The Next March On Washington

As I've said here before, I consider the 1993 March On Washington to have been the single most thrilling event of my entire life. I will never forget the rush of goosebumps and tears as my posse of Florida queers rode up that enormous subway escalator into Dupont Circle as hundreds of our brothers and sisters applauded our arrival from above. That weekend I took part in my first ACT UP demonstration at the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association and laid sobbing in the middle of F Street as the Grim Reaper marked chalk outlines around our bodies. Still, somehow, the overwhelming mood was hopeful. Clinton had just taken office and all things seemed possible. And in many, many ways, things did get better.

This week we're beginning to see the rumblings of a call for another March On Washington. Could the lightening of 1993 strike again? Or would we see another scandal-ridden fiasco like the 2000 Millennium March? Would it be remotely possible to organize and conduct another March without the overlords of the Human Rights Campaign? Should we? How would we marshall our new and eager army of young queers? These kids are champing at the bit for a shot at their own Stonewall, their own Queer Nation. The LGBT world of the 21st century is larger, younger, and I think, smarter. I would love to watch.