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A Meandering Gay March
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It should have been a triumphant moment. But the National Equality March showed the gay community at a political crossroads.
Even before the march and the rally started, there were signs that all was not well.
Perhaps most significantly, Barney Frank, the most famous gay lawmaker in the House of Representatives, had called this weekend's unfortunately named National Equality March "a waste of time at best" and an "an emotional release" that does little to compel Congress to take action.
"The only thing they're going to be putting pressure on is the grass," the Massachusetts congressman told the Associated Press Friday.
And Frank wasn’t alone. For months, established players on the gay-rights scene had expressed reservations about the march, advising that activists instead mobilize at a state level and avoid wasting resources on the federal government.
The National Lesbian and Gay Task Force did not even endorse this weekend’s effort until September, several months after plans for it had been announced. Support from the Human Rights Campaign was tepid at best.
One guy I saw, photographed below, white and in his late 20s or early 30s, was carting a sign that said “Jim Crow called. He wants DOMA back.” The speeches weren’t much better.
But Equality Across America, the organization behind the march (they were founded just this year), would not be deterred.
At a press conference Sunday morning, organizer Cleve Jones called the state-by-state approach a “failed strategy.” He accused the Democratic leadership and President Barack Obama of “stepping back from the promises they’d made.”
• Jacob Bernstein: Obama Breaks the Ice at HRC ”We’ve seen that happen so many times before,” he said. “I didn’t want that to happen again.”
His goal?
“Equal protection under the law in all matters governed by civil laws in all 50 states.”
"Barney was wrong," added David Mixner, another organizer. “Barney's been wrong before.”
Mixner is known as the former Bill Clinton fundraiser that later ran afoul of the former president by refusing to kowtow to him about the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.
The veteran activist has also been dissatisfied with Frank for years and wasn’t about to take cues from him, he told The Daily Beast. “Barney supported Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Barney supported [the Defense of Marriage Act]. He said President Clinton had no choice. Barney supported excluding transgender people from [the Employee Non-Discrimination Act]. Then he changed his mind a year later. His track record isn't brilliant. He's the insider's insider."
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Jacob Bernstein is a senior reporter at The Daily Beast. Previously, he was a features writer at WWD and W Magazine. He has also written for New York magazine, Paper, and The Huffington Post.
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Lloyd Grove is editor at large for The Daily Beast. He is also a frequent contributor to New York magazine and was a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. He wrote a gossip column for the New York Daily News from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he wrote the Reliable Source column for the Washington Post, where he spent 23 years covering politics, the media, and other subjects.
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Jeff Madrick is a contributor to the New York Review of Books and a former economics columnist for the New York Times. He is editor of Challenge Magazine, visiting professor of humanities at Cooper Union, and senior fellow at the New School's Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis. He is the author of Taking America, The End of Affluence (Random House) and The Case for Big Government.
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Jacob Bernstein is a senior reporter at The Daily Beast. Previously, he was a features writer at WWD and W Magazine. He has also written for New York magazine, Paper, and The Huffington Post.
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Jacob Bernstein is a senior reporter at The Daily Beast. Previously, he was a features writer at WWD and W Magazine. He has also written for New York magazine, Paper, and The Huffington Post.
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Jacob Bernstein is a senior reporter at The Daily Beast. Previously, he was a features writer at WWD and W Magazine. He has also written for New York magazine, Paper, and The Huffington Post.
Personally, I agree with the goals. Gays should be allowed to marry and to serve in the military without fear of being discharged or discriminated against. The latter will probably be easier to accomplish than the former, since marriage will be left to the state and local levels.
It's easy to see why Obama wants to avoid cultural issues and wedge issues that were so prominent in the "liberalism" of the Second Gilded Age of the last 30 years. During that time, issues of poverty, health care, jobs, the working class general got left on the back burner in the name of free market capitalism, while the meaning of liberal and conservative centered on cultural issues like abortion and gay rights.
