Marching for GLBT civil rights

My crusade for a bus began less than three weeks ago because of a surge of student interest in attending the National Equality March in Washington, D.C.

The march took place Oct. 11 and attendance estimates ranged from 150,000 to 200,000. This column was originally going to be a blame-game indictment of many hard-working organizations and offices at this University because I didn’t get a bus.

Professional staff at other Big Ten schools had planned and secured funding to subsidize the trip to the capital for the weekend, but when I came back to IU, no one here was planning to organize a group trip.

I decided that the power of representing our school, town, state, and the educational and other opportunities at stake, demanded that I find a way to get an IU delegation to D.C.

Soon, I had a 90-person e-mail list, a spreadsheet that often left even its creator confused and a new obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.

I was frustrated by bureaucratic processes, financial constraints and the physical limits on the time I could devote to this project. The most important lesson I learned might seem obvious, but its simplicity makes it no less critical: Always fundraise early.

I learned my lesson the hard way, because I eventually had to tell the folks at one of Indiana’s many charter bus companies (I called all of them) that they should rent our bus to someone else. About 30 of us ended up caravanning to Washington, for the weekend. Many students that had committed to traveling with us were not able to come because we didn’t have enough seats in cars.

I have cried, screamed and written some far-too-pushy e-mails in the past few weeks, never letting go of my vision of 55 happy Hoosiers singing “99 bottles of beer on the wall” as our bus wound through the West Virginia hills.

Our Obama generation has to remember that sometimes “Yes we can” doesn’t pan out the way we imagine. But we marched arm-in-arm behind a nine-by-three-feet “Hoosiers for Homos” banner. The fact that we marched, despite quite a few obstacles getting there, was even more impressive.

Students at other schools may have had a lot more support in getting to Washington, but we had the most resolve and the most spirit.

The determination of IU students to get to the National Equality March and stand up representing our school in the fight for gay, lesbian and transgender civil rights will easily be one of my most treasured college memories.

Although only a smaller group was able to participate in the national events in Washington, I am so thankful for all of the positive responses I received as I dedicated myself to getting an IU group to the march.

Although GLBT people might not have equality in the national arena, here at IU, all of my efforts were met not only with tolerance but with enthusiasm.

Bus or no bus, thank you, IU.