Troy Perry's Invocation At National Equality March

Below is video and text of the invocation. Neil Houghton, Vice President for Local Affairs, is mentioned at the beginning of the video as representing Integrity USA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWyUTranbD0

REMARKS
National Equality March . October 11, 2009
Delivered by Rev. Dr. Troy D. Perry

Permission granted to reproduce, reprint, or repost, in whole or in part.

As we gather in the shadows of the U.S. Capitol,
let us, together, invoke the spirit of those who came before us,
and the spirit of all who prepared us
for the journey toward justice and equality.

I invoke the spirit... of Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin,
who founded the first national lesbian organization in America in 1955,
and who published the Ladder, the first lesbian magazine in American history,
and whose relationship of more than five decades inspires us all;

I invoke the spirit... of Harry Hay,
Father of the Gay Rights Movement,
who gave expression to LGBT spirituality
through the founding of the Radical Faeries;

I invoke the spirit... of Christine Jorgenson,
who in the early 1950's for the first time
gave a public face to the transgender community
raised consciousness around transgender issues
and taught us to recognize gender as well as sexuality.

I invoke the spirit... of Jose Sarria,
the World War II veteran who in 1961
became the first openly gay person in the U.S.
to run for political office
as a candidate for mayor of San Francisco;

I invoke the spirit... of Bayard Rustin,
the openly gay African American
who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Dr. Martin Luther King
and who organized 1963's March on Washington,
providing a platform for Rev. King to proclaim,
“I have a dream today!”

I invoke the spirit... of Barbara Gittings and Frank Kameny,
who took the cause of justice public in 1965
by demonstrating for LGBT equality at the White House;

I invoke the spirit... of Robert Martin,
the bisexual founder of the Homophile Students Union at Columbia University,
the first LGBT student union in America,
and founder of Stop Prison Rape;

I invoke the spirit... of Harvey Milk,
our Martyr;

I invoke the spirit... of a new generation of young activists,
whose energy and passion advance the cause of LGBT equality and justice;

I invoke the spirit... of each of our brothers and sisters,
who died of AIDS and breast cancer,
and all who today live with the reality of disease and illness;

I invoke the spirit... of each of our brothers and sisters,
who died too soon at the hands of anti-LGBT violence,
and all whose lives have been touched by anti-LGBT hate crimes;

I invoke the spirit... of every gay father,
who through adoption and foster care
has provided love and nurture to a child in need,
and I invoke the spirit of every lesbian mom
who has lost a child to society’s ignorance and prejudice.

In this moment of history...

...and in the history of this moment,

– surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,

– surrounded by the spirits of all who prepared our path,

– and joined by that Spirit who unites us as one,

We reaffirm our commitment to work for that day

when justice rolls down like rivers,

and righteousness like a mighty stream.

And all the people,

from East and West, from North and South,

Both young and old,

From the diversity of God’s rainbow, said:

Let it be so!

Amen!