it will take to effect a change in some of our leadership.

Sincerely,
Rai Kirstein

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