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GI's, Vets March on D.C.

By Dave Curry

Dave Curry
National Staff

Over a thousand men and women serving on active duty and veterans joined hundreds of thousands of other advocates of full citizenship rights for gays and lesbians in Washington, D.C., on April 25. Members of military service and veterans were the third group to appear in the parade that wound by the White House and down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol. Preceded by a small group of dignitaries (mostly show business types and members of Congress) and a stark contingent of AIDS victims, gay and lesbian active duty personnel from every branch of service marched in well-dressed ranks. One color guard preceded the active duty personnel and two more were staggered further back in the parade. Rank insignia as high as those of colonel and lieutenant colonel were worn proudly. Regional signs and banners indicated the national representativeness of participants. Perhaps the most surprising contingent appeared near the end of the active duty and military veterans groups. About fifty cadets from three service academies walked in an obviously nervous but determined throng behind a collective banner.