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LOU CHIBBARO JR.
Friday, October 08, 2004
A one-bus “caravan” of lesbian and gay male couples who were married
in San Francisco earlier this year before a state court ruled their marriages
invalid is scheduled to arrive in D.C. on Oct. 11, where the couples and others
plan to stage a gay marriage rally at the U.S. Capitol.
A total of 44 riders boarded a bus dubbed the National Marriage Equality Express
in Oakland, Calif., on Oct. 4, to begin an 8-day, cross-country journey aimed
at educating America’s heartland about the quest by same-sex couples to
fulfill their dream of getting married.
“Our purpose is to get out on the road and see America and change the
hearts and minds of our fellow Americans so that they can accept us as full
human beings and give us our equal rights,” said Davina Kotulski, chief
organizer of the bus trip.
“We can’t do it by sitting comfortably drinking lattes at Starbucks,”
she said.
The statewide gay rights group Equality California and the same-sex marriage
advocacy group DontAmend.com, which lobbies against the proposed constitutional
amendment to ban gay marriage, are the principle organizers of the bus caravan
and Capitol rally.
Among those scheduled to speak at the rally are Mark Leno, the gay California
State Assemblyman who introduced a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in his
state; Chrissy Gephardt, daughter of former Democratic presidential candidate
Dick Gephardt; Mandy Carter, a longtime lesbian activist now with the gay group
National Black Justice Coalition; and Shannon Minter, executive director of
the National Center for Lesbian Rights.
The marriage rally at the Capitol is set to take place three days after a planned
Oct. 8 “Boycott for Equality,” a grassroots, nationwide action organized
by a gay couple in Atlanta.
Dale Duncan and his partner, Joe Henderson, called on gays throughout the nation
to stay home from work, refrain from spending any money, and to halt any use
of their cell phones for the entire day. The boycott also called on participants
to stop using ATMs, the two said.
In a news release, Duncan said the action was aimed at highlighting “the
contribution that lesbians and gays make to the domestic economy and tax base”
at the same time they are “denied the full legal protections and civil
liberties afforded heterosexual Americans.”
“We were inspired by DontAmend.com founder Robin Tyler’s famous
quip, ‘If being gay is a disease, let’s call in sick to work,’
and decided to put those words into action,” Duncan said.
Gay economics professor Bruce Seaman of Georgia State University called the
proposed boycott a well-intentioned idea but said it would likely have little
impact or notice on the nation or the economy.
Although Tyler, co-founder of Dontamend.com, and gay supportive comedian Margaret
Cho endorsed the boycott, few national or local gay groups have expressed an
interest in the action.
Before arriving in D.C. on Oct. 11, National Coming Out Day, the gay marriage
caravan riders planed to stop in several cities to hold same-sex marriage rallies
and forums.
When they arrive in D.C., the bus caravan participants won’t be greeted
by leaders of three of the largest, national gay groups taking the lead role
in pushing for same-sex marriage rights before Congress and the White House.
The Human Rights Campaign; the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force; and Freedom
To Marry, the group founded by gay rights attorney Evan Wolfson to promote same-sex
marriage equality, will not be participating in the rally and won’t be
sending speakers, spokespersons for the groups said.
HRC President Cheryl Jacques and NGLTF Executive Director Matt Foreman have
scheduling conflicts that prevent them from attending, spokespersons said. Wofson
said a scheduling conflict also prevents him from attending.
HRC Legislative Director Christopher Labonte and NGLTF Deputy Executive Director
Rae Carey said the two groups were devoting nearly all of their resources to
election-related projects in states throughout the nation. Labonte said most
of the HRC staff has been dispatched to help local gay groups campaign for gay-supportive
candidates for the House and Senate.
Carey said NGLTF has sent staff to Oregon to help defeat a referendum seeking
to change the state’s constitution to ban same-sex marriage. The two said
their respective groups welcome efforts by various groups and individuals to
advance the goal of equal marriage rights for gays.
Wolfson said he endorsed the caravan trip but said he doesn’t think a
rally at the Capitol would be as productive as hometown lobbying for equal marriage
rights.
Tyler said she was skeptical that scheduling conflicts were the actual reason
that officials from the national gay groups would not be participating in the
rally. The more likely reason, Tyler said, is that the groups believe such a
rally is “not politically expedient” one month before the presidential
election.
“They are following the lead of the Kerry campaign, which wants gays
to keep quiet on marriage before the election,” Tyler said.
HRC official Seth Kilborne said it was the need to use HRC’s resources
and staff for the election, not pressure from the Kerry campaign, that prevented
the group from participating in the rally.
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