In general, I noticed the republicans did better with these than the Democrats, and became experts at using race and religion to manipulate enough whites into voting against their own economic interests. Yes, I am sick of the Kulturkampf and cultural issues in general, and do not want these things alone to define "liberalism".
Funny thing is you have entire "news" reports regarding Obama and his "failure" to repeal DOMA and DADT without mentioning Congress one time. Both law were passed by congress and signed by Clinton... But the media is pushing the notion that Obama can "snap his fingers" and make the laws go away.
There is a Dem majority House and Dem majority Senate yet this ALL Obama's fault?!? (If Obama dictated laws to Congress do you think we would still be working Health Care?) They could pass a law tomorrow and send it to his desk. But there aren't any protest against Congress. Both the media and the Gay community are obsessed with Obama and are ignoring the obvious.
Obama could quickly issue a stop-loss command to the military and stop this ridiculous dismissal of gay people. I support President Obama. I deeply appreciate his capacity to inspire. Because I ask him to support my issues does not mean I have forgotten to voice my opinion to my congressional people as well.
Funny when Bush was President, we never hesitated to comment on his failures. We rarely directed it explicitly toward Congress. The President is the prime mover and shaker. We all elected him. We have a duty to remind him of his promises, to keep the pressure on.
I agree lets put gays in the military especially on submarines and carriers, that spend months out in sea. lets experiment 10 gays to 200 straight men on the vessels and lets see what happens. with sleeping and shower quarters, men are squeezed in like sardines. What a great idea. keep that common sense coming.these troops already know that their bartender in chief puts them at the bottom of his list. adios amigo
What the Gay Community does not get is that the vast majority of Americans do not have a dog in that fight.
Most people are consumed with keeping the roof over their head, feeding their family and surviving a bad illness. In comparison to that, this is a non-issue
Your post is full of sweeping generalizations about what the "gay community" is and what constitutes a vast majority of Americans. But I'm replying to your comment specifically because you're still wrong.
People do care about marriage equality and the fact that laws throughout the past ten years passed against awarding it through state legislatures and voter initiatives attest to that. Whether or not they obsess over it as they would a basic need like putting food on the table doesn't matter because, at the end of the day, when that tax payer goes to vote for their bread & butter issue they still take the time to vote yes or no to marriage equality on the ballot. The problem is this: that there are people out there who say they don't care about extending equal rights to same-sex relationships and use that as an excuse when they casually check no.
What march was the author at?
I saw a WIDE variety of folks there. In fact, if I were to characterize the major demographic, it was the new generation of activists - the "yes we can" generation.
Could the proceedings have been better orchestrated? Sure. The organizers are young. The last march was orchestrated by the HRC and the professional "usual suspects." What happened afterward? ....I'm still waiting for an answer....
Almost to a person, each 20-something I spoke to was energized and inspired this weekend - that energy inspires me!
Congressman Frank fails to recognize the media pulpit in this age of technology he is on. Evidence of it is your column writing on him and his comments. If he bothered to read all the information on the March he would've known that one of its goals was also to mobilize individuals in every Congressional district. Congressman Frank may be an ardent supporter of the ways of Washington and goes with the flow of it. Candidate Obama promised he'd bring 'change' to Washington but I'm not seeing it or he might not be mentioning Frank in speeches since he had a big hand in the financial mess, but so did Larry Summers and Tim Geithner and they're all in charge of fixing what they created.
Taking the issue State by State is necessary but in doing so you will only be legally entitled to what that State gives to any married couple. It will vary by State and there will be no Federal benefits to couples in any State where they can legally enter into a same sex marriage.
Even the gay community is consumed with keeping the roof, feeding family, health, etc. but the difference is that we do not have the full civil rights of every American citizen. When we all leave this earth, we alone will be responsible for our actions or inactions while on it. The foundation of this country says we are all equal but reality is we aren't and every citizen of this country should demand that equality for their fellow countrymen. Julian Bond is right this is a civil rights issue.
