Proponents of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights rallied at Library Mall and marched to the Capitol to show their support Saturday.
Participants in the march said they were supporting four main issues: equal protection in all civil law matters nationwide, overturning Wisconsin's same-sex marriage ban, granting national antidiscrimination rights through the 14th Amendment, and a presidential executive order to overturn the military's ""don't ask, don't tell"" policy.
Char Hanson, spokesperson for Unified for Equality and one of the organizers of the rally, said the main purpose of the event was to show government and the community the need for equal rights.
""The main purpose is to continue to make noise, to keep reminding Washington, D.C., and those in our state capital that the LGBT community, we still want our equal rights,"" she said. ""We're not going to give up. This isn't just about our marriage rights, this is about survivor benefits, this is about parenting, this is about adoption. There are so many rights that we're actually pushing for that we still haven't gotten.""
According to Hanson, President Barack Obama has not done anything significant in terms of LGBT rights despite his campaign promises. She said her main concern is for equal protection for all citizens.
""There are 38 states in the U.S. that, because I'm transgendered, if I told them, I can be fired from my job, they don't have to hire me and they don't have to maintain my employment,"" she said. ""There's no protection outside of Dane County in Wisconsin for me to not be discriminated against.""
Noah Whitford, a UW-Madison freshman, said he attended the event to show support for the LGBT community and stand up for basic human rights.
""There are a lot of connotations about the gay movement, and I think a lot of people just need to understand that this isn't about special rights or special privileges, it's just about equality,"" he said.
