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photo: Enokson via Flickr
Proving their cluelessness about lobbying Congress and moving American opinion, a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign (“America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality,” per themselves) announced that since Congress has repealed Don’t-Ask-Don’t-Tell, the American people will now somehow magically embrace equality for LGBT Americans in all spheres:
“If you can fight and die for your country, there’s absolutely no reason why you can’t be granted the full set of rights” that others have, including the ability to marry a same-sex partner, said Fred Sainz, a vice president at the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights group. With the military’s policy repealed, he said, “Americans will deduce that on their own. We won’t have to say a thing.”
I agree with Joe Sudbay at AmericaBlogGAY:
Ah, yes, your work is done. Seriously, who even thinks that way, let alone says it out loud — to a reporter.
So, fine. Don’t say another thing. Just stop talking all together. Have your parties and let the GetEQUAL, Equality Matters, Freedom to Marry, activists and LGBT bloggers take care of things moving forward.
The very best Human Rights Campaign effort would be silence from here on. They’ve done nothing but promote Obama and the Democratic party as others have paved the way to equality. Just be quiet, HRC. Speak not. Enjoy your cocktail parties, and stop hoovering fundage from our community for your mugs and t-shirts with “=” on them.
Oh, and HRC? Keep your money-grubbing mitts off Harvey’s camera store!
29 Comments
This is just exactly like what conservative orgs do. They win one minor victory, and then they just sit back contentedly and don’t ask for anything else after that, secure in the knowledge that more good things will flow to them naturally without any further effort.
HRC is a conservative organization.
Their investment is in the status quo. I mean, if LGBT Americans won all our civil rights tomorrow, how would HRC justify its existence, including its multi-million dollar marble building in DC and Joe Solmonese’s huge salary and expense account?
This is really a shame. How can HRC possibly say that!
Because they know their major donors have no clue about how to keep pressure on. The donors actually think HRC are the DC experts. It wasn’t their lobbying that got DADT repealed; it was the embarrassment Obama faced with activists and military veterans chaining themselves to his White House fence.
This is a pre-emptive shot from HRC to get the other organizations to keep quiet now. They actually think if they are well-behaved little gays, praising the President, they will get what they deserve.
Because, of course, civil rights needn’t be fought for. Everyone remembers how Rosa Parks’ sitting up front was the END of the struggle, right? Everything just naturally flowed from her action, without anyone saying anything ever again?
Quiet, gays!
I agree, they should be silent, let’s help them by not donating to them ever again…I think that would help their silence movement.
Obama should be silent to, so let’s help him be a fiercer advocate by giving him a forced retirement.
Great read Teddy . . . insights to the same orgs and processes that plague all civil rights issues.
As a dear mentor and health com prof once schooled me . . . orgs exist to perpetuate themselves . . . it’s not just corporations who exist to perpetuate themselves . . . non profit do gooders are as guilty as Goldman/Sachs.
Money collected goes to salary and expenses, and less gets to the needy . . . Salvation Army for