Mr. Bernstein has cynically misrepresented the October 11 March. Gays, too, suffer from the awful economy, but we are more vulnerable than he seems to understand. Our vulnerability is uniquely legal, physical and emotional, as well as economic. Too, he must begin to understand that there is always some pressing reason that is used to justify the postponement of gay rights. For decades, we have been told that our cause is a lesser cause than all others and it must wait. Not only is it a lesser cause but one that the Democratic party joined in subverting with legislation like DADT and DOMA. Though the world's tolerance has changed dramatically, especially as witnessed in our youth, our politicians remain mired in a cynical perception of the changing world. Patience, they say, but, a simple stop-order issued by our President could prevent the continually dismissal of gay soldiers. This could be achieved with a forceful, persistent lobbying effort. But we have somehow become the President's pal, instead of the faithful opposition.
If gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people must wait for federal action until the political time is right, it will never happen. If we must raise enough money to fight in all 50 states for a hodge-podge of laws, we will never have national equality. Yes, we must work in our states, especially to elect LGBT supporters. We always do. But a state-by-state fight for equality is demonic in its scope and requirements.
When one part of the community decides it is the only true voice for freedom, and that other voices cannot be generously supported, we have begun what the right dreams of and probably foments, a withering division.
It is a sad day when the cry for freedom, however "sophomoric" it is believed to be, is ridiculed by the very people the cry goes out for. We are not all slick movers. And we are not Palestine and Israel. We are one people. Mr. Bernstein's remarks sadden me in a way I never thought a voice of the movement could. We need the big, gracious, political heart of Harvey Milk back in our midst. We will be defeated internally and externally by this bashing and cynicism. BTW, one of the reasons the march "meandered" was that it included children of all ages from LGBT families. I am dismayed that some of them may read this article after they proudly marched with their fathers and mothers. Let's not go down this road, please.
The worst thing I ever saw in training happened in AIT, but it was not hazing so much as a hate crime--at least, that's what it would be called today.
Three KKK guys beat up a black guy and threw him down the stairs when they found out he was gay. The captain moved him out of the barracks after that, to a room on the first floor near the company office. Soon after this, the guy slashed his wrists and drank a bottle of turpentine. I don't know if he lived or died; the last I saw of him was when he was being taken away in an ambulance.
I knew who did it. Many people did, but no one turned them in. Had I been older and more sure of myself, I would have, but I was 19. Even then, I can remember walking by the base Judge Advocate's office and thinking maybe I should turn in these three KKK guys, but I was scared of what would happen to me--and I wasn't sure that the army really wanted to do anything about it. This was many years ago, and I didn't think anyone was really going to go out on a limb to help a black guy who was also gay, especially if that meant arresting three white men and court martialing them.
Anyway, I did nothing. No one did anything.
I have never been able to get this incident out of my mind, though. It still makes me wonder why any gay person would even want to be in the military or fight for this society at all.
Thanks for putting this out there. Now you've done something. The truth helps and it heals.
It is disappointing that Bernstein thinks that the NEM should have been a magical moment where a tide of public opinion changes over the course of a few hours marching in favor of equality -- marriage, immigration, and armed services -- when the only acts of protest to really ever have such an impact where the kind that took place in Birmingham, Al., where blatant cruelty by racists caused mass indignity and suffering upon disenfranchised Blacks. Bernstein misses the point of what social movements are about. It isn't about your 2000 gay march was bigger than my 2009 gay march. A measurement of success shouldn't be getting the most name dropped multiplatinum pop diva around. In short, NEM success should be measured in context to those actually taking part in the event -- whether those that marched bought into the spirit of the movement. For me, that meant walking arm-in-arm with my partner of five years along side friends and strangers who needed to take action because the action itself carries with it meaning. Not all of us can be lawyers at Lambda Legal, movers at NGLTF or shakers at HRC. But each of those that marched, including children too young to really understand what the nuanced marriage equality arguments entail but just old enough to realize that their two moms or two dads deserve it, derived meaning from the act of marching itself. It may not be a yellow brick road, but traipsing up Pennsylvania Avenue to the National Mall with feather boa and rainbow flag in tow allowed me as a participant to be involved. That's what a social movement is -- something coming from the bottom up whether the action is ratified by established groups or not (re: the point that NGLTF didn't support the NEM until later on).
