March for Equality Brings Historic Photo Documentary to Dallas

June 7, 2011 - PRLog -- Dallas, TX – With a renewed commitment to expand the “equality” conversation beyond the LGBT community and reinforce the fact that “gay rights are human rights,” organizers of the North Texas March for Equality announced today that international fashion photographer Matt Spencer will bring his record-breaking photo documentary, the ‘I AM EQUAL’ project, to Dallas during the annual march from the JFK Memorial in honor of the 42nd anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.

“It’s important for people to realize that ‘gay rights’ are ‘human rights’ and all people have a stake in the advancement of equality,” explains march organizer Daniel Cates. “Although this march commemorates a significant milestone of LGBT history, the fight for equality is everyone’s fight. Gay rights are women’s rights, children’s rights, and civil rights. Bringing the ‘I AM EQUAL’ project to Dallas is our way of making sure that every cry for equality is heard, not just from the gay community, but from the entire community.”

The ‘I AM EQUAL’ Photo Documentary Project was created by Jason Beckett and fashion photographer Matt Spencer in 2010 to capture the pure essence of the human spirit and catalogue the individuals who are standing up for equality, civil liberties, and human rights in our communities and around the world.

“People choose to participate in this documentary for many different reasons,” explains Spencer. “There are some who are standing up for women’s rights or to end domestic violence, while others are educating friends and family about child slavery or the disease epidemic in the third world. We see people fighting for legislative reform for marriage equality or immigration, while others are fighting for conservation, sustainable farming, and clean drinking water around the world.  There are countless reasons people take action in our communities and the ‘I AM EQUAL’ project celebrates them all.”

The photo documentary project is a seven year campaign to collect more than 100,000 individual photos of people from all walks of life who are standing up to make a difference in our communities and around the world. Ultimately, all the photos will be gathered together to create the world’s largest mosaic spanning more than 8,000 sq/ft and be unveiled in Washington, DC before being exhibited in 26 countries around the world.

Participation in the documentary project is open to the public and takes less than 5 min. to register and get a photo. Those who wish to take part may show up at The Aloft Dallas Downtown Hotel (1033 Young St.) starting at 11:00am with a solid, brightly colored shirt and be completely camera ready (hair and make-up done).  No photos will be taken during the march and rally from 6pm – 9pm but will resume again until 11pm.

“This is an important time for the conversation of equality,” continues Cates. “We must all be willing to stand up, be seen, and let the world know that equality is for all people; gay, straight, black, white, male, female, and everything in between. We’re honored to have the ‘I AM EQUAL’ project in Dallas and the opportunity to be part of setting a world record for the equality movement.”

ABOUT THE I AM EQUAL PROJECT

The ‘I AM EQUAL’ Photo Documentary Project was created by Jason Beckett and fashion photographer Matt Spencer in an effort to empower individuals to speak out about the causes that inspire them. The project goal is to capture more than 100,000 photos of people from all walks of life with the “I AM EQUAL” logo emblazoned on the palm of their hand as a symbol of their commitment to stand up for their rights, and the rights of others around the world.

Learn more at: http://www.iamequalproject.org
See the photo collection at: http://photos.iamequalproject.org
Find event details at: http://iamequalproject.org/events/dallas-2011/