Im afraid I must be getting old. I got back from the March on Springfield, sat in the comfy chair in the hotel room, and immediately fell asleep. Standing and walking for hours aint what it used to be. The rally was fabulous, but mostly I stood there comparing it to marches and protests in the sixties or working on gay rights all these years. Today the governor of the state was there. All those years ago, with few exceptions (Cliff Kelly in Chicago, Susan Catania in the legislature come to mind) we couldnt get a politician to pay attention to us, even rarely meet with us. Today so many of them were there: besides the governor - the lieutenant governor, the attorney general, numerous state legislators, Senator Durbin, and others. It was a thrill in terms of history and progress. Tracy Baim, the organizer/driving force behind the march deserves kudos all around. I thanked her when I saw her at he March and I want to thank her again, here. Thanks Tracy. This kind of event does make a difference. All your hard work paid off. Yes, we stood there in the cold and rain, but the time passed quickly. We kept our umbrellas open, and we listened and cheered as we filled the street before the state capitol building, directly beneath a statue of Lincoln. The symbolism is important. And we crammed the halls of the legislature with people going in to talk to their reps. Oh, and I got to hear Steve Grand live singing American Boy. I love the song and the video. Oh, yes, I remember the straight boy in high school and then another straight boy in college. Its good to remember the friendship and the fear. If nothing else to remind me and us how far weve come personally and politically. Once again, no pictures here. Im sure there are others on line. This fat, old guy with the white beard will go to bed early tonight, and be heading home early tomorrow.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Oct 2013 23:39:00 +0000
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