I went to the National Equality March with my very good friend, David Hawkins, who was there to a) march for equality and b) report on the March for The Advocate.
His article, which was just posted last night (on the front page!), is a smart, fresh, and enthusiastic look at our struggle for civil rights as seen, heard, and felt by a twenty-something gay man at the National Equality March. In his article, “The Day I Became An Activist,” David marks the March moments that subtly transformed him from a concerned LGBT guy to into a natural civil rights activist:
Will and I walked slowly, most of the time without words but occasionally commenting on a sign, costume, or a hot guy. The dome of the Capitol building slowly grew in size as we marched down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the rally location. I arrived to the Capitol lawn and was taken aback by how beautiful, monstrous, and intimidating the structure is.
. . . What I most took away from the speeches delivered by David Mixner, Cynthia Nixon, Aiyi’nah Ford, Julian Bond, Cleve Jones, Lady Gaga, and many more changed my view of the entire reason I was there. For one, each and every speaker took multiple moments to thank the thousands of gays and straight allies who had gathered and marched. They made it clear that I, as a sole individual, was appreciated; that I contributed to the success of that day.
What also rang true was that we were not necessarily gathered as an LGBT community asking for rights, but rather that we are humans asking for the same civil rights as every other American.
. . . There is a lot of road left to travel for the LGBT community in America. But just as we’ve always done, we will fight. And though I hope and pray our day comes sooner rather than later, I’ll have no problem standing on the Capitol lawn 30 years from now, waving my flag, and fighting for the generations to come.
David and I had a remarkable time together at the March, and he beautifully recorded his experiences in Washington, D.C.. It’s one thing to attend a political gathering, but it’s another to let it in, to let it affect and change you. And that’s what David did.
Sure, I’m a bit biased, but David’s article is very much worth reading in its entirety over on The Advocate.
October 20th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Way to go, David. Thanks for posting William—great to see you two in DC at the march!