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Group Puts Pressure on Obama for Gay Inclusion in InaugurationWednesday Dec 3, 2008 A group in San Francisco has launched a website dedicated to supporting LGBT representation in President-Elect Barack Obama’s 2009 inaugural parade.
The site makes it easy to contact members of the Inaugural Committee and congressional representatives via email to voice support in favor of a gay contingent marching in the 2009 inaugural parade.
"President-Elect Obama’s message of hope was built on equality and unity. Real equality and unity means that the gay community is finally included at the table," said Paula Grace, co-organizer of intheparade.com. "On January 20th 2009 our President-Elect can demonstrate his sincerity and commitment to the true cause of civil rights in a symbolic way: by including a gay contingent in his parade."
A clock on the home page counts down the time remaining until the Presidential Inaugural Committee selects which groups will march in the parade, which traditionally happens around December 10th.
The catch-phrase "it’s time to come IN" is a play on the concept of coming out. "As it says at the website, we’ve come out to our friends, family, employers, and neighbors," Grace said. "Now it’s time to come in. Not back in the closet - in the parade, taking our rightful place alongside all the other American groups that will be marching."
In addition to sending emails, visitors to the site can join a Facebook group, download flyers and web banners, and print a script to be read aloud before screenings of the movie MILK in their local theatres.
"We’ve only been live a few hours and we’re getting a lot of traffic to the site from across the country which is important since we only have one week to make this happen," said David Averbach, co-organizer of intheparade.com. "I think this is catching on because people understand that marching is a symbolic act, and the symbolic value of a gay contingent in President-Elect Obama’s Inaugural Parade will say a lot about our new president’s authentic desire to include everyone in his definition of unity."
The site will remain up until the Inaugural Committee selects who will march in the parade, probably around December 10th. If an LGBT group is selected, the site will refocus its efforts towards fund-raising and event planning to support as many group members marching as possible.
The site also has links to the Obama-Biden Plans to Strengthen Civil Rights and Support the LGBT Community, and the 2009 inaugural theme "A New Birth of Freedom."
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