The Office of Student Life paid for the travel expenses of keynote speaker Autumn Sandeen, who lives in San Diego.

Sandeen, a trans woman who served in the Navy for 20 years, said that the repeal did not go far enough.

“On this day when LGB people will serve openly, transgender people will still serve in silence,” Sandeen said, subsequently holding a moment of silence in support of trans service members. “The solution of one problem brings us face to face with another.”

Sandeen and other speakers also said that the repeal of DADT would not mean total equality for gays, lesbians, and bisexuals in the military. Several said that married gays, lesbians, and bisexuals in the military would not receive the same benefits their straight peers do because gay marriage is not recognized on a national level.

Audience members—which totaled approximately 30, though numbers petered out as the ceremony progressed—echoed these sentiments.

“This was a big test for the non-discrimination policy, and it failed,” said James R. Sares ’12, who is gay and handed out pamphlets in protest at the ribbon cutting ceremony. “The policy should not be flexible for political opportunism. As a member of a marginalized minority, I hope that I won’t be thrown under the bus if it’s opportune for Harvard to do so.”

Still, others expressed a general opposition to the military and militarism.

“I would oppose ROTC's return to campus even if the military were an entirely inclusive institution,” said Lucy C. O’Leary ’12, who spoke at the event.

Several students said they wished that the administration was more transparent and consulted students when it was considering welcoming the military back on campus.

Queer Students and Allies Co-Chair Emma Q. Wang ’11 said that the rally was an improvement over a protest in March, which featured students chanting from a distance while University officials signed a document welcoming NROTC back to Harvard.

“It’s better to have President Faust in dialogue—although it’s more like two parallel monologues than a true conversation—than yelling at her from across the lawn,” Wang said.

—Staff writer Eliza M. Nguyen can be reached at enguyen@college.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Tara W. Merrigan can be reached at tmerrigan@college.harvard.edu.

This article has been revised to reflect the following corrections.

CORRECTION: SEPT. 21, 2011

The Sept. 21 article "On Day Hailed as Civil Rights Victory, Activists Say Trans Community Was Forgotten" misquoted Lucy C. O'Leary '12 as saying that she "would oppose the military returning to campus even if ROTC was an entirely inclusive institution." In fact, she said that she "would oppose ROTC's return to campus even if the military were an entirely inclusive institution." Additionally, the article misstated where Autumn Sandeen resides. She lives in San Diego, not San Francisco.