The Chimes

Issue date: 10/22/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Melody White Signs help the marchers make their wants known.

Media Credit: Melody White Jessica Hirsh, freshman, voices her opinion during the Equality March.

Media Credit: Justin Poole Capital students take a stand for equal rights.

"Obama, Obama, let momma marry momma," chanted the throngs of gay rights supporters who marched in Washington Sunday, Oct. 11. Over 100,000 people across the country attended the National Equality March to support equality.

People left Capital by bus around 12:30 a.m. to get to Washington for the march. The group included Capital's Peers Respect in a Diverse Environment group (PRIDE), Terrence Brooks, assistant director of residence life and housing, and 20 students from Columbus College of Art and Design.

The group arrived at 8:30 a.m. and at noon joined thousands of other marchers. The marchers expressed their dissatisfaction with President Obama's failure to move on gay rights.

The marchers demanded equal health benefits and an end to the "don't ask, don't tell" policy of the military, among other things. Equality Across America organized the march, which coincided with National Coming Out Day.

"Being there, I was not alone and saw my work was part of the bigger picture and not just being isolated in my hometown," Justin Poole, freshman, said. Poole is from Toronto, Ohio and has worked for equality in schools as part of the Jump-Start National Student Leadership Team.

At 2 p.m., the marchers rallied at the Capitol Building, where celebrities such as Lady Gaga and Cynthia Nixon of Sex and the City, spoke.

Sophomore Melody White, (PRIDE) vice president and interim president, learned about the march from Poole at the Capital Student Organization Fair. From there, the PRIDE students had exactly one month to plan the trip to Washington.

PRIDE filed a grant with Student Government, and then talked to Todd Shaver from student activities. Many other people helped PRIDE, but White particularly noted the efforts of President Denvy Bowman.

"He was very relaxed," White said. "Not how you would expect it to be around the president of a university."

When PRIDE needed a non-student to accompany the group, Brooks, who knew White through Residence Life, volunteered.

"It was fun to be in that environment and see the different kinds of people come together for one cause," Brooks said.

White plans to bring the excitement from the march back to campus with the Ally Dinner Oct. 22. The dinner lasts from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Weiler Conference Suite.

"Being an ally just means being supportive, and the dinner will show what you can do to get involved," White said.

By Chris Maggio
Editorial staff
cmaggio@capital.edu

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