Equal Rights Knows No Bounds

What do want? Equality! When do we want it? Now!

The chant filled the airwaves of the Capital building as the nations lawn went from a traditional green to a vibrant rainbow.

200,000 activists took to Washington this past Sunday, Oct. 11, to participate in the National Equality March. The goal of the march was to bring awareness to the lack of equal treatment being given towards the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community and to demand civil rights protection from the federal government.

March organizer Cleve Jones said, “we’re not settling. There’s no such thing as a fraction of equality.” With the increasing awareness of the lack of justice being offered to citizens of the LGBT community, a national movement has occurred. “We’re getting society to realize we’re people with hopes and needs, just like them,” said Jones.

Christine Quinn, the first openly lesbian speaker of the New York City Council, asked America, and especially Congress, to listen to her words. “Look me in the eye and tell me I am less of a person than you are. Look me in the eye and tell me my family is worth less than yours. Look me in the eye and tell me I am not an American. Well you know what, not one person in any of those places can do that, not one of them,” said Quinn.

Actress and equal rights activist, Cynthia Nixon said, “when a country has different laws for different categories of people it sends its country a message. That somehow a group of people is inferior and less deserving of respect, and are in fact not fully human. If they are looking for someone to bully, beat, or even kill, gay people are a ready target. And that is why its not just about our ability to get married, it’s about demanding equal rights, equal responsibilities, equal opportunities, and equal protection under the law.”

Along with the topic of fighting for basic civil rights, such as marriage, was the fight against DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act. DOMA would essentially mean that even if all fifty states legalize same-sex marriage, gay married couples would still lack 1,100 benefits that heterosexual couples receive once they are married. Some of the benefits lacking include health-care, joint parenting, adoption, and immigration.

The march demanded change and knew that action was needed for that to occur. Activists of all ages, races, and sexual orientations converged onto Washington because they knew it was time to fight for equality. Everyone’s enthusiasm filled the air, creating a sense of pride and hope.

Pop-star Lady Gaga said, “they say this country is free, and they say that this country is equal, but it’s not equal if it’s only sometimes.”