So while Sen. Frank thinks it won't do much, he should know that it's these marchers who give the small to large donations that let specialized groups like the HRC and power brokers like Frank do what they do.
Why would the gay community expect that they'll get basic civil liberties out of this or any other administration? Our national government is a failed state. It can't fix healthcare, or regulate banks, or pay its bills, or repair infrastructure, provide national security, reform immigration, address climate change, rein in corporate abuse, or revoke failed policies just to name a few of the more glaring items.
We worked hard to get Candidate Obama elected and we had the 'audacity' to hope. President Obama is far from Candidate Obama except for the fact that they both give great speeches. President Obama took the oath to 'protect and defend the Constitution' and nothing should come ahead of him upholding the truth that all here are created equal.
Candidate Obama appeared to believe that we needed to keep with the foundation of this country and give full civil rights to every legal citizen. President Obama just gives speeches and his Administration defends the laws on the books except for the civil rights of the GLBT community. President Obama spread hope throughout this country and now he is eating away at it by throwing words but not action around.
That's sound advice. Despair, stock your home with two years' worth of food, buy lots of assault rifles and dig in. There is no hope for change. We won't be hearing any more from robwriter, he's going off the grid. The Socialists are monitoring his internet use, so he will go underground now (I hope).
A couple of days ago Jacob, you write an article praising Obama for giving a meaningless speech including how brillant it was to mention Lady Ga Ga.
Now you criticize the people who showed up to protest Obamas anti gay policies for not doing enough or being in 100% lock step agreement?
I don't know where TDB found you but I can guess, and I suggest they put you back up Obama's ass where you belong.
i love the Gaga quote "We are putting more than pressure on this grass." What else were they putting on the grass? Did she perhaps mean "We are putting pressure on more than this grass?" I'm sure everyone involved appreciated her support, but jeez... hire a speech-writer!
Come on Mr. Slick, have a heart.
Barney Frank is PATHETIC! Had he not been outed he'd be happily in the closet with rent boys -- like half the Congress.
The March was teriffic. The dinner for barry given by the KAPOS of the HRC was just what you'd expect. As for Barry himself, forget about it.
Those funny folk have 2 choices: to stay in the closet or let the world know just how sick they are? In this world, telling a secret is not always the answer. They may want to come out but there are plenty who
what's the matter, decided to keep your own sexual issues secret? Good idea.
"Even before the march and the rally started," Jacob Bernstein had this article written hoping the march would conform to his ideals. Thankfully, this did not happen.
As one of those activists from the 80's and 90's marches, this was as successful and important, if not more, as any march or demonstration i participated in back then. Not sure what you were expecting, Jacob, but considering the deep recession and unemployment, the attendance was far greater than i had expected and what you would have others to believe.
I don't understand the whole Equinox/ Willamsburg comment by Bernstein. Like the oh-so-great (in Bernstein's eyes) Obama says, "you're damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't." Would he have preferred if this segment of gay society, who probably earned their $800 cameras through hard work, stayed home? It's an outrageously stupid generalization of the people who attended the march. Is Bernstein himself a little bitter?
The funny thing about the whole Equniox/Williamsburg refrenence is that if you google the author he is pictured wearing a shirt about 2 sizes too small & is either geneticly blessed or spends am inordinate amount of time at the gym. Maybe he was refering to himself.
Having seen Urvashi Vaid deliver an intensely moving and compelling speech on the Mall in D.C. in 1993, it was indeed disappointing to watch "Lady Gaga" receive thunderous applause to stand on a box and state that her attendance there was the most important moment of her career (perhaps in terms of music sales). Don't get me wrong, I appreciate her committment. But the LGBT "community" needs dynamic individuals who know history, the law, and PR. Gloria Steinem comes to mind.....Still, Dan Choi shows great promise and I applaud his actions. Unfortunately, the National Equality March fell flat and convinced few ...
Thank you.
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