I'm in the Danceboutique at 2009 8th Street, NW in Washington, DC. Yes, the bar is open even though it's only 2:30 in the afternoon. But no one is drinking. No one is dancing. There's no music, no thump of house music banging away. In fact, you can hear a pin drop, and even my the noise from my typing. It's Camp Courage DC.

Oh, but then all of a sudden the room sounded like a rock concert because our rock star, Cleve Jones, dropped by to give the charge for the day and weekend. The 250 or so people here stood up as one, screamed and hollered because a visionary who has led the progressive movement for thirty years was here to share that tradition and bind it to the future that is this room. As Cleve said,"we're not just here for LGBT rights. We're here to make our country more just and peaceful. We're here as a key part of the progressive movement."

 

Camp Courage is made for two days, but Mike, Torie and Lisa are pressing it into four hours. The stories of individuals here are as powerful as any we have heard from 1,000 others in the previous camps. The stories of hurt and of hope, of family and of love bring the room to its feet, just as Cleve did because the arc of Camp Courage empowers the campers to realize they have the power, they are the rock stars. It's transformative.

 

We just showed the English and Spanish language versions of "Fidelity." The young and old, the black and white and brown and Asian faces in this room cheered, because they are the faces of the future. I sat with a young man who lives in Salt Lake City. He wants to know when Camp Courage will come there. And two lovely women from Texas asked when it will come there. Our job is to provide the training, the empowerment to those who want it to become the agents of change in their communities, to take the message of this march back home. Cleve has been telling me for months that we need to take Camp Courage national; he's clearly right.

 

This weekend is already a huge success becausse people came here for the right reasons. The power is here and it will go back home ready to work for as long as it takes to get our rights. And we will.