A groundswell of support for the National Equality March, set for October 10 and 11 in Washington D.C., is building as the date approaches. Towleroad can exclusively reveal a list from Equality Across America of 140 prominent LGBT figures and allies who have put their names and endorsements behind the National Equality March, which seeks equal protection in all matters governed by law in all 50 states.
The new list consists of a broad range of LGBT strategists and visionaries, media figures, entertainment industry notables, elected officials, and HIV/AIDS and community activists, from across the country.
Said activist Robin McGehee, who is running day-to-day operations of the march with Kip Williams: "I will never be able to describe the humbling amazement of a once closeted lesbian from Mississippi, who would read about the movement and it's leaders, now being able to work with and plan for the people and community I had admired from afar. The people and organizations that are endorsing the National Equality March are giving young activist and organizers, like myself, encouragement and support to continue our movement's forward push for full federal equality."
Among the 140 new endorsers of the march are activists, strategists, and leaders in the fight for LGBT equality: Diane Abbitt, Roberta Bennett, Ethan Geto, Neil Giuliano, Cleve Jones, David Mixner, Nicole Murray-Ramirez, Ann Northrop, Torie Osborn, Judy Shepard, Nadine Smith, Peter Staley, Sean Strub, Urvashi Vaid and William Waybourn.
Entertainment industry endorsements include: Oscar-winning Actress Charlize Theron; Oscar-winning Producer Bruce Cohen; Oscar-winning Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black; Emmy-winning Actress Judith Light; Tony Award winners Alan Cumming and Harvey Fierstein; Jazz impresarios Kate Clinton and Dave Koz; Chad Allen; "Mad Men's" Bryan Batt; Beth Broderick; David Drake; Herb Hamsher; Lance Horne; Dan Karslake; Michael Kearns; Tim Miller; Holly Near; Larry Sullivan; Bruce Vilanch and Judge David Young.
Elected officials and other political leaders endorsing October's march include: US Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI); State Senator Tom Duane (D-NY); San Francisco Supervisor Bevan Dufty; former US Congressman Ed Feighan; Assembly Member Micah Kellner (D-NY); former California State Senator Sheila Kuehl; Assembly Member Daniel O'Donnell (D-NY); NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn; Victory Fund president and CEO, Chuck Wolfe; Donald Hitchcock; Charles O'Byrne; Marsha Scott; Frank Selvaggi; Richard Socarides; Rich Tafel; Will Trinkle; Jon Winkleman; Peter Yacobellis and Paul Yandura.
Endorsements by members of the media include: Air America's David Bender, and other radio personalities, Lance Helms, Ace Lundon, Michelangelo Signorile, and Tony Sweet; as well as literary figures and blog writers, Richard Burns, Robert Desiderio, Lane Hudson, Doug Ireland, Jonathan Katz, Eric Marcus, Patrick Range McDonald, Bob Smith, and Pam Spaulding.
HIV/AIDS and other community activists endorsing the march include: Chip Arndt, Aaron Baldwin, Dr. Jerry Cade, Mark Ishaug, Corey Johnson, Dr. Tony Mills and Dan Montoya. Leaders of the faith community endorsing the NEM include: C. Weldon Gaddy (Interfaith Alliance), Mitchell Gold (Faith in America), MCC Church Founder Rev. Troy Perry, and President of Pacific Association of Reform Rabbis, and Soul Force Freedom Ride Founder, Jake Reitan.
We at Towleroad (Andy Towle and Michael Goff) are included on the list as well and urge everyone to meet us in Washington D.C. in October.
The full list of new endorsers, AFTER THE JUMP…
NEW LIST of 140 ENDORSERS of the NATIONAL EQUALITY MARCH
Diane Abbitt, President, California Equality and Lesbian Legend!
