I went to the National Equality March

Took the weekend off from writing because I desperately needed a break. We joined our friends M and D in DC for the National Equality March. Considering that I have been focused on my dissertation and nothing else, I really hadn't given the march much thought, nor did I have an agenda for when we arrived. Nevertheless, there were lots of things to do so we just jumped right in.

Saturday (seminars and discussions):

The IMPACT queer youth group organized a flashmob at Union Station. Have you ever seen those commercials on tv where lots of people assemble without warning in a crowded public place, perform some activity, then disperse? Well, imagine hundreds of queer kids and their supporters assembling at busy Union Station, posing in place for a couple of minutes, and dropping a 12-foot banner that read, "this is what equality looks like." So much fun, but I can't find any video on youtube though I know people were taping us. After the flashmob, we all gathered outside for a short rally, then marched over to the Capitol for a short protest. The fact that this was organized by kids? Awesome. The fact that these kids were so out, proud, and full of conviction? Total and complete win.

Later that afternoon, we attended several seminars and discussion panels.

"Race and the LGBT Community": This was a very interactive discussion hosted by a brothah (Derek Washington), with a panel including (and I feel bad for not writing everyone's names, so I will speak in terms of demographics) a gay Asian man (Wayne ?), a white transgender woman (Babs Siperstein, the first transgender person appointed to the DNC), a lesbian Latina (Anne-Marie Williams), and another white man (David ?), who I presume to be gay. The audience itself was quite diverse, though I couldn't find a single transgender POC. This forum raised so many interesting points but a few really resonated with me. First, we discussed the priorities of the LGBT community and the tendency of the rich, white majority to focus on marriage. When Mr. Washington asked for a show of hands from people who thought marriage should be the top priority in the community, there was not a single hand up in the room. I think that says a lot about how POC voices are not really being heard at the top. Also, we discussed the importance of seeing yourself represented in the community as motivation for getting involved. In a nutshell, the queer POC in the room said we would be more willing to get involved in functions and activities where there were other queer POC present. Although this seems 101 to me, it didn't sit well with Babs, who thought it was important that queer POC learn to play the "white game" and strategically demand entrance to traditionally white venues to make our voices are heard. Anne-Marie agreed with Babs but raised an interesting point that POC are often socialized not to speak up or feel entitled to have our voices heard. That really rang true with me. Seeing Babs frown on the queer POC really made me start to think about whether white transgender women still possess the entitlement that comes from being socialized as white men. Of course, then, she would find it hard to grasp the hesistancy and the frustration that comes with inviting ourselves to the "white table." Nevertheless, great discussion and lots of food for thought.

"Trans-101": We followed up that discussion by attending the Trans-101 seminar, run by Rev. Donna. It began with a history of transgenderism and was supposed to move into a discussion of the current important issues in the transgender community. This seminar? Not so good. In addition to giving a history that was devoid of FTMs, Rev. Donna clearly had some privilege issues that, IMO, made her difficult to hear. Also, there were two POC in the room, and neither one of us was transgender. Rev. Donna acted as if her anger at the president and his inaction on transgender issues also extended to all POC. Um, no. First, all POC (just like all white folks) aren't opposed to LGBT rights. Second, and very importantly, there's something called intersectionality. Google it. Needless to say, we cut out early on that one and instead headed to the Transgender Welcome Forum.

Transgender Welcome Forum: This was forum dedicated to discussing transgender issues from the legal and community perspectives. First thing I noticed when I entered the room? The absence of transpeople of color. The vast majority were white transwomen. Legal issues were presented by Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. We spent a bit of time talking about ENDA, which is definitely needed, but I expected/hoped there would also be a focus on legal measures to curb violence and ensure healthcare for transpeople (though, perhaps I missed them because we arrived late). We heard about several initiatives for trans rights in the DC area from another white transwoman whose name escapes me. We also broke into discussion groups to talk about issues that plague the community and how we think we might address them. This wasn't such an effective discussion tactic, but it was okay. Towards the end, a sistah and the only transwoman of color, walked in, and the entire atmosphere in the room changed. Clearly, this sistah, Dee Curry, has a relationship with Ms. Keisling and the other panelists, who, unlike Ms. Keisling, looked like they just wished she hadn't shown up. Dee suggested that she hadn't really been welcomed and had found out about this panel at the last moment. She asked to say a few words and Mara consented. Dee spoke of the transgender POC, but particularly of the black transgender community in DC. She spoke calmly, but she conveyed her anger at having her voice and the voices of other transgender POC go unheard. She stated her part in the lack of exposure but clearly called out the white transgender activists for their inactivity on bridging the gap. Did I mention that I was so happy that she showed up? This was a powerful forum, not for what was said, but for what (almost) wasn't. I also went over and talked to Dee after the forum because I thought it was important to reach out and to commend her for showing up despite the obvious bullshit. She's got a full plate, trying to organize support for transgender POC in DC, but she has managed to establish the DC Hollaback club (though I can't find a link on the web).

Sunday (the march):

the March: There were thousands and thousands of people...and two, count them, TWO anti-gay, pro-church protesters. Seriously dudes, y'all are clearly outnumbered. GTF home. It was great to see so many people out in force, even if everyone had a different priority for being there. Based on their protest signs, some folks were there in search of marriage equality, some in support of immigration reform. Some folks were there to protest the ridiculous "Dont Ask, Don't Tell" policy. It didn't really matter why, but we were all able to go and voice our dissent. That was beautiful, powerful, and worth the trip. That being said, there were some things that made me cringe with anger, like the continued appropriation of songs and images from the civil rights movement. There were two young white protesters holding a sign of an image they had clearly photoshopped to make the image on the bottom.

(top pic found on Daily Kos via a Google image search. bottom pic = photoshop)

...

Epic fail. I get that you want to convey queer people as second class citizens, but this? Just no. Also, the Gay Mens Chorus singing "We Shall Overcome" was... Yeah, not feeling it. There's just something that rankles about using the civil rights movement when the voices and concerns of queer POC are clearly still being ignored and there's a very real antagonism against POC communities. It's quite isolating and it makes me feel personally that I must choose between my queer and POC identities. That's not a choice anyone should have to make.

Full coverage of the after march rally at the Capitol is available on C-span.