Reporter James Gardner ’13 participated in the National Equality March in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 11. This is his first-hand account.

Tens of thousands of grassroots activists and fair-minded advocates from the across the country converged in Washington D.C. on Sunday, Oct. 11 for the National Equality March. Under the banner of “Equality Across America” the march called for equal protection for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and allies (LGBTQIA) in all matters of civil law across the country. Wesleyan, Trinity College, and Connecticut College sent 43 students by bus to experience the national event firsthand.

“My experience was really great,” said Indee Michell ’10, “People were really open and friendly, which I would expect from a gay group of people.”

Events included a Youth Dance, an Official Interfaith Service, a Cadence Run around the monuments, and many workshops and discussions. None of the events were required, but all were highly recommended.

“I went to the AIDS Vigil on Saturday night, and I went to the main rally,” said Nick Davenport ’10.

The National Equality March itself was a spectacular event to behold. Lasting roughly four hours, the march began in McPherson Square, wrapped around Lafayette Park and the New Executive Office Building, passed the White House, and took Pennsylvania Avenue to the West Lawn of the National Capitol Building where it concluded and the closing rally began.

“I was amazed,” Davenport said. “I did not expect it to be as big as it was. I thought it was huge.”

Memorable events from the weekend include moving speeches by Democratic political strategist David Mixner, Sex and the City actress Cynthia Nixon, and poet Staceyann Chin. Lady Gaga made an appearance and promised to rid her “backyard”—the music industry—of foul, anti-gay lyrics. Not everyone grew misty-eyed from her proposition.

“It’s a big promise, and it will be interesting to see how much she will be able to do,” said Connecticut College sophomore Oceane Hooks-Camilleri. “Keeping hateful things out of lyrics is only one half. There is also the fact that gay artists and prominent lyrics about same-sex are pretty absent.”

Keynote speakers at the rally after the march included Julian Bond, chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Lt. Dan Choi, an Iraq veteran who faces discharge from the military for revealing his sexuality, and Judy Shepard, the mother of a gay college student who was robbed, tortured, and murdered in 1998.

Students could choose from a list of more than twenty possible LGBTQIA events to attend in order to inform themselves about sexual issues.

Students who were visiting Washington, D.C. for the first time received a rare opportunity to partake in gay activism and tour the city. Some students booked rooms in local hotels, but most stayed with alumni who live in the area.

“I stayed with an ’09 grad who lives with a bunch of other ’09 Wesleyan kids, which is funny as they all stick together,” Mitchell said.

University students paid only $10 for the trip itself, four times less than what students from Connecticut College had to shell out. All participating students were responsible for their own transportation inside the city, as well as for finding sleeping accommodations and their own food.

On Saturday, President Barack Obama acknowledged the overwhelming presence of the gay community in Washington, D.C. with a speech on reaffirming his plan to end “don’t ask don’t tell” at the annual dinner of the Human Rights Campaign, a gay civil rights advocacy group.

“My expectation is that when you look back on these years you will look back and see a time when we put a stop against discrimination … whether in the office or the battlefield,” Obama said.

Obama gave no specifics or timelines. Cleve Jones, the national co-chair of the major gay-rights rally at the end of the National Equality March, was pleased by the message, but not by the ambiguousness of the speech.

“It lacked the answer to our most pressing question, which is when,” Jones said.

Nixon and other speakers weighed in with the “talk is cheap” attitude, suggesting that Obama get his hands dirty during speeches on the Capital.

“It is time for us to make the President move beyond words,” Nixon said.