Chad Allen, Actor/ Producer
Jeff Anderson, Fundraiser/ Activist (San Francisco)
Chip Arndt, Activist, Winner of the Amazing Race 4
Toni Atkins, Former City Council Member of San Diego
Dennis Bailey, Author/Actor
Aaron Baldwin, LGBTQ/HIV Activist
Tammy Baldwin, Congresswomen (D- WI)
Jarrett Tomás Barrios, President, GLADD
Bryan Batt, Actor, AMC's “Mad Men”
David Bender, Air America
Roberta Bennett, Attorney/Legendary Activist
Jeff Berman, Attorney at Law / New York City
Dustin Lance Black, Oscar Winning Screenwriter (”Milk”)
Jeremy Blacklow, Entertainment Industry
Steven Bluestein, Playwright
Beth Broderick, Actress
Bil Browning, Founder and Publisher of Bilerico.com
Richard Burns, Screenwriter
Dr. Jerry Cade, Director HIV Service University Medical Center/Las Vegas
Jeffrey H. Campagna, Founder, ThePowerOnline.org
Tom Carpenter, Former CoChair of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN)
Michael Cashman, Member of the European Parliament
Lt. Daniel Choi, West Point and United States Army
Kate Clinton, Comedian/Writer
Bruce Cohen, Oscar Wining Producer
Alan Cummings, Actor
Robert Desiderio, Actor
Tanya L. Domi, Former US Army Captain/ Human Rights Advocate
Clay Doherty, Former Executive Director, Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council of the DNC
William Alan Donius, Former Chairmen/ CEO Pulaksi Bank/ St. Louis
Craig Dougherty, Corporate Leader/ Entrepreneur
David Drake, Obie Award Winning Actor/ Playwright and Director
Tom Duane, New York State Senator
Bevan Duffy, San Francisco Board of Supervisors
Rabbi Denise Eger, President of Pacific Association of Reform Rabbis
Brian Ellner, Political Activist/ New York
Edward Feighan, Former United States Member of Congress (D-Ohio)
Harvey Fierstein, Actor/ Writer
Sally Fisher, Founder/Intersect Worldwide
Randy Florke, Founder, Rural Connection
Robert Forbuss, Nevada Board of Regents
Joe Freeman, Political Activist
Alan Friel, Labor Day LA
C Weldon Gaddy, Interfaith Alliance
Ethan Geto, Geto and de Milly
Neil Giuliano, Former Mayor of Tempe, Arizona and President of GLAAD
Mitchell Gold, Faith in America – Board President
Michael Goff, Towleroad/ModUrban Media / Founder, Out magazine
Herb Hamsher, Producer/ Manager
Lance Helms, Talk Show Host, “Lundon Calling”
Lance Horne, Musician
Mark Ishaug, President, AIDS Foundation of Chicago
Chad Johnson, Former Executive Director National Stonewall Democrats
Corey Johnson, New York Democratic Party Activist
Lane Hudson, Commentator and Writer
Doug Ireland, Journalist
Cleve Jones, Activist, The Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt
Kim Kakerbeck, Former CoChair of Empire State Pride Agenda (New York)
Gregg Kaminsky, Travel Expert
Barry Karas, Political Operative/ANGLE
Fred Karger, Founder, Californian's Against Hate
Leslie Katz, Former San Francisco Supervisor
Dan Karslake, Director/Producer (”For the Bible Tells Me So”)
Jonathan Katz, Author/Historian/ University of Buffalo
Michael Kearns, Actor/Activist
Micah Kellner, New York State Assembly Member
Dave Koz, Smooth Jazz Legend For Sax
Sheila Kuehl, Former California State Senator
Donald Hitchcock, Democratic Party Activist
Judith Light, Actress
Tony Leonhardt, Union Advocate, Association of Professional Flight Attendants
Ace Lundon, Talk Show Host, “Lundon Calling”
Jack Mackenroth, Fashion Designer/ TV Producer
Sean Maloney, Partner, Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Eric Marcus, Writer/ Journalist
Patrick Range McDonald, Award Winning Journalist
Robin McGehee, Activist, Meet In The Middle Organizer
Dana Miller, Producer/ Writer
Tim Miller, Actor/ Performance Artist
Dr. Tony Mills, HIV/ AIDS Activist
David Mixner, Author/Activist
Patrick Menasco, Attorney
Dan Montoya, Former Presidential Commission on HIV/AIDS Member
Larry Moss, New York Democratic Party Official
Christopher Murray, Author/ Psychotherapist
