National LGBTQ groups join Women’s March

If you’re attending the upcoming Women’s March that will happen a day after President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, you’ll be in good company as a number of national LGBTQ groups will also be there.

Three national LGBTQ rights organizations– the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and GLAAD– have signaled their intention to be part of the upcoming protest.

Likewise, the lesbian political group LPAC and the Los Angeles LGBT Center are calling on the community to join the marches as well.

Meanwhile, GLAAD and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) are partners of the Women’s March also.

On their website, the SPLC said: “We join the march’s organizers in encouraging all defenders of human rights to participate in the Women’s March on Washington on January 21.”

National LGBTQ groups: HRC as march sponsor

The HRC is currently a sponsor of the Women’s March on Washington and the We Are Here To Stay rally for immigrant and refugee rights.

Moreover, the HRC’s own staff, members, and volunteers will be at the We Are Here To Stay rally and the We Shall Not Be Moved March on Washington for civil rights both on January 14, and the Women’s March on Washington on January 21.

“At a time of great uncertainty for our country, we join our fellow Americans in standing up and speaking out for our shared values of equality and justice for all,” said HRC President Chad Griffin.

“We are women. We are Muslim. We are Jewish. We are black, white, Latinx, Asian, and Native American. We are immigrants and we are people living with disabilities. And if you attack one of us, you are attacking all of us,” Griffin said.

“Absolutely everyone in support of the cause of women’s rights is welcome to join the march, including men and LGBT people,” Jackie Savage, a DC area coordinator for the march, told The Washington Blade.

“This march is not a protest. It is not about one person. It is a showing of solidarity” for the cause of women’s rights and women’s equity,” said Savage.

National LGBTQ groups: Other groups taking part

On their Facebook pages, GLAAD, the LA LGBT Center (in partnership with the Los Angeles Women’s Network), and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) have set up event posts urging everyone to join the march.

“Join our Los Angeles Women’s Network and the extended Center family at the Women’s March Los Angeles. We’ll be passing out signs and marching with pride, rain or shine!” wrote the LA LGBT Center on their event post.

Proceeds of the LA march– from money earned from merchandise to donations– will help in organizing the event as well as support MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), Planned Parenthood, and the LA LGBT Center.

“NCLR is partnering with the #WomensMarch because we believe that women’s rights are human rights. Join us at Women’s March on Washington or Women’s March San Francisco on January 21st to March,” the NCLR wrote on their own Facebook page.

On the other hand, LPAC declared on their website: “Join us and the thousands of other woman taking to the streets to show the world that we will not settle for a country in which our equality– as women, lesbians, bisexuals, trans individuals people of color, and the beautiful intersections of those labels– is valued less than political gain.”