High road

Continued from page 7

organizations from across the country met in Washington in June of 1998. These organizations represented hundreds of thousands of grassroots activists and each organization sent a representative. (At this meeting, the Ad Hoc Committee was also invited to designate a representative to participate with full voice and full vote, and they declined.)

This broad cross-section of community representatives reaffirmed the decision to hold the fourth national LGBT March on Washington, voted to keep the date for April 30, 2000, and approved procedures to name a board of directors and form a non-profit corporation called Millennium March on Washington, Inc.

HRC and UFMCC each had one representative and one vote on the board, as they do to this day. To continue to perpetuate the myth that this is solely an HRC and UFMCC event does a disservice to the more than 100 local, state and national organizations which are sponsoring the Millennium March. There are currently 18 members of the board from across the U.S. The board is composed of 50% women and 50% people of color.

The myth: The theme of this March is "Faith and Family."

The truth: There have never been any discussions, meetings or votes by organizers about a theme of "Faith and Family" for the March. Never.

In 1998, there was an Internet poll conducted by Data Boy Lounge (which has no official or unofficial connections to the March). This independent poll asked:

1.Do you think there should be a Millennium March on Washington? (86% responded yes.)

2.Do you agree that the March should be about faith and family? (66% responded yes.)

Despite repeated clarifications over the past year, the March continues to be attacked on the basis of this untruth. This lie that continues to be spread solely because it inflames certain segments of our community.

We have repeatedly said that the Millennium March on Washington must and will be as broad and diverse as are all of our LGBT communities.

The myth: The community doesn't want the Millennium March on Washington.

The truth: Despite any claims to the contrary, the simple answer is that there has been overwhelming community support for the March. The majority of the 45 LGBT organizations which met in June of 1998 agreed that their grassroots members and constituents wanted the March. And poll after poll reflects this consensus. An early Advocate magazine poll showed 84% of respondents support the Millennium March. The Data Lounge poll showed 85% support. An early PlanetOut survey showed that more than 60% of the LGBT community plan to attend the March.

In the first four weeks of unveiling the March web site, more than 5,000 people registered their plans to attend. And in the last week alone, more than 4,000 people have offered to serve as volunteer organizers.

The myth: This march is being organized differently than past marches.

The truth: Well, in some ways it is different. It is more democratic, more participatory, more open and more grassroots than ever before.

Here's an example: In the last march, although the "right to serve" was the number one issue at the time (as the recently elected president had pledged to allow gays in the military) the march organizing committee did not want this issue presented on stage.

I remember the discussions vividly. Some felt this issue represented U.S. imperialism and capitalist domination on a global scale. The "right to serve❞—which enjoyed broad support throughout our community-was only included after we fought a bloody battle to have it included..

Here's another example: In 1987, most in our community wanted same-sex marriage rights included as a march issue. And yet, the organizing committee made a decision on behalf of the entire community that same-sex marriage represented conformity to heterosexual standards and proclaimed it a conservative issue. These were the people who claimed to represent the grassroots of our community.

What did the community really feel? A same-sex couples demonstration took place in front of the Internal Revenue Service building without the march's endorsement. I at-

community groups

Softball scores and standings

Cleveland-These are the scores of the North Coast Athletic Association softball games played Sunday, August 1, and the team standings at the end of those games.

Miller Time

Club Cleveland Mustangs

Four Play

Twist .........

Tuscany Tile and Marble Four Play

Twist

4 Team Yellow/Twist

Tuscany Tile and Marble Twist

Team Yellow/Twist.

Nickel Queens/Hard Hatted Women

Club Cleveland Mustangs. Nationwide LeMonte Agency

Rudy's

Nationwide LeMonte Agency

Nickel Queens/Hard Hatted Women Rudy's

Standings as of August 1

Competitive Division

Recreational Division

Team

% GB

Team

Tuscany Tile & Marble 8 Miller Time

0 1.000 0.0

Team Yellow/Twist

W L % 6

2 .750

GB 0.0

1 1.875 1.0

Club Cleveland Mustangs 4

4 500 4.0

Twist

Four Play

5 375 5.0 7. 125 7.0

Hard Hatted Women 3 Rudy's

.375 3.0

Nationwide LeMonte Agency

7 .125

Community Groups

NickelQueens/

557

.375 3.0

5.0

tended. And 10,000 people showed up.

One more example: While people of faith have been involved in every previous march on Washington (including UFMCC, which serves a quarter of a million people annually), it has been almost impossible for that segment of our community to get representation on the stages. And, when someone like the Reverend Troy Perry has been allowed on the stage, they have usually been relegated only to do the fundraising pitch.

So much for the myth of broad grassroots

representation.

The myth: This march is not democratic. The truth: Yes it is. It is the most open, democratic, participatory national march ever held. For the first time, every single member of the LGBT community has the opportunity to vote directly for the platform of this march. No longer can one individual or one group claim to represent our community. For the first time ever, every member of our broad and diverse community has the opportunity to represent herself or himself.

