As the enormous turnout at this Monday’s vigil for the victims of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning) hate crimes demonstrated, Connecticut College’s support for LGBTQ rights is overwhelming.
Conn’s fervent activism was also present at the National Equality March (October 10-11) as twenty students traveled to Washington D.C. to take part in the march organized by Equality Across America.
The march called for equal rights and protection in all fifty states in matters of civil law. These rights include the right to work and go to school free of discrimination and harassment, the right to be protected against hate-crimes, the right to equitable healthcare, the right to equitable immigration policies, the right to serve in the military openly and the right to marry.
The group of Conn students left Conn at 5:45 AM on Saturday, traveling with sixteen Trinity students and seven students from Wesleyan. This larger group stayed the night in St. Stephen and the Incarnation Church, along with about two hundred other activists participating in the march. The students from Conn returned to campus at around 12:30 AM Monday.
“I’ve been to over ten public LGBTQ-centered events, like gay prides and gay rights marches, but never have I felt so deeply connected with other LGBTQ activists,” said Jessica Bombasaro-Brady, ’11, co-chair of Spectrum, and one of the participating Conn students. “The sense of community and shared experience with a crowd of strangers was overwhelming and incredibly intense.”
Andrew Sowle ’13, had similar thoughts about the march. “It was really inspiring to see so many people out marching so passionately and peacefully. The lack of protestors was also very heartening.”
The march included speeches from celebrities, such as Lady Gaga and Cynthia Nixon, along with speeches from well-known LGBTQ activists like Judy Shepard, mother of Matthew Shepard, a University of Wyoming student brutally murdered for being gay. Other speakers included Jarrett Barrios, President of GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) and 1st Lieutenant Daniel Choi, an openly gay Arabic linguist and combat veteran who was discharged under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” policy.
The night before the march, President Obama addressed the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the largest LGBTQ civil rights organization, at a black-tie dinner.
In his speech, Obama spoke about many equality issues, including employment discrimination, the defense of marriage act and HIV/AIDS. Obama also promised to end the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” policy.
For LBGTQ civil rights activists on campus, the march is just a small step towards the goal to achieve equality.
“Now that we are back in our comfortable world at Connecticut College, it is paramount that we continue the work that we began before the march and demand equal rights for all on our campus, in our state, and in the country as a whole,” Bombasaro-Brady said.
Spectrum meets every Wednesday at 9:30 PM in the LBGTQ Resource Center.
Photo by Mihir Sharma
