LGBT history making in DC: Inspirational, evocational, provocational

This twitpic from an inter-racial couple was massively retweeted

Sunday's march for LGBT equality in Washington DC was a non-stop fest of speech making. From the fantabulous youth to the glorious head of the NAACP to 'Let the sunshine in' (and virtually all stops in-between). It was a Call To Action and then some. It made me teary, it would make anyone who believes in civil rights, human rights, teary.

Here are my tweets (back to front):

• pauloCanning #NEM 'Let the sunshine in' frm Hair perfect finish
  
• pauloCanning: RT @ChefMark 'A free and Equal people do not tolerate prioritization of their rights. They do not accept compromises' Cleve Jones #NEM
• pauloCanning: #nem Cleve Jones IS the mountaintop!
  
• pauloCanning: RT @MEGAFamily Urvashi Vaid: 'Battle for the direction of this country' #NEM < she's talkin revolution baby!
  
• pauloCanning: RT @jdillman http://twitpic.com/l5wjw - @jdillman, @jtrybus #"Homomentum!" #NEM < :}}}
  
• pauloCanning: #NEM very moved by Julian Bond citing LG he worked alongside in 60s as reason for his solidairty now 

• pauloCanning: @SunnyStokes I'm right with you! #NEM She was inspirational
  
• pauloCanning: Who is Staceyann Chin? #NEM Jamaican superstar http://bit.ly/4xatwu (expand) It takes a poet
  
• pauloCanning: Michelle Clunie quoting Coretta Scott King #NEM If she were alive she would be there but NAACP head still to come
  
• pauloCanning: RT @teebalicious I'm old enough to remember the Silence = Death days + I am in love with this beautiful sea of #LGBT people #NEM < say it!
  
• pauloCanning: #NEM severe drought of older white men on this platform. This is why it's making such an impact 
• pauloCanning @Becky_R My pleasure! I'm from UK like Billie Myers, watching on C-Span and so moved by #NEM 

• pauloCanning: @Frannyo nope! http://bit.ly/PqY7X (expand) #NEM 
• pauloCanning: Katharine Lee Bates, the lesbian who wrote America The Beautiful http://bit.ly/1fzxOs (expand) #NEM 
• pauloCanning: RT @AngryQueer America the Beautiful was written by a lesbian - #nem 
• pauloCanning: Hah! Billie Myers just said ficking on C-Span! #NEM 
• pauloCanning: Lady GaGa 'Obama: ARE YOU LISTENING!!!!' #NEM 
• pauloCanning: As LadyGaGa takes stage remember was 11 years ago today, Judy Shepard was watching as Matthew lay in a coma in Fort Collins, Colo. #nem 

• pauloCanning: #NEM the announcer reminds me of a character from Best in Show 
• pauloCanning: RT @unitethefight Kim Coco Iwamoto, 'Our children are learning to discriminate. Our children are learning how to hate themselves' #NEM 
• pauloCanning: @toastedgrrl #NEM I related when he spoke about AIDS and what it was like - many there would be remembering (and honouring) 
• pauloCanning BBC reporting already on #NEM http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8301791.stm 
• pauloCanning RT @malik_photog dan choi is a powerful speaker. and WORK for quoting kahlil gibran! #NEM 
• pauloCanning: #NEM Dan Choi just read a poem in Arabic. Incredible  
• pauloCanning: #NEM loudest cheer yet for Judy Sheppard. She is a f*cking saint. 'Evrybody smile. You should be so proud of yrself''
  
• pauloCanning: Go Cynthia Nixon! #nem

• pauloCanning: RT @unitethefight: More pics of hundreds of thousands on Washington Mall! http://bit.ly/Zlb40 (expand) #NEM < + Lt. Dan Choi
• pauloCanning: #NEM Sam Sussman young straight #equality champion speaking is making me tear up! Wow! 'In our America we will not tolerate prejudice'
  
• pauloCanning: RT @hardcorps80204 "How many more tears must be shed" David Mixner #NEM
  
• pauloCanning: @toastedgrrl David Mixner now speaking #nem about the reality of AIDS in the 90s. Incredibly moving
  
• pauloCanning: RT @rodmccullom #NEM #Latino #gay youth activist Richard Aviles http://twitpic.com/l5bpx //very inspirational < totally!
  