The myth: The Millennium March is too controversial.

The truth: There are two issues at the heart of the controversy and neither has yet been adequately covered by the press:

First, this march has a very clear and welldefined focus. It is a march for LGBT federal civil rights. Billy Hileman and others of his group have demanded that we march on a platform of other issues they think are important. And many of those issues are important. But this march for LGBT rights should and will be a march strategically focused on LGBT rights. After all, forced consensus on all issues is neither consensus nor democratic.

Like many in our community, I've done lots of marching. I've marched for black civil rights, in the anti-war movement, and for the equal rights amendment. I've marched for affirmative action, for choice, for farm worker rights, and for the rights of other oppressed peoples. Now, I'm marching with our community for our LGBT rights.

I've heard the criticisms and here's what they amount to: There are some who feel it is not right or just to march for solely our LGBT civil rights. (Is there some internalized homophobia in the view that does not want us to march solely for our own rights?) These critics say that a gay agenda is conservative, racist and classist.

Let's think about that.

How conservative is demanding an end to hate crimes and inclusion in the hate crime act?

How conservative is it to demand the right to keep our jobs, or even be given jobs if we are out of the closet?

How conservative is it to demand the government not take our children from us?

Is marriage a conservative issue? After all, social security, pensions, the right to visit our partners in the hospital, and demanding legal recognition of our relationships are not conservative-these are still radical concepts in this society.

And let's be honest. Do most people in our community think that serving our country (the military is the largest employer of minorities in the U.S.), protecting our youth, AIDS, lesbian health issues, and LGBT aging issue are really conservative, "right wing" rich elitist gay male issues?

No! These issues cross race, age, and class lines. They are basic civil rights issues, and they are ones we have a right to demand of our government.

Astroturf

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part of a "grassroots response" for equality. But, if you are fed up with this Hollywood charade of a march, then, instead of sending in a ballot, send in a request for the Millenium March on Washington to answer the following questions:

1. Who is making the decisions about the event? 2. Has any financial statement ever been released? 3. Is the March a registered non-profit organization? 4. If Robin Tyler is the hired executive producer of a non-profit group, why has her private company blocked thousands of hotel rooms in D.C. for April, 2000? 5. Why are the millennium ballots

Let's get real. The issue the real, bottom-line issue here-is that for once a small group of extremists is not dominating the March or imposing their views on the grass roots. Every segment of our community should be-must be!—part of this broad and diverse march. But no segment should dominate, saying that they represent their mythical version of the grassroots.

For once, the majority of the LGBT community has the opportunity to directly vote on the platform of the March—and to be assured that their views and concerns will be represented. The majority of this community is not to the extreme left or right, and they all don't think alike, nor should they be forced

to.

The majority in this community has too often been ignored.

Let me be clear: I consider HRC's endorsement of Alfonse D'Amato a mistake, but they still have 300,000 members and represent a significant portion of our community. They've made mistakes; they have also done good work. And they have taken enormous abuse. You know, for a community fighting for the "right to love," we are far too quick to beat people to death when we disagree with them.

And, what responsibility does the press have?

In one regard, the LGBT press is similar to the mainline press: Both love controversy. Controversy sells. My perception is that too many in the LGBT press have printed lies and myths and unsubstantiated allegations about the March on Washington, “just because" somebody says them, "just because" if they come from someone perceived as an oppressed victim they must be assumed to be telling the truth. I've tired of myths and untruths that continue to appear “just because."

And despite the controversy, the March moves forward. Our offices are receiving more than 1,000 platform ballots a day-the largest grassroots response in the history of our movement. More than 4,000 grassroots activists volunteered to help the march in a one-week period. And yes Billy, right now, we are working out of my offices in California. Why? Because they are free.

And so are the computers, and three of the four telephone lines, and the fax, and the scanner and the desks, and the volunteers. And later this year, we will move to Washington.

Is this March about every social issue from the death penalty, to bi-lingual education, to socio-economic justice, to American imperialism? No.

This March, by and for a group who have had no basic civil rights on a federal level, is about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equality. Nothing more. Nothing less. We must learn to work together where we can agree, and not to kill each other over our disagreements.

And if we can't agree and be unified around the basic need for equality of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered persons under the law, our movement is in serious trouble.

Will I be fired for this response? Possibly. For in politics, telling the truth has become the "low road."

But at this point, with or without me, this fourth national March on Washington will take place on April 30, 2000. Why? Because our community wants it. And that's good enough for me.

being sent to Robin Tyler in California and not to a platform committee in Washington? 6. Is there a national office? 7. When I sign up on the Internet, how do I know my name isn't being sold? 8. Who decided on the date? 9. Who decides what the final march demands will be? 10. What are the guidelines March organizers are using to determine corporate sponsorship? 11. What is the structure of the organization? 12. What is the "Leadership Council"? 13. How is the Leadership Council chosen? 14. With less than nine months to go, why don't we know anything about the organization that is claiming to be putting on the fourth LGBT civil rights national demonstration?

Pick your favorite five.