Holly Near, Musician/Actress
Ann Northrop, Activist, Co-host Gay USA
Charles O'Byrne, Prominent Political Strategist
Danny O'Donnell, Assemblyman, NY
Andrew Oldershaw, LGBT Media Specialist
Torie Osborn, Author/Activist
Dan Osheyack, Point Foundation Board Member
Alfredo Paredes, Executive Vice President, Polo Ralph Lauren
Jay Perez, Attorney at Law/ St. Louis
Dana Perlman, Human Rights Campaign Board Member
Rev Troy Perry, Founder of the MCC Church
Christine Quinn, City Council President of New York City
Nichol Ramirez, City Commissioner, San Diego, Activist
Phil Reese, Talk Show Host, “Lundon Calling”
Jacob Reitan, Founder of Soul Force's Equality Rides and “The Right To Serve”
Randi and Philip Reitan, Parent Activists for LGBT Rights
Howard Rosenman, Film and Television Producer, Writer and Actor
Guy Ross, Trustee, University of Richmond (Virginia)
Marsha Scott, White House, President Clinton
Frank Selvaggi, Co-Chair of Empire State Pride Agenda/ New York
Judy Shepard, Matthew Shepard Foundation
Michelangelo Signorile, Talk Show Host/Writer
Bob Smith, Comedian/ Author
Richard Socarides, White House Special Assistant to President Clinton
Jeff Soukup, Fundraiser/ Activist (San Francisco)
Pam Spaulding, Blogger
Peter Staley, Founder and Advisory Editor/AIDSmeds.com
Jonathan Stoller, Financial Advisor
Alan M. Strasburg, Former Board Chair, The Trevor Project
Sean Strub, Founder of Poz Magazine and CEO of Cable Positive
Tony Sweet, Talk Show Host/ Los Angeles
Larry Sullivan, Actor/The Trip
Rich Tafel, Founder of Log Cabin Republicans/ President of RLT Strategies
Charlize Theron, Academy Award Winning Actress
Andy Towle, Towleroad.com
Jeff Trandahl, Washington, DC / Environmentalists
Will Trinkle, Board Member of GLAAD
Curt Truman, Los Angeles, President Truman Real Estate
Urvashi Vaid, Author/ Activist/ LGBT Leader
Dana Vera, Managing Editor/ White Crane Journal
Bruce Vilanch, Writer/ Actor
Bo Young, White Crane Institute/ White Crane Journal
Honey Ward, The Experience
William Waybourn, Former Executive Director, National Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, Former Managing Director of GLAAD
Scott Widmeyer, Former Board Chair of Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund and CEO of Widmeyer Communications
Kip Williams, Activist, One Struggle One Fight
Rev. Nancy Wilson, Head of International MCC Church
Bob Wingate, Publisher, Outbound Press
Jon Winkleman, Stonewall Democrats
Chuck Wolfe, CEO and President of National Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund
Peter Yacobellis, Aide to Governor Paterson
Paul Yandura, White House, President Clinton
Judge David Young, Television Judge
Jose M. Zuniga, CEO of International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care
"Equality Across America (EAA) is a network of decentralized organizersin every one of the 435 Congressional districts. These organizers formCongressional District Action Teams (CDATs) that work within their owncommunities to achieve full equality for LGBT Americans and theirfamilies. EAA supports the following key pieces of legislation: theEmployment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), the Uniting American FamiliesAct (UAFA), the Repeal of Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and theRepeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT). With members of every race,class, faith, and community, EAA sees the struggle for LGBT equality aspart of a larger movement for peace and social justice. The NationalEquality March (NEM) is being organized by EAA to show broad-basedsupport for full equality for LGBT Americans on the doorstep of thosewho can make that happen – the United States Congress. The event willbe held Saturday, October 10, and Sunday, October 11, 2009 inWashington, D.C. Each EAA Congressional District Action Team willmobilize its community to attend the event. "
