The National Equality March got us results, was organized quickly and cheaply, and got the grass roots passed the Human Rights Campaign, which needs a new strategy if it doesn’t want to be completely irrelevant. We need to be prepared to march again and should begin planning it. I lay out the case -- and a lot about the rift between the Human Rights Campaign and the grass roots and what needs to be done -- in my newest column in the Advocate:
The National Equality March, which Time magazine estimated brought roughly 200,000 people to the National Mall earlier this month, was such a huge success even before it happened that we must plan another one — even if it never happens. That’s because we’ve learned a few things in this first year of Barack Obama’s presidency.
First off, this administration responds to pressure, and unlike the previous Democratic administration, these White House officials cannot contain our discontent by going to groups like the Human Rights Campaign or politicians like Barney Frank (more on that and the reasons why farther down).
They want to keep LGBTs at arm’s length, but we continue to make that difficult, and we force them to move — ever so reticently — each time we have applied pressure.
Read the full column and let me know your thoughts.
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