Dramatization of Larry Gulian Discussion on Springfield March
Two days later from the NGMC office, I finally got hold of Garret Gray on the phone. "I'm afraid," said Garret, "the march on Springfield is not coming together well. We should postpone it until after your Thanksgiving conference."
"What are you talking about?" I asked. “I thought you guys in Chicago had it all under control. Last time I talked with you, you said everything was going great. What happened?”
“The political situation in Chicago is rather complex,” replied Garret in a hypnotic voice. “Once everyone feels the energy generated at the conference, I’m certain, there will be no problem going forward with the march on Springfield. It will be a perfect prelude to Washington. You just have to take my word on it.”
"This is not accept…” I could feel the anger boiling—but it was no use. What choice did I have? Besides, Garret had otherwise charmed me. It was easy to fall under his spell and almost comforting. “I suppose…You are right about the energy,” I said reluctantly. “We have over a hundred endorsements. The conference should be everything we hoped for. I guess we can use the conference to build the Springfield march. But now, it is absolutely vital that we have large participation from Illinois."
“I couldn’t agree more,” said Garret. “I’d really like to launch a major publicity campaign up here. Does the NGMC have a budget?”
“The donations are going pretty well. I could send you a check for two hundred.”
“That’s more than sufficient. I'll put flyers in all the Chicago bars and notices in the gay and alternative newspapers. I have some vacation time and I’ll put it to good use. You can reasonably expect several busloads from Chicago. As far as generating the energy," He laughed, “that’s up to you.”
I felt better. "That sounds fantastic. I think you’re right: this plan sounds better than the first. Oh! And make sure to contact IGLA members in other cities and have them alert their friends and contacts, too,” I said, although I knew there were probably less than thirty Illinois Gays for Legislative Action members in the entire state. “At the conference, we will schedule special caucus sessions for statewide marches."
"Of course, all IGLA members in Illinois will be contacted," said Garret, “and told to do exactly that. By the way, you can send the check to P.O. box….”
Talking to Garret always left me feeling more confident. I wrote the check and sent it to the address he gave me. At the time, I figured the postponement of the Springfield march was a stroke of good fortune, one less burden that allowed me to focus all my energy on building the conference.
