NGLTF On The March On Washington

I've asked some major LGBT rights organizations to issue a statement saying whether they support the proposed March On Washington in 2009. The National Gay & Lesbian Task Force's executive director Rea Carey responds:

“The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force has long held that equality begins at home and that power is built from the ground up. We have seen enormous progress made in towns, cities and states across the country as grassroots activists have focused their energy and talents on creating change in their own backyards.

“Out of the nationwide Equality Begins at Home campaign, organized by the Task Force in the late 1990s, thousands of activists got to the hard work of affecting policies and changing hearts and minds through 350 political actions in all 50 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico. We saw the incredible potency of tens of thousands of activists getting engaged in their own states — which in turn helped drive the national dialogue about and advancement of LGBT equality. With the tremendous opportunities and challenges that face us in states across the country, we encourage people to get involved in their local communities, meet with their elected officials to educate them about the broad range of issues that are important to LGBT people, and stay engaged with the work of achieving equality.

“Activism takes many forms, from netroots organizing, to people taking to the streets after the November elections, to people talking with their family members and friends about being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender — sometimes for the first time in their lives. National marches can certainly have a community-building impact when energized participants return to their hometowns and get involved, but in an economic downturn — when resources are extremely limited for individuals and organizations, and critical work remains to be done locally — focusing on grassroots organizing at home is all the more critical. To make change, to be part of making history, one need go no farther than our own hometowns, our own dinner tables, our own places of worship, our own statehouses.”

That feels like a definite "No" from the Task Force. The HRC's response is here. Response from other major LGBT orgs are in the works and will be posted here as they come in.