On June 10, members of the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) in Washington, D.C.,
participated in the local LGBT Pride Parade. Pride marches and parades occur annually in the month of June. They were first started after the 1969 Stonewall rebellion in New York City, which ushered in a new era of open and militant activism for the lesbian/gay/bi/trans movement.
The ANSWER contingent in D.C. Pride brought a necessary element of political consciousness to the event. It was enthusiastically received by a crowd of tens of thousands that weaved for miles through Dupont Circle.
Each successive year the contingent has increased in numbers and in the quality of their presentation. This year’s contingent included a truck to transport a large sound system used to amplify chanting and music. Chants were thunderously echoed back by a crowd clearly in agreement with the message: “We’re gonna beat back the Bush attack,” and “Equality? Yes! Bigotry? No! Homophobia has got to go!”
The contingent was lead by a banner which read “An injury to one is an injury to all” and “LGBT equality now.” It inspired cheers and applause throughout the parade route. Thousands of anti-war palm cards were disseminated to the appreciative crowd.
Issues such as LGBT oppression, racism and opposition to war are intimately connected. The pro-capitalist propaganda used by the ruling class through their monopoly ownership of the media often obscures this fact. ANSWER’s participation in the D.C. Pride Parade served to link these struggles and demonstrate the crucial need for solidarity and unity among the diverse ranks of the working class.
