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September 22, 2007
Meanwhile back at the movement
Posted by: Chris
While the Human Rights Campaign is busy defending schoolyard bullies who blindside and stomp unconcious defenseless students, the "nation's largest gay lesbian bisexual transgender rights organization" is MIA in the actual fight for equality. In addition to completely ignoring the hate crime murders of gay men in Alabama and New York, HRC has avoided like the plague the gay marriage debate heating up in two states.
Maryland's high court last week rejected a challenge to the state's hetero-only marriage law, crushing local and national activists who had hoped for at least a New Jersey-style civil union compromise. HRC's idea of a response was a press release. Meanwhile, gay Marylanders rallied on their own to build momentum for marriage or civil union legislation. But when the state Senate president threw cold water on the idea and the governor reneged on private promises to support full marriage equality, HRC was struck dumb — silent, that is.
Meanwhile out in California, the Republican mayor of San Diego held an emotional press conference to announce that his relationship with his own lesbian daughter had caused him to reverse course and support a lawsuit there challenging the exclusion of gays from marriage. HRC — you guessed it — issued a press release.
The mayor's powerful appeal comes as gays in the nation's most populous state are trying to pressure Gov. Arnold Schwarzegger to back away from threats to veto a gay marriage bill passed (for the second time) by the California Legislature. When Arnold renewed his veto vow last week, HRC'ers didn't even manage a press release in response, though they did manage to let us know the cast of "Ugly Betty" will be making an appearance at the org's ubiquitous black-tie dinner.
How can HRC get energized about the Jena 6 but remain ho-hum about gay marriage? Easy -- it's all about the politics. Democrats like HRC -- that's Hillary Rodham Clinton -- are loathe for gay marriage to emerge now as a hot political issue, so HRC does nothing to stoke the flames in Maryland or California. Maryland is especially dangerous territory, since the Senate president and turncoat governor are both Democrats.
It's mind-blowing to think of the sums wasted in support of this behemoth gay group, which spends more energy broadcasting morning news reports and a satellite radio show -- that one gets its own website -- than it does actually rallying suport for gay rights.
(Credit to The Malcontent for the HRC "less than" -- or rewind -- logo.)
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Comments
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You cannot forget that Joe Solomese is a Democratic Party whore and allow the HRC to do nothing that might make the Democratic party Presidential hopefuls uncomfortable. If it means walking away from gays in Maryland and California, those are acceptable losses to the greater cause of getting Hillary into the White House.
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Frankly, I am sick of sucking the democrats' cocks. And I have resigned from HRC. I live in Maryland and don't understand why we don't just burn down the fucking State House. I'm sick of riding in the back of the goddam bus. HRC can kiss my gay ass. Useless organization.
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Kary
I second that notion. Joe Solomese and the HRC do not speak for the people between LA and NYC.
They don't even attempt to give a shit what we think.For Mr. Solomese it is one
cocktail and dinner party after another.Deanna
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Leland, thank you for your 900+ word essay. It was a jewel to read. HRC is not a branch of the government. They do not receive tax dollars from your pocket.
Buying the HRC building was and is, a great investment. Endless fundraising? They are a private organization that lives or dies off fundraising, so yes, they’re going to fundraise.
But what you don’t seem to understand is that HRC has helped many communities by “waking up” some deep pockets in those communities and showing them how/why to donate. Many local organizations have feared a local HRC dinner would suck up all the donations in those communities. The exact oppose has occurred. Joe S. has primed the “pump” in these communities and many local organizations have experienced a windfall.
HRC is not the borg. Let me suggest moving out of your parents’ basement and losing your virginity.
Mr. Crain, What the hell is wrong with a black tie dinner. When the Log Cabin boys want to have one and invite Gov. Arnold so they can give him a $100k we get not a whisper out of you.
I have worked at putting on some of these dinners, and they are no different than some of the non-HCR events I have volunteered for.If you don’t like them, fine, move on. Find someone you do like. Or better yet, get off your ass and start your own organization. If it’s so easy, show us how it’s done.
