Activists Attending National Equality March Plan to Lobby Congress

With the recent announcement that Congress will be in session during the National Equality March, I contacted Robin McGeHee, one of the chief organizers of the event, and asked her if this caused any new actions to be planned.

"We will be sticking to our main goal of training people and then sending them home to do the work that's needed to be done there," Robin said. "After their training [in Washington DC], they will be contacting their representatives at home."

Equality Across America, the organization forming out of the National Equality March, is actively involved in organizing all 435 congressional districts in the nation in an effort to gain full federal equality for all. Their goal is to have Congressional Action Teams per district, some of which have already formed and will be attending the march for training.

"Some Congressional Action Teams will be lobbying Congress over the weekend," Robin said. In order to accomplish this, they may miss out on some of the scheduled training.

The next big step to come out of the National Equality March will be to have the newly trained activists return home and plan for a national action day on November 5.

Depending on where they live and how LGBT-friendly their towns are, the activists will hold rallies or in more conservative areas, write persuasive op-eds in major local newspapers and perform other tasks to create more awareness. Some of the events may join in spirit others being planned in California to memorialize the damage caused by the passing of Proposition 8 which by then will have been a year ago. All will be encouraged to lobby their U.S. Representatives.

More information about November 5 will be given at the National Equality March.