Here’s the pics from the march… all in all an exhausting day, but I have to say that thanks to folks responses to yesterday’s entry I feel much happier about going. Not that I was feeling bad at all, but I feel much happier about providing some representative presence for other folks.
We show up at the queer part of the rally, Sheridan square at 11:20am note the old school “Eat the Rich” cap.
If Dubya knew that he could entice such a charming smile from bearbait by his resignation, he’d step down immediately. Further proof that super cute people protest: here’s pics of boichick, vernnyc, and badfaggot and GroovyQ guys Phil Montana and Avram Finkelstein.
Here we are at 1:40pm having moved a scant few blocks up Seventh avenue. Number of participants, silly crowd control measures, the fact that we stared at the very end and the burning dragon turned the march into a long series of tableau vivants. There was much standing around
Signs of course abounded:
One from the aftermath:
and my favorite moment of radical chic:
We met friends:
Artists Robert Gober and Sioban Liddel
Film makers Sandy Dubowski and Mark Heustis
3:00pm we have been drafted into being coffin bearers and have carried the cardboard coffin for a couple of hours I think we’re at 25th street by this point and have been standing in one place for half an hour.
A new march phenom: as we dawdled, Phil talks on the phone to his mom to find out what the media coverage is like. Via cell phone I found out frlom my friend David about the dragion, and we receive dispiriting news about the scant nature of the coverage. Around us someone is shouting and pointing out the Fox news camera man.
4:20pm As we finally pass the garden, Security scans us from behind barriers, NYPD is on the parapet, and a huge Fox ad mocks us. I’m on the phone to David who lets me know that we’re suddenly on CSpan.
afterwards we celebrate our essentially shallow nature by downing overpriced coffee capitalism – Vive la revolution!
I am so proud of you guys – GO YOUS!
I am so proud of you guys – GO YOUS!
Hey, Nay, a big shout out from the Bay Area to everybody who took part in yesterday’s demonstration! Wish I could have been there, and at the earlier pro-choice march, too.
And in the small world department: my good friend Pete Gowdy has worked with Marc Huestis on many of the fabulous movie events Marc has put on at the Castro. Also Pete’s cat, Luna (short for Lunatic) is the daughter of Marc’s cat.
Big hugs from Lynn
Hey, Nay, a big shout out from the Bay Area to everybody who took part in yesterday’s demonstration! Wish I could have been there, and at the earlier pro-choice march, too.
And in the small world department: my good friend Pete Gowdy has worked with Marc Huestis on many of the fabulous movie events Marc has put on at the Castro. Also Pete’s cat, Luna (short for Lunatic) is the daughter of Marc’s cat.
Big hugs from Lynn
YAY!
Thanks for sharing your pictures.
YAY!
Thanks for sharing your pictures.
Wow thanks for posting these photos. It’s been difficult getting good news coverage of the events.
Wow thanks for posting these photos. It’s been difficult getting good news coverage of the events.
Nayland, what a great post. thank you so much for sharing, from myself and everyone over here on the left coast who couldnt fly out. thanks!!
Nayland, what a great post. thank you so much for sharing, from myself and everyone over here on the left coast who couldnt fly out. thanks!!
Oh pshaw – despite the wear and tear it was fun.
Oh pshaw – despite the wear and tear it was fun.
Thanks Lynn!
It looks like Mark is working on a new project – he did some interviewing while he walked the route.
The cat dynasties of SF would probably have quite a lot to say about all of our interconnected histories.
Thanks Lynn!
It looks like Mark is working on a new project – he did some interviewing while he walked the route.
The cat dynasties of SF would probably have quite a lot to say about all of our interconnected histories.
Re: YAY!
We should have had you send the hat!
Re: YAY!
We should have had you send the hat!
It’s galling to think about how this was being passed over while one was in the midst of it – It was a big march and I’ve been in big marches. Galling but not unexpected.
