This post was written by Senior Staff Writer Sarah Biggart.
The University’s gay rights community said they hopeful about the campaign for equal rights with two major D.C. events happening this weekend — the “National Equality March” and President Barack Obama’s address to the Human Rights Campaign, a gay and lesbian advocacy group, on Saturday.
Obama, who repeatedly said he would repeal the military’s ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ policy during his campaign, is only the second president to address a gay rights organization; President Bill Clinton keynoted the same event in 1997. Obama’s address to the group comes in the face of increasing national attention on the policy, especially as a troop surge in Afghanistan is considered and a prominent military journal, Joint Force Quarterly, ran an article in favor of repealing the policy.
Sophomore Todd Belok, who was booted from GW’s NROTC last year for kissing his boyfriend in front of NROTC peers, said this week he feels optimistic about his chances of rejoining the military .
“We’re so close,” Belok said. “Gay rights is one of the last milestones in equality rights in America; it’s tremendous how far we’ve come from where we were 30 years ago.”
Belok hopes Sunday’s march, which marks the 30th anniversary of the first national march for lesbian gay and transgender rights, will call out Obama for the apathy he has expressed towards the movement and ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ since taking office last January.
“As students we share the same age of our peers who are currently fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Belok. “This is our issue.”
In remembrance of Belok’s dismissal from GW’s NROTC, the student faction of the NEM will host a flash protest against ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ on Saturday. The protest will start starting in an unknown location and ending at Kogan Plaza.
No time or location will be given in advance as to the start of the protest in order to avoid police shut down, said Dave Valt, student outreach coordinator for the National Equality March.
The protest itself will be a silent protest ending in “ripping off of the duck tape” as a symbol of the silence gays officers have to live with every day.
“GW students are like our bread and butter in a movement like this,” said Valt. “The silent protest and the national march aren’t about gay rights or partisan politics – it’s about equality.”
Valt worked as a UCLA student in the protests against Proposition 8 last year and said he believes this march will take the spark that began in California and spread it to the national level.
“As students in California we didn’t think we needed to get involved; we figured it was taken care of and no one asked us to help,” Valt said. “We can’t let that happen again and we don’t have to wait until we’re 30 to command attention – the opportunity is here and now.”
Student-run organizations and groups from across the country are traveling in buses, trains, airplanes and cars to march on Sunday.
GW’s Allied in Pride, one of several GW student organizations supporting the march, is hosting fellow members from chapters around the United States.
“Sunday is a collaborative effort,” said Michael Komo, president of GW’s Allied in Pride. “We’re hoping that with this march more people will get out there, get involved, and keep fighting back.”
Komo says the march comes at an opportune time as it coincides with National Coming Out Week, beginning on Saturday, and as it could garner support for current legislation addressing gender rights issues.
“Our generation takes racial equality for granted because we grew up with a situation that was better than that of our parents generation,” said Komo. “There’s still a lot of work to be done on both issues but I’m hoping our children will someday take gender equality for granted. That’s the message we’re trying to get out on Sunday.”
The National Equality March starts at 12 p.m. on the corner of 15 and I Streets and ends with a rally at the U.S. West Capital Lawn at 2 p.m. To receive updates about the location of Saturday’s flash protest students can text “NOH8” to 313131 or visit NEMStudents.org.