• pauloCanning: #socitm09 @liz_azyan sorry Liz no follow :' #NEM LGBT Washington march is history, wonderful, amazing speakers

• pauloCanning: #NEM C-span not showing speakers names, find them here > http://bit.ly/49sMT5 (expand) #NEMrally
  
• pauloCanning: RT @LauraAndRudy WOW, Aiyi'nah Ford (co-host ListenUp internet radio program) is giving one HELL of a speech at #NEM right now!! < she's FAB
  
• pauloCanning RT @Ameriqueer Just took a pic w/ Cynthia Nixon! http://twitpic.com/l4i4h #NEM #NEMrally 
• pauloCanning: RT @jacobbrwr Either the gays are in control of Twitter or the #NEM is actually a big deal. Either way, it's an exciting day < both :]
•  pauloCanning: RT @ahideg RT @dcconcierge Now I'm marching at #NEM with Lady GaGa (and her bodyguards)!!! http://twitpic.com/l4yl3
  
• pauloCanning: So many young people on stage @ #NEM This is wonderful
  
• pauloCanning: RT @elideep 'I say to Barney Frank, you are out of touch from the seat of power you hold.Does this march matter?' >earth-shaking cheers #NEM

• pauloCanning: RT @just_someguy RT @toastedgrrl: They just called out Barney Frank. #nem - YES THEY SURE AS HELL DID! < Good!
  
• pauloCanning: #nem #NATIONAL #EQUALITY #DC live now on C-Span http://c-span.org/Watch/C-SPAN_wm.aspx
  
• pauloCanning: RT @bethannon RT @LAmaleCA: Fox News just estimated the #NEM crowd at 2.5 million people. Congrats, guys! / SRSLY? FOX??
  
• pauloCanning: RT @veganindigo beautiful RT @dsrbroadway http://twitpic.com/l4oad - There is an actual rainbow above us @broadwayimpact AMAZING!!! #NEM
  
• pauloCanning: RT @LAmaleCA http://twitpic.com/l55c1 - in my lifetime our marriage was illegal too. #nem #NATIONAL #EQUALITY 

You can watch the whole thing here and I will add video highlights as I find them.

Andrew Sullivan explains about this sign: 'It was made in 1965, four years before Stonewall, and the Mattachine heroes held it up in front of the White House on October 23 forty four years ago. Charles Francis brought it, and allowed me to hold it for a while. I am so proud to have been part of this movement, and so honored to touch one its sacred artefacts.'

UPDATE

Video from the day.

Agree with Andrew Sullivan that this over-view of the day is "a little cheesy" but the visuals are great.



Cynthia Nixon asked 'What is the most important issue?'



The wonderful BRIT Billie Myers - "bisexual and fucking proud of it" - performs 'America the beautiful' with Dave Koz.



March organiser, Harvey Milk's friend, AIDS Quilt creator, Cleve Jones: "If you believe that you are equal then it is time to act like it."



The INCREDIBLE Jamaican-American poet Staceyann Chin: "We have to be willing to fight for more than what makes us comfortable because what makes us human is the acknowledgment of a universal humanity,"



Julian Bond leader of the NAACP, American Civil Rights Movement: "When I am asked 'are gay rights civil rights' my answer is always 'of course they are'."




Andrew Sullivan at the previous evening's HIV/AIDS MEMORIAL Ceremony at The National Equality March: "Seems that gay men are more interested in getting a glimpse of Lady GaGa than remembering 300,000 gay men who died. That makes me very sad."



Urvashi Vaid, long time activist: "We must be prepared to engage in a more profound battle, for the direction of this country."



Straight 18 yo young man Sam Sussman also spoke. He'd won the 'Equality Idol' contest by submitting a YouTube video stating the importance of equal rights for everyone.

The Right Side of History Campaign is a movement of young, inspired Americans who have joined together to heed Sam's call.



A big section of young, some very young, speakers opened the Rally. What an inspiring bunch they were.