Broadway Stars To Provide Free NYC-DC Buses For National Equality March

Thanks to donations from its major stars, Broadway Impact is now offering free roundtrip bus transportation to the National Equality March.

Thanks to their generous sponsors including Sutton Foster, Gavin Creel, Audra McDonald, David Stone, Broadway.com, and many others, all the costs have been covered. Buses will depart NYC at 6:00am Sunday, October 11, and then you can request a departure time from D.C.–every two hours between 8:00pm and 4:00am. All you need to do is stop by Vlada Lounge (331 West 51st Street) to sign up between 6:00pm and 12:00am anytime between now and September 25 OR you can e-mail BroadwayImpact.com with you name, e-mail address, and cell phone number and wait for your confirmation. Visit BroadwayImpact.com for more information.

Broadway Impact Plugs The NEM

Here's a cute clip from Broadway Impact urging your attendance at the National Equality March, in which openly gay Hair star Gavin Creel sings a song called Goin' To DC. Go to Broadway Impact's site to purchase a $20 NYC-DC roundtrip ticket on their Equality Buses. They also invite sponsors to make a tax-deductible $2400 donation to cover the bus ticket cost for 100 marchers.

HRC's NYC Marriage Rally Reel

I spent most of the afternoon trying not to walk through this guy's shots.

NYC: Gov. Paterson, Mayor Bloomberg Join Thousands For Marriage Equality Rally

New York Gov. David Paterson and NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg were only two in a galaxy of stars of stage and politics to join thousands of New Yorkers in today's marriage equality rally just off Times Square. The event was seamlessly produced by Broadway Impact, who are due huge congratulations for pulling the whole thing off in just ten days. I spent most of the afternoon backstage or in the press pit and got some great shots for the below slideshow.

Among the many inspiring speakers were newly engayged Sex In The City star Cynthia Nixon, newly engayged Assemblyman Danny O'Donnell, state Sen. Tom Duane, Bloomberg, Paterson, and Empire State Pride Agenda executive director Alan Van Cappelle. The cast of Hair performed two great numbers lead by openly gay star Gavin Creel, hunkster heartthrob Cheyenne Jackson sang, and Tony winner Audra McDonald brought the house down to close the day. It was a fantastic afternoon and totally the homo antidote to all the evangelical bigotry we had experienced just a few blocks away. Full-screen versions of the photos below are here.

UPDATE: Wayne Anderson has posted a great set of photos at World Of Wonder. And Little David has great video of Tony winner Audra McDonald's fantastic closing song.

TODAY: Massive Pro And Anti-Gay Marriage Rallies Set For Manhattan

The NYPD has been advised to prepare for 10,000 - 20,000 Hispanic evangelicals rallying outside Gov. Paterson's Manhattan office today at 1PM for their self-described anti-gay protest. LGBT folks and our allies are urged to show up too, "not in a fight against our dissenters, but in a gesture of support for Governor Paterson, who has supported us." Gay organizers are requesting "no hostility" towards the other side. Please keep your signs and talking points positive. Those arriving by train are suggested to meet in Grand Central Terminal at the clock by 12:30pm. From there we will gather at 633 Third Avenue between 40th and 41st streets. State Sen. Ruben Diaz and his group have planned their protest to last for one hour.

Then you'll have about four hours to enjoy midtown before the huge pro-gay marriage rally off Times Square put on by Broadway Impact.

This Sunday, May 17, stars of Broadway and Television will come out to perform and rally in support of love, peace and marriage equality. Please join us from 5:00pm - 7:00pm ET on Sixth Avenue at 44th street in Manhattan as we let the sunshine in.

Visit Broadway Impact for a lengthy list stars appearing/performing at the rally. See you there! And feel free to Twitter or Facebook this post and ask your followers to RT it. We need big numbers at both rallies. Tiny URL for this post: http://tinyurl.com/ofxdkx.

Sunday: NYC Marriage Equality Rally!

Via press release:

This Sunday, May 17, stars of Broadway and Television will come out to perform and rally in support of love, peace and marriage equality. Please join us from 5:00pm - 7:00pm ET on Sixth Avenue at 44th street in Manhattan as we let the sunshine in.

“I am thrilled that we are able to come together as a community to urge people to take direct action by calling their State Senators,” said Gavin Creel, current Tony nominee for HAIR and co-founder of Broadway Impact. “This peaceful rally is going to be about love – and the right to marry whoever it is that you love.”

Audra McDonald, four-time Tony winner and star of ABC’s Private Practice will lend her voice and presence to the cause. Cheyenne Jackson, star of Broadway hits such as All Shook Up and Xanadu, and guest star on television’s Ugly Betty, will be singing and speaking out on the issue. Two-time Tony nominee and star of Broadway’s newest hit HAIR, Gavin Creel, will serve as host for the event and will also lead his fellow cast members in a performance of “Let the Sunshine In.” Speakers in attendance will consist of Senator Tom Duane, who is sponsoring the marriage equality bill in the State Senate and New York State Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell, brother of Broadway veteran Rosie O’Donnell. More speakers to come!

Together with Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS, The Human Rights Campaign, Marriage Equality New York, Empire State Pride Agenda and The Civil Rights Front, Broadway Impact will lead the Theatre community in showing their support of Governor Paterson and the marriage equality bill.

This might be our last chance to rally before a vote in the NY Senate, so this show of force could be important, New York. I'll be there, as well as at the earlier anti-gay rally being held that day by Sen./Rev. Ruben Diaz and the Hispanic Clergy Organization. (Note how they themselves describe their rally as "anti-gay."