National Equality March Photo Story

In September of 2009, a group of students and community members in Athens, Ohio banned together for one cause and worked towards getting their voices heard.  The group fund raised and met weekly to raise money so they could drive to Washington DC on October 11th to march the streets of DC in the National Equality March; a march for equal rights for LGBT Americans.  The group from Athens raised enough money to cover gas and hotel bookings for the weekend in DC with bake sales and selling grilled cheese and hot dogs on court street late every weekend.  The humble group from Athens gathered with approximately 500,000 other protesters and flooded the streets of Washington DC, passing the White House on the way to a rally at the National Mall.  More known figures marching and speaking in the march and rally included Lt. Dan Choi, Cynthia Nixon, Lady Gaga, and Cleve Jones who started his career working with Harvey Milk and also organized the march.  

 Sarah Collins of the "Athens Will March" group consisting of Athens residents and Ohio University students, reviews an article about the group cut from "The Athens Messenger."  Collins worked on a committee to help raise money for the group to travel to Washington DC in order to take part in the National Equality March:  a protest speaking out for human equality and marriage rights. 

 Former partners, both of Athens, Ohio, Alissa Paolella and Ravyn Moonchild work together to finish a picket sign for the protest and equal rights rally in Washington DC.  Paolella and Moonchild broke up halfway through their fund raising and planning for the National Equality March trip, but that did not prevent them from working towards the same goal in the end.

 Lacey Rogers of Cincinnati, Ohio, and an Ohio University senior and President of the student organization, Empowering Women of Ohio (EWO,) makes the best of drawing passersby in during a bake sale to raise money for the Athens Will March group to attend the National Equality March in Washington DC.  Rogers worked closely with other group members, Hank Riggle, Sarah Collins, and girlfriend, Erin Hains for two months, raising over $600 for the group’s trip to DC.

 Girlfriends, Christina Snyder of Pittsburgh, Penn and Riana Brewer of Worthington, Ohio stand before the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial; gazing at the vastness of the Washington Monument, in which they had just walked from.  Snyder and Brewer began their relationship just before the trip to DC for the National Equality March, but the experience brought them closer. 

 James Neiley of Vermont was one of the protesters wielding a megaphone at the front of on of the main groups in the National Equality March in Washington DC.  Neiley, along with others making their voices heard chanted sayings such as “Hey hey, ho ho, homophobia’s gotta go.”

 Aaron Owens, a resident of Phalard, Indiana shows his support for equality by marching through Washington DC wearing a dress; making a statement.  Owens was one of many to dress in drag to draw attention to the cause of the march, let alone fight for equality and marriage rights. 

 New York resident, Roger Kennedy stands in front of a mob of people, awaiting the official start of the march through Washington DC to the capital building.  Not only did Kennedy to participate in the march to show his support, but also he shaved the words “No H8” into his hair, which is a popular slogan in the fight for equal rights. 

 Erin Kelly of Cincinnati, Ohio brought Vincent Sathe and Blake Jelly to fight for equal rights in Washington DC in early October.  Kelly, Sathe, and Jelly stand at the front of one of the main parts of the march, yelling and cheering, getting ready to march through the US’s capital, shouting exclamations like “Out of the closet and into the streets!”

 Cleve Jones, coordinator of the National Equality March found Sergeant Dan Choi in the mix of people before the march started and gave him hug for showing his support.  Jones originally started his advocacy work on the campaign with late California politician, Harvey Milk.  Choi began to speak out for rights when he was unfairly discharged from the armed forces, due to the military’s “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” contract. 

 The mob that had waited to start marching stretched through Washington DC on the afternoon of October 11, 2009.  During the march, the crowd had reached well over 100,000 members, in which the numbers grew as the day progressed.  People stopped by traffic were seen leaving their cars at road blocks to join the cause in marching to the Capital Building. 

 Keegan O’Brien of Boston, Mass forcefully shows his opinion towards police forces pushing back the group marching, trying to contain them easier.  Throughout the entirety of the day, police forces never had to abuse their power to keep everyone marching safe.  Despite O’Brien’s expression, the intent and success of the National Equality March was peaceful. 

 Members of the “Athens Will March” group, Christina Snyder, Mary Seymour, and Matt Peterson find themselves caught up in the middle of the marching mob once the march begins.  After reviewing the trip, everyone who went to Washington DC for the Nationality Equality March showed utmost excitement the entirety of the weekend in DC. 

 Jason Bernabe, all the way from UCLA, leads mainly the youth of the National Equality March in spirited chants of valor towards the Capital Building, where a rally of speakers were gathering to speak to the attendees and in a way, the world.  Bernabe yelled many different sentiments, one being:  “Hey hey, ho ho, trans-phobia’s gotta go.” 

 Attendees of the National Equality March end their march on the lawn in front of the Capital Building to hear from several different speakers rally for equal rights.  A few of the speakers who were present in DC for the rally were Cynthia Nixon, Judy Shepard, David Mixner, Staceyann Chin, Cleve Jones, the Broadway Cast of “Hair,” and Lady Gaga.  By the time the march had filed through the streets of DC, in front of the Capital Building, the number of attendees had grown to over 500,000.

Lieutenant Dan Choi was one of the last to speak at the rally on October 11, 2009.  He began his speech by ripping of a black piece of tape from his mouth, symbolizing how he and many others like him would from now on refuse to be quiet about equal rights.  Choi unfortunately was a victim of the unfair policies put forth by the military’s “Don’t ask, don’t tell” system, which does not allow LGBT soldiers to openly serve in the military.