Road to Washington :: the activists speak
Just four months ago, June 7, at the Utah Pride Fest in Salt Lake City, longtime activist and Harvey Milk protégé Cleve Jones had something to say.
"It has been 40 years since the Stonewall rebellion launched the modern movement for our equality. We have been marching and struggling for 40 years. We will not wait 40 more," he told the crowd. Then, invoking Milk’s name and demanding "equal protection under the law in all matters governed by civil law in all 50 states," as opposed to a piecemeal equality of a hate-crimes law in one jurisdiction, marriage equality in another state, employment protection in that county, and so on, Jones told the crowd that it was time again to march in Washington.
"I will see you all in D.C. on Oct. 11!" he shouted.
He poignantly called out the sections of the country from where the marchers should come. "From Utah and California, from Maine to Hawaii, from Alaska to Florida," he began, with a patriotic fervor akin to singing "My Country ’Tis of Thee."
To some, it was a welcome invitation to seize the momentum of the November 2008 elections that had delivered a president who courted the GLBT community in his campaign, along with Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, yet simultaneously enraged the community as voters demolished marriage equality in California.
To others, Jones’ invitation was folly at best, reckless at worst. Couldn’t these Washington-bound resources be better spent in Maine or Washington state, for example, where new battles are underway? And just four months to plan? It can easily take longer to plan a local Pride festival.
Bil Browning of The Bilerico Project blog offered, within a day of Jones’ speech, 10 reasons to "chalk this up as one of the worst ideas ever," ranging from short notice to the economy. Another prominent blogger and pundit, Pam Spaulding of Pam’s House Blend, was also immediately skeptical of the march as a possible misuse of resources.
Whatever the reservations, once Jones let the notion out of the box, it was not going back. As unpopular as the idea may have been in some corners, it was apparently just as popular in others. And people are coming. How many? That remains to be seen. But it’s not just the enthusiasts. Over the months, as the march has picked up a growing number of impressive endorsements, people with initial reservations seemed to join the tide. Critics became fewer or simply less vocal. Browning has endorsed the march. Spaulding has helped promote the event on her blog.
Metro Weekly spoke with 10 people who are coming. Some were march supporters from the word "go." Some wrestled with the decision of whether or not to come. All are dedicated to fighting for the same equality Jones demanded in June.
Shelly Bailes, Davis, Calif.
Dustin Lance Black. The cast of Hair. Lady Gaga. Between the National Equality March and the HRC National Dinner, D.C. will definitely be getting some star power. Shelly Bailes ought to feel right at home.
Maybe you’ve seen her? Be it her civil union with Ellen Pontac in Vermont in 2000, the couple’s California domestic partnerhip in 2002, their first marriage in 2004 -- courtesy of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom -- or their second California marriage in June 2008, Bailes, 68, along with Pontac, 67, have become the poster wives of marriage equality in America.
It’s no wonder that one of their D.C. must-sees -- aside from the march itself -- is the Newseum. Bailes reasonably guesses she might be able to spot some newspaper photos of her and Pontac getting married. After all, those are shots that have been seen around the world.
But it’s not all fame and glamour for Bailes as she and her wife head east from California.
"We’re also flying up to New York, where we have relatives. Then we’ll drive up to Maine to see if we can volunteer."
Volunteering for marriage equality in Maine is a more telling trait than posing for wedding shots. The pair have been diehard activists since retiring from their crafts business more than a decade ago.
"We decided we would both give back," says Bailes. "We decided we’d become gay-rights activists."
You might even call their activism a lifestyle, rather than something likely innate, such as sexual orientation. Bailes has chosen to be an activist.
"We’re also going to see our representative, Mike Thompson," Bailes adds of their D.C. trip. "We’re going to speak with him about why he hasn’t come onboard with marriage equality and immigration equality. He’s usually onboard, so I wanted to speak to him and find out why."
Ebonee Bradford, Atlanta
Most people understand what the phrase "David versus Goliath" means. It’s unlikely, however, that anybody has lived the meaning of the phrase as absolutely as Ebonee Bradford.
"About 20 years ago, I lost custody of my children because I was gay," says Bradford, 43, who lives in Atlanta. When her two children were seized, however, she was living in Birmingham, Ala., a state not exactly renowned for progressive values. It didn’t help matters that the father of her children was the son of the first African-American justice to sit on the Alabama Supreme Court.
"Nine judges recused themselves because they played golf with this man," she says of that custody battle, which left her worse off than David. Goliath won.
"It was horrifying," Bradford says of that fight, though she credits it with giving her an appreciation of the value of fighting for equality. It led to her position on the board of In The Life Atlanta, the world’s largest African-American GLBT organization, and to the Human Rights Campaign’s board of governors. It’s also leading her to the D.C. streets to march for equality.
"We’ve been marching for a very long time. Because we’ve remained consistent, there are going to be a lot of people’s eyes opened. ... It’s like when we had the Million Man March in D.C.: We had to go. It was important. And it’s not a party. People think gay people come together for a party, but this is serious."
Her commitment to HRC may have already had Bradford -- whose fulltime job is as a Georgia political strategist -- coming to Washington for a board of governors meeting, but she says she’d be coming to D.C. regardless.
"We have a new president who is for equality. There are a lot of things that are about to happen. This may be it."
