New York, NY —
For the first time in history a lesbian, gay, and transgendered marching band has been chosen to perform in the presidential inaugural parade. The Lesbian and Gay Band Association has assembled nearly 180 members from all over the country to play. 40 of them are New Yorkers. WNYC's Kathleen Horan dropped by their only rehearsal in the city before the big day.
REPORTER: The ground floor rehearsal space at the Lesbian Gay and Transgender Community Center on West 13th street is brimming with members of the marching band who will be marching down Pennsylvania avenue next Tuesday.
The low ceilinged room is filled with rows of metal chairs with musicians sorted by group, clarinets and flutes are up front, saxophones and trumpets are in the 2nd and 3rd row, followed by tubas. The drummers are in their own area off to the left, and the colour guards are frolicking with their flags in the back of the room.
The place has all the buzzy energy of a high school band that's about to perform at the half-time show for the big all state game. Except most of the musicians in the room are well over 30 and are dressed in casual work attire - lots of slacks and tucked in shirts with collars.
The Lesbian and Gay Big Apple Corps has been together in one form or the other since 1979. Many have been members for at least a decade or more. Marching Director Marita Begley has been with the group for 15 years. She was with the band when they performed at the Clinton inaugurations but they weren't invited to march.
BEGLEY: We played at the Clinton Inaugurations as a "seated band" we did not play in the parade we played along the route as the president walked when he took oath of office when he goes to the White house when he goes to review the inaugural parade.
REPORTER: This time, the band applied along with more than 1300 other marching bands from across the country, so Music Director Brian Worsdale says he never expected to be invited to actually march in the parade.
WORSDALE: We thought we would just be playing along the sidelines if we were accepted at all and then came the announcement a short time later that we'd actually be marching - and that changed everything, it meant we would be marching.
BEGLEY: One of the greatest honors I've ever received -an enormous stride that we made.
REPORTER: But Begley says the collective elation subsided when they learned that controversial pastor Rick Warren would be giving an inaugural invocation. She says members of the Corps hesitated to attend because he's been outspoken against homosexuality. But the great majority agreed that the visibility the group will receive is worth it.
BEGLEY: Music opens your heart -it has a million associations...then you see this huge sign...It say "Lesbian and Gay Big Apple Corp" you watch grandmas - sometimes you see them, see oohing and ahhaing then they see the sign and they freak out. You can see the wheels turning in their minds and then they go back to clapping - that's a miracle. Music is the great leveler the most American thing in the world is a marching band. There's a good chance we will perform for Reverend Warren and I believe this band is the greatest message.
REPORTER: And there's some music that Drummer Donna Tapilini's wishes the marching band could play for Pastor Warren if they could.
TAPILINI: The song I'd dedicate to him is "I'm Getting Married in the Morning" its from "My Fair Lady."
REPORTER: That song doesn't happen to be on the list of approved songs though - they'll be playing Ode to Joy, Hold on I'm Coming, Manhattan Beach March, Brand New Day, and Washington Post March.
As the group prepares to rehearse the Washington Post number, Marching Director Marita Begley takes the stage. She directs with a baton called a mace that looks like a massive scepter wrapped in purple. During the actual parade she'll attempt to walk much of the route backwards as she leads.
BEGLEY: Every band must march to a 28 inch step and we must complete a 1.6 mile route in 25 minutes...we have to do that while playing -arduous is an understatement - if you're short, good luck!
REPORTER: Its not actually the pace that most of the musicians in the group are worried about - it's that D.C. cold. And parkas aren't part of the band uniform: They'll be decked out in silver bomber jackets, blue berets, and black pants. And the color guard's will be flying red silks.
The Corps is getting to the capital a few days early so they can rehearse with all 177 members of the Lesbian and Gay Band Association before inauguration day. Then they'll meet up in the parking lot of the Pentagon with about forty other marching bands, Native American tribes, civil war re-enactors, and even a precision lawn mower group, The World Famous Lawn Rangers. Welcome to America.
For WNYC, I'm Kathleen Horan