It’s galling to think about how this was being passed over while one was in the midst of it – It was a big march and I’ve been in big marches. Galling but not unexpected.
Thanks hon, I’m glad I got some decent pictures…
Thanks hon, I’m glad I got some decent pictures…
Dubya nothin’…that smile was enticed entirely by you!!! Reduced to a bashful freakin’ schoolgirl with the bat of an eyelash…
Thanks again for the invite; despite us drifting apart, I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else in the procession.
And thanks for the pics, I had none of myself!
Dubya nothin’…that smile was enticed entirely by you!!! Reduced to a bashful freakin’ schoolgirl with the bat of an eyelash…
Thanks again for the invite; despite us drifting apart, I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else in the procession.
And thanks for the pics, I had none of myself!
Thank you for this You-Were-There! coverage. One distressing note I observe so far is that I have not seen any “overhead” shots anywhere in the media which would show just how massive this demonstration was. I suspect “for security reasons” the police own the skies over lower Manhattan so that not even newscopters are allowed up right now. It looks like photographers from Reuters scrambled to the top floor of the Hotel Pennsylvania to get some photos, but even in those we’re only seeing a very small fraction of the crowd.
Thank you for this You-Were-There! coverage. One distressing note I observe so far is that I have not seen any “overhead” shots anywhere in the media which would show just how massive this demonstration was. I suspect “for security reasons” the police own the skies over lower Manhattan so that not even newscopters are allowed up right now. It looks like photographers from Reuters scrambled to the top floor of the Hotel Pennsylvania to get some photos, but even in those we’re only seeing a very small fraction of the crowd.
It was nice coffin-bearing with the likes of you! Alas, I was drafted into relief duty for someone else’s coffin, and lost the entire bear contingent from view by the time we had made the u-turn. Times like this, I wish I were able to take advantage of cellphone technology. I did get to meet some nice college youngsters who’d bussed in from out of town for the protest, and who joined in to help at the tail-end the march.
While there were some overhead helicopter views, and mention was made of the large number (500,000+), the media for the most part naturally zeroed in on the few “anarchic” acts, and in some cases (CBS and MSNBC’s nauseating Chris Mathews especially) made it seem like we were out to destroy the city (that smoke bombs and a lighted papier mache dragon are the tools of a dangerous uprising is debatable) and were thwarted only by the heroic bravery of the NYPD. This is ironic, since the whole event was remarkably peaceful and even fun in its solidarity and community emphasis, compared to the Queer Nation and ACT-UP protests I participated in many years ago. And while some nonprotestors might have been irked by the inconvenience, most seemed to be quite pleased that we were making a strong collective statement that our city is not political fodder for the current administration. I was glad to be a part of it!
It was nice coffin-bearing with the likes of you! Alas, I was drafted into relief duty for someone else’s coffin, and lost the entire bear contingent from view by the time we had made the u-turn. Times like this, I wish I were able to take advantage of cellphone technology. I did get to meet some nice college youngsters who’d bussed in from out of town for the protest, and who joined in to help at the tail-end the march.
While there were some overhead helicopter views, and mention was made of the large number (500,000+), the media for the most part naturally zeroed in on the few “anarchic” acts, and in some cases (CBS and MSNBC’s nauseating Chris Mathews especially) made it seem like we were out to destroy the city (that smoke bombs and a lighted papier mache dragon are the tools of a dangerous uprising is debatable) and were thwarted only by the heroic bravery of the NYPD. This is ironic, since the whole event was remarkably peaceful and even fun in its solidarity and community emphasis, compared to the Queer Nation and ACT-UP protests I participated in many years ago. And while some nonprotestors might have been irked by the inconvenience, most seemed to be quite pleased that we were making a strong collective statement that our city is not political fodder for the current administration. I was glad to be a part of it!
minor self-cx: NYPD put the number at 120,000. I find this debatable, but haven’t had time to read everything else written about the protest.
It was the free broadway shows for RNC delegates which galled me the most. This was the highlight of the RNC welcome, and in offering this perk, Bloomberg made the comment that no visit to the NYC would be complete without a broadway excursion. Alas, only a few of the actors came down with “sore throats” yesterday.
You’d think that someone, somewhere, somehow would have made the connection between Broadway and Queerdom and passed this bit of cultural trivia onto the big-haired bigots and ten-gallon devotees. Sigh.
minor self-cx: NYPD put the number at 120,000. I find this debatable, but haven’t had time to read everything else written about the protest.
It was the free broadway shows for RNC delegates which galled me the most. This was the highlight of the RNC welcome, and in offering this perk, Bloomberg made the comment that no visit to the NYC would be complete without a broadway excursion. Alas, only a few of the actors came down with “sore throats” yesterday.
You’d think that someone, somewhere, somehow would have made the connection between Broadway and Queerdom and passed this bit of cultural trivia onto the big-haired bigots and ten-gallon devotees. Sigh.
Wonderful – what a great event. We’re proud of you ,too.
Wonderful – what a great event. We’re proud of you ,too.
Everyone was asking after you – and not just the secret service – Your leadership and hotness were missed.
Everyone was asking after you – and not just the secret service – Your leadership and hotness were missed.
I searched and surfed for coverage of this, but the national media were disgustingly silent. there were a few arial views on Yahoo news, tho.
Thanks a whole lot for sharing these photos with us! It’s one thing to see a mass of people from a rooftop, and a whole other thing to see the faces in the crowd.
I searched and surfed for coverage of this, but the national media were disgustingly silent. there were a few arial views on Yahoo news, tho.
Thanks a whole lot for sharing these photos with us! It’s one thing to see a mass of people from a rooftop, and a whole other thing to see the faces in the crowd.
That goth kid with you got so antsy that at one point I turned around and you were twenty yards ahead of us. But it was blast getting to hang for all the time we did.
That goth kid with you got so antsy that at one point I turned around and you were twenty yards ahead of us. But it was blast getting to hang for all the time we did.
Oh pshaw – despite the wear and tear it was fun.
Thanks Lynn!
It looks like Mark is working on a new project – he did some interviewing while he walked the route.
The cat dynasties of SF would probably have quite a lot to say about all of our interconnected histories.
Re: YAY!
We should have had you send the hat!
It’s galling to think about how this was being passed over while one was in the midst of it – It was a big march and I’ve been in big marches. Galling but not unexpected.
Thanks for the images!
And you wore an orange shirt. I’m very impressed.
Thanks for the images!
And you wore an orange shirt. I’m very impressed.
Thanks hon, I’m glad I got some decent pictures…
coffins
i think that is an outrageously strong, emotional symbol right now. needed power. i dunno about the frappuccinos though….xo
ps: the guy with the beard is cute. 🙂
coffins
i think that is an outrageously strong, emotional symbol right now. needed power. i dunno about the frappuccinos though….xo
ps: the guy with the beard is cute. 🙂
YO! Hey I saw you on CSPAN. Couldnt forget that Orange hat of yours! You were yakkin on yer cellphone like so many others were there. So it was cool to come across your journal!
PEACE
YO! Hey I saw you on CSPAN. Couldnt forget that Orange hat of yours! You were yakkin on yer cellphone like so many others were there. So it was cool to come across your journal!
PEACE
Thanks – as I say – I was on the cell phone to someone who was watching CSPAN – so i knew when to be photogenic.
Thanks – as I say – I was on the cell phone to someone who was watching CSPAN – so i knew when to be photogenic.
Everyone was asking after you – and not just the secret service – Your leadership and hotness were missed.
That goth kid with you got so antsy that at one point I turned around and you were twenty yards ahead of us. But it was blast getting to hang for all the time we did.
Thanks – as I say – I was on the cell phone to someone who was watching CSPAN – so i knew when to be photogenic.
Miss Couric Wears Orange For The Same Reasons
Miss Couric Wears Orange For The Same Reasons