By Ann McNally
WASHINGTON — Media reports of the March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Rights and Liberation quoted a Park Service estimate of 300,000 participants. This would be a disappointment if true, since 1 million persons were expected. Of all the feelings and emotions expressed at the march, however, disappointment was not one of them. Organisers estimate that 1.1 million people participated.
The march was organised to have a contingent from each state, but interspersed between the states were contingents representing a wide range of interests and affiliations. Heading the march were the disabled. Other contingents included religious organisations, professionals, political organisations, students, lesbians and so on.
Some of the groups might be seen as a fringe or fetish group, such as the leather fetish group, drag queens or the final group, Dykes on Bikes, but the overall effect of having these many groups interspersed with the states was to emphasise the diversity of the homosexual community. It made it clear that gays are not one type of people, but rather that anyone might be gay, lesbian or bisexual.
The state groups themselves brought diversity to the march as well, each striving to proclaim itself in its own way. The Michigan group, one of the larger contingents with an estimated 10,000 or more marchers, wore buttons with a graphic of the state's shape and the words "Kiss my Peninsula".
Georgians enthusiastically incorporated the southern drawl into their slogans, frequently chanting "We're queer, y'all." Coloradans emphasised their fight against Amendment 2, which bans homosexuals from legal protection against discrimination.
The mood of the marchers was jubilant, even though many had to wait for four hours or more before beginning the march. Yet, from the many speeches, signs carried and the slogans chanted, it was clear that this event was a very serious one.
Speaker after speaker reminded the pre-march gathering of the political goals and significance of this event. We were reminded of other struggles, such as the struggle for racial equality. We heard many references to the civil rights movement of the '60s.
Over and over we were reminded that this is not one separate issue, but only one part of a much larger struggle.
Several speakers brought up the AIDS epidemic. Once again, the message came across clearly that the issue at hand was larger. Finding a cure for AIDS will not help those who lack the means to pay for it. The need for national health care was emphasised.
The importance of this message was not lost on the marchers, many of whom had just spent an hour or more viewing the Names Project AIDS 0,064 colourful panels, each bearing the name of someone killed by AIDS, are a vivid reminder of the lack of adequate health care in the United States.
Some of the groups seemed rather subdued at the beginning of the march, perhaps tired after the long wait to begin, but as they marched more and more people began joining in the chants and cheers. Marchers applauded wildly as they passed a group on the sidewalk whose sign identified them as straight people in support of lesbians, gays and bisexuals.
Other sideline groups also drew applause, such as a woman whose sign identified her as the first lesbian mother in the US to win custody of her child in court.
Marchers did not let themselves be disturbed by anti-gay sentiments on some signs. Many cried "Shame, shame," as they passed a group of anti-gay Christians, but expressed no hatred or malice.
Although the atmosphere was jubilant and festive, marchers revealed that they regarded this as a lot more than a parade. Some of the chants served as reminders of the political struggle going on, such as "Gay, straight; black, white; same struggle, same fight."
Cries of "Where's Bill?" were frequent, demonstrating that the significance of the president's decision to leave town and not attend as invited was not lost on the marchers.
This point was made again after the march, when the reading of President Clinton's letter was largely drowned out by boos and cries of "Where's Bill?"
While the fight against the military ban on gays was evident in many signs, and persons collecting signatures against this ban circulated throughout the crowds, the chants of the marchers did not suggest that this was the focus or main point of the march. Indeed, some marchers carried signs saying "Ban everyone from the military."
If any one theme could be attributed to this march, then considering the speeches, the signs and chants of the marchers, and the talk on the sidelines, it was that this march was a significant part of a larger movement for the rights and equality of all people. [Ann McNally is a member of the socialist group Solidarity in the US.]