"The proof that someone truly believes is in action"-Bayard Rustin.

Two weekends ago, Spectrum, Miami University's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) and Straight Alliance took 27 Miami students to Washington, D.C. for the National Equality March. Longtime civil rights advocate David Mixner called for the march in May as a way for LGBT persons and their allies to come together and demand equality under the law from their representatives and newly elected president.

As active straight allies in the community, the two of us felt it was imperative to be a part of this historic moment. For too long, we have watched our friends and loved ones be told they are second-class citizens merely because their sexuality and gender identity do not conform to the system of privilege those in power have created. In this time, when we have a president who told us "yes we can" have hope and believe in an America that is open to all people - we knew that we needed to put our own hopes into action. So, we traveled to Washington, D.C. with thousands upon thousands of other people from all across the country to show our legislators, our president and our fellow citizens the kind of America in which we want to live.

We were both incredibly touched and inspired by what we saw and heard Sunday, Oct. 11. A crowd of thousands gathered around 15th and I streets to begin the march, and a plethora of rainbow flags and signs scattered the crowd. Some of our favorite signs declared "United by Love, Divided by Law" and "Let my Moms Get Married." We chanted along with the crowd, shouting, "What do we want? Equality! When do we want it? Yesterday!" and "Gay, Straight, Black, White Marriage is a Civil Right!" Along the path to the Capitol, we encountered a few counter-protestors. One man held a sign stating "One man, One woman," and preached into a microphone informing the crowd that we could "still be saved." We could not hear him for long though, because as people walked past their cheers drowned him out. (We also saw a sign that said "You will eat your babies" courtesy of the Westboro Baptist Church - we admit we got hungry, but not that hungry ...)

It was also amazing to see the diversity among the participants. In addition to a multitude of different races, ethnicities and sexualities, there was also a variety of political beliefs. An interracial family of two dads and two sons marched together holding hands, and one of the dads carried a McCain-Palin bag and signs against Proposition 8. A large line of people held up a banner saying "Teabaggers in Support of Equal Rights," while others sporting "equal rights" buttons stood passing out newspapers for a socialist group. We even saw a group of Iraq war veterans proudly waving their American and rainbow flags. Perhaps that was the most poignant part for us; we were able to see the tangible representation of the Rainbow flag - all these people, from so many different places and backgrounds, all coming together to be a part of this movement for equality. We saw strollers and canes, crosses and hijabs. We saw all walks of life represented because LGBT equality affects us all.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu once said "none are free until all are free," and we strongly believe that this is the case with the LGBT community. Right now, your peers, your family members, your professors, your co-workers and your neighbors are not considered equal citizens under the law. Right now, such laws as the Defense of Marriage Act and policies like "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" are preventing LGBT persons from having full rights in our country. LGBT persons have jobs and families, they pay their taxes and volunteer in their communities, but in the state of Ohio they can legally be fired based on their sexuality and gender identity, as well as denied housing and marriage. They deserve equal rights and they should not have to fight this fight on their own.

In the great history of our country, every group who has lived in America has at one point been marginalized. Even more, their liberation was largely helped by the support of their allies. Even our founding fathers were aided by the French to free themselves from an oppressive monarchy. Allies are not necessarily the people who drive the movement, but their support can often be the tipping point. Without allies, we would not have been able to move past the times when we, as women, were considered second-class citizens. And in a system that creates such a hierarchy of power and access to rights, our own positions within it could easily be upset in the future. Without equality for everyone, how can we assure our own freedoms will always be protected? Furthermore, look at the way these laws (or lack of laws) affect all of us. For instance, at the march we heard from Lt. Dan Choi, who was discharged from the army under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," despite the fact that he is fluent in Arabic, a critical language for the Defense Department. There are people discharged every year under this policy regardless of how invaluable they may be to a military victory in Iraq or Afghanistan. 

Our LGBT peers cannot wait any longer for equality. We cannot wait any longer to join them in the fight. One of the speakers, Judy Sheppard, whose son Matthew was murdered for being gay 11 years ago, called on all of us to act on behalf of our fellow citizens by contacting our senators and representative and demanding they change these prejudiced laws. Equal rights are deserved by all, and the way to achieve equality is through action by all people - LGBT and allies. So in the spirit of Harvey Milk, one of the great LGBT voices who was silenced too early, we have come to recruit you. We need your help as an LGBT person or as an ally to lobby in our local, state and national communities for equal rights. Achieving equal rights for everyone in our country requires action and dedication, and if we do not do what we can in this fight, our country's constitution will no longer be accurate by claiming to grant equal protections to every person. It is only through actively standing up for freedom that we will prove our commitment to the ideals on which our nation was founded.

Marissa Sims Co-president Spectrum simsmr@muohio.edu

Kate O'Brien obrienk4@muohio.edu