What’s a matter? all bark and no bite. Go out there, raise the money, fight the fight.
The HEROES at HRC have nothing to be ashamed of.
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Double T shows quite nicely how HRC works.
For example:
"HRC is not the borg. Let me suggest moving out of your parents’ basement and losing your virginity."
In other words, if you criticize HRC, their supporters will verbally assault you, namecall you, and otherwise try to diminish you.
Meanwhile, shall we show you what HRC supports?
( http://mpetrelis.blogspot.com/2007/02/lets-see-if-we-can-follow-bouncing.html , http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2001999067_kerrygay07.html ).
HRC blew tens of millions of dollars on their campaign supporting the last -- all money taken from gay pockets, often at the threat of "give, or be publicly denounced" in the same fashion as Double-T just showed us.
Why should we tolerate a leftist bully organization like HRC whose members verbally assault and threaten gays who don't do as HRC commands and who dare to criticize their actions?
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Everyone knows HRC is useless, and has known since at least 2004 (when they refused to spend significant sums fighting the anti-gay ballot initiatives in a dozen or so states).
The real story here is that Log Cabin Republicans are MIA. Here's their golden opportunity to show their influence in their new, inclusive GOP, yet they've tucked tail and run -- nowhere to be found in California on this issue.
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I've long been over HRC and thin-skinned Joe Solmonese, and I'm quite happy Chris is raising these accountability issues.
Here in San Francisco, the HRC, which has an "action center" in the heart of the Castro, has been noticeably absent from press conference, statements by CA gay leaders, rallies and street marches, not to mention old fashioned lobbying at Arnie's office in Sacramento.
Sure would be awful for HRC to break into a sweat and join the myriad ways CA gays have come together recently to battle for gay marriage equality.
Here at home in the good ol' USA, specific gay black hate crimes and murders in Alabama and New York haven't warranted attention and resources from HRC, nor have they said a word about the potential of a gay angle in the Newark, New Jersey, execution-style shooting of young blacks over the summer.
And abroad, if HRC could look beyond the USA borders occasionally, especially for gay Africans, they'd see our brothers and sisters in Uganda, Cameroon and Nigeria have been under renewed assaults by anti-gay forces.
But not a peep of protest for gays beyond our borders from HRC, just like they are silent about lots of American gay black issues.
For all the millions poured into HRC coffers for the current year, I don't see much in terms of tangible results directly for gays at the federal level, and HRC's jump on the Jena 6 bandwagon with Solmonese making an appearance and speech at the Jena 6 rally in DC seems like they took a page from the leftist NGLTF.
For background on the deplorable situation for our brothers and sisters in Africa, read Doug Ireland's reporting in Gay City News, and look at the IGLHRC site.
http://gaycitynews.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18838006&BRD=2729&PAG=461&dept_id=569346&rfi=6
http://www.iglhrc.org/site/iglhrc/
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NDT, WOW!!! Double the meds, please. I didn't command anyone to do anything.
"give, or be publicly denounced"...no, I did say that either. And what “name” did I call someone? I invited Leland to leave fantasy and join reality, and I extend the same invite to you.Brian Miller- I’d love for the L.C.R boys to come out and give HRC a run for the money, no pun intended. I truly believe that competition is a GOOD THING, bring it on. HRC only real problem is that they are the only show in town ( Nationally speaking ). And the few times I’ve seen the LCR they had some hotties in the ranks ; )
So Log Cabin Rep.(or anyone else ) come out a National scale or stop with the whining.
The comments to this entry are closed.
Eva Young on Sep 23, 2007 11:06:03 AM:
I think the issue with the Jena 6 is not that they should not be held accountable for beating up the kid, but that the charges were too severe. Clearly the town is quite racially polarized.
You've identified dead on, why HRC is trying to make the Maryland and California issue go away.
They are clearly more interested in helping Hillary Clinton than they are working to help gays get civil rights.