WASHINGTON MARCH THIS WEEKEND!

This video is entitled "Will You March With Us in Washington?" Unfortunately, I will not be there. But my heart will be there with thousands of my gay brothers and sisters. These are the warriors of the gay community, the fighters. Out men and women, they are putting their bodies and their dollars on the front lines of the gay movemebt to fight for our rights in our nation's capital.

October 11 is National Coming Out Day. In its own quieter way it is as important as our Gay Pride celebrations because it reminds us of who we are, where we've come from, and where we have yet to go. It also provides one more opportunity to remind the broader straight society that we are here and we're not going away.

So much is on the line right now. In Maine we're fighting another effort to overturn our hard-won right to marry. In Washington state, we're fighting a right-wing effort to strip away domestic partner rights. A bill to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" has just been introduced in congress. Several court cases across the country have been launched to repeal the hateful Defense of Marriage Act. In Washington, D.C. the city council is almost certain to approve same sex marriage, but that will have to be defended -- just as we have to defend every gain we've made in every state and city and town in America.

We've come a long way. But as we learned in California with Proposition 8, our gains can often be taken away with a simple vote.

Where ever you are this weekend -- on the street, in a theater or museum, in a restaurant or a bar -- remember those marchers in Washington. Power concedes nothing without action.