I got a call on my way into work this morning from a producer at CNN who was reviewing my iReports that I submitted last night. We had a conversation about the amount of time I spent at the National Equality March and the range of people I interviewed – and then that was that. At about 3:00PM another producer then reached out to me and asked me if I was up for a live interview with CNN Reporter, Nicole Lapin. Can you guess what my answer was?

Here is a link to the official CNN video. The embed is below.

I just got back from the National Equality March that is taking place right now in Washington. Thousands of GLBT equality advocates have descended on Northwest D.C. and are in full force as they march from McPherson Square to the steps of the Capitol.

The march has been met with some skepticism, especially by openly gay Member of Congress, Barney Frank (D-MA), who told Associated Press: “The only thing they’re going to be putting pressure on is the grass.” He went on to allude to more effective ways the GLBT community could push their equality agenda – constituent lobby days and grassroots efforts in the states, such as Maine, where gay marriage will soon be voted on. But even with that valid point, the thousands of marchers in Washington had ample reason to be here.

Over the last two decades, our government has actually established legislation that prohibits equality. First there is Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT), a ban of openly gay people in the military, which reduces military effectiveness. Then there is the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which conflicts the Constitution by connecting church and state with a legal definition of marriage: between a man and a women.

On the other hand, you have the Employee Non-Discrimination Act (EDNA), a piece of legislation that protects people from wrongful termination – except GLBT people. In fact, in 29 states, employers can fire or not hire someone based on their sexuality. And the list of policies that dictate civil rights for a minority group in America goes on.

In sum, our government is actively producing policy that makes some U.S. citizens less than equals. We all know that no matter what, it is not right. But somehow that message has not reached all of America. Here are some people who want to change that.

Check it out. The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network is holding a march today to call for an end to Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. (DETAILS  AT END OF POST.)

Don’t Ask Don’t Tell(DADT) was a policy introduced under the Clinton Administration. In short, it prohibits any gay or bisexual servicemember from discussing their sexual orientation.  That includes any casual mention of a relationship, a family, you get the picture. Apparently it creates an “unacceptable risk” to the morale, good order and discipline of our military.

One of President Obama’s campaign promises was to repeal DADT, a policy that has since made it difficult to retain qualified servicemembers. As stated by Dr. Larry Korb, a former national security advisor and Senior fellow at the Center for American Progress (CAP) in Washington,

“…the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy continues to undermine their efforts to attract qualified men and women. Moreover, since its enactment, this outmoded law has cost the country hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of service men and women who were working to keep our country safe.”

For details on the March: Meet at Farragut Square at 2:00PM EST. You will then walk over to the White House and gather in Lafayette Park.

Good luck and have fun! I would be there on the group with my gear but your little sister only graduates from high school once. :)

Earlier today, California’s Supreme Court ruled to uphold Proposition 8. Known as “Prop 8″ for short, this initiative eliminates the right of same sex couples to marry.

I got word of a protest happening just a few blocks from my place after work – so I went home, recharged, grabbed the gear and ran over to check it out. I uploaded photos and live-blogged via my Twitter feed – and finally, took some of the best clips for this video below. Be kind, this is a rough cut – but I wanted to get it up anyhow. Check it out.

Earlier that day just a few blocks down – at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the White House had this to say about California’s decision. Don’t blink or you’ll be sure to miss it.

Finally, don’t miss what celebrities had to say on Twitter – thanks to E!’s new celeb twitter feed.

Last Friday my iPhone made the usual buzz from the back of my desk. I had a hunch it was a New York Times Mobile Alert because those are the only text I get during the day. I know, such a tool.

In any case, the Mobile Alert was a sore subject. I joked the day before that the Times was beginning to abuse their text privileges. It seemed every afternoon I got another “breaking news,” alert. Or should I say, a 200 character doomsday report.

But this day was different and my fingers found a different notice of news. Iowa had struck down an amendment to ban gay marriage. It was huge.

According to a spokesperson for Lambda Legal, a national gay rights activist group, Iowa was the perfect first move in a strategic game to start winning states over – one by one.

“There is a tradition of independence and willingness to stand up on issues of fairness [in Iowa],” Jennifer C. Pizer, marriage project director for Lambda Legal told the New York Times.

Another advocacy group that no doubt took this ruling as a stripe in the win column is Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD).

If you remember, (which I didn’t but Google is great), Massachusetts voted to allow same-sex marriage in 2004. After that 26 states turned the other way and approved Constitutional bans on the same thing. With the passage of Prop 8 that banned gay marriage in California last November, it seemed the voters were sending a message. Not Yet.

But with the win of Iowa and a strategy to win six more states by 2012, it just might be the decade of the underdog.

If you don’t know who Harvey Milk is yet, here’s your chance. Give this video a second. It gave me the chills.

And for a review of the documentary, check out Andrew Sullivan’s blog on Daily Dish.

Wow, Kim. Though we’ve never met, I have to tell you. Speaking at the rally took balls.

Today, as any day, we need to be indifferent to the uninformed judgement that being gay might bring – and encouraged by the fact that our nation, gay and straight, are organizing against the passage of Prop 8. This is the kind of conversation we need to keep on having, until all of our rights, from Medicare to Marriage to the Military, are equal.

My name is Erica Anderson, and I’m gay and I want the rights, the same 1,069 federal marriage rights and the same equality for those who defend our nation, that others have. It is really as simple as that.

You can check out Kim’s blog here.

While many of my friends were distressed by the passage, I think it is a good thing.

Why? Well, for one the passage of Prop 8 stunts the growth of our free nation. And with the new President-elect Barack Obama, we know the country’s voters, when communicated with effectively, won’t let that slide. So let’s not all lose our cool.

Already, Prop 8 has become a vehicle for the other anti-equal rights measures to be brought to light in the online and national media. Oppression of minority groups and demonizing them as second-class citizens (it is 2008, right?) goes beyond the ballot boxes of California. It is alive and well in dozens of states.

[For an example of how the passage of Prop 8 has brought other anti-gay measures to light, read this New York Times OpEd: Anit-Gay, Anti-Family.]

The march was well organized in that the police were there to stop traffic and get us through. But it was quite apparent that there was not one leader there. A few people had megaphones – trying to garner the attention of the masses but no one could hear. My friend casually made the point, “We need a Gay MLK to step forward and bring this group together.”

I could not agree more. Physically, yes, we were all together. But no one was on the same page. One organizer with a megaphone used words “angry” “heated” and “pissed.”

When it comes to the movement for equal rights, the GLBT community needs to take a look at Obama. He didn’t win this election with anger. He won it by sharing idealism and optimism. The angle he used did more to attract undecided voters than it did to alienate the uncertain. In the case of the GLBT mission for equal rights, we have to look at homophobes as the undecided and try not to be angry — but gracious and patient educators. Now is the time – and we have the digital vehicles and presence to get them to listen.

This country has more important issues to focus on than petty ballot initiatives aimed at degrading their brethren. So let’s do just that. Make it known that these social setbacks won’t stop us from focusing on the bigger issues at hand – two wars, an economic crisis, a planet in peril.

But to get there, the GLBT community needs a clear leader with a message – to first define for everyone that being gay is not a choice. Next is the task of lifting up new GLBT faces, the feminine lesbian and the masculine guy, to confront the stereotype and bring more people out. Finally, we need to work without animosity to educate. With this kind of angle, I think we will be better serving our cause – and will be better set to make positive progress for us all.