I’m sorry but I have to say something about people who decry the lack of substantive change in GLBT policy since President Obama first took office. Though I am still not quite sure about how well he is fairing as the national leader he portrayed himself as in the campaign, I am sure of one thing; change of any scope larger than yourself is not an easy thing,

Yes, he ran his campaign on “change” and it’s logical to expect that he factored some of the political realities of the day into his implementation promises.  However, like a friend told me when we were both working for a fairly large GLBT lobby group, “if you really want to see rapid social change, check the obituary column.”

As morbid as that is, I am compelled to fall back on it on the eve of yet another gay rights march on Washington is upon us.  Tomorrow, thousands of GLBT Americans and their friends will march to Capitol, yet again to demand the full and unequivocal installation of their equal rights.  I will be one of those among them.

Here’s the thing; the scene tomorrow will probably be very similar to a march that happened a little over 9 years ago.  I was a doe-eyed college freshman at GW back then and was over the moon to be a part of an organization that helped plan what was dubbed the Millennium March on Washington.

Back then, as we are now, we were saddened by the tragedy of Matthew Shepherd and were shouting at the top of our lungs for the inclusion of GLBT individuals to be covered by hate crimes laws.  We were incensed that though we were denied the right to marry, television was having a ball making a game show out of it.

The difference is that today, I have seen what it takes to truly change something a large as the collective mind of the majority US population – or at least their representatives in congress.

Whether you’re changing a corporation or a country the fact remains that you can’t just want change; you have to work for it.  You have to get up every day wanting it and be willing to cast out the ego in your own argument for the sake of reaching a middle ground or at least an understanding of the opposite side. Change takes commitment, guts and a vision that lasts beyond next week’s big party.

Is President Obama late on addressing GLBT issues? Probably.  Did he put GLBT issues on the back burner for things he thought were more pressing?  Yes.  Do any of us have the guts to take the dedication we feel that compels us to march and translate that into a need to promote change through understanding and not just confrontation? That is yet to be seen.

All I know is that tomorrow, I am going to get up and make myself a cup of coffee.  Then, I’ll walk to o the Eastern Market Metro Station where I’ll join a friend and his friends and we’ll march because, well…that’s what we can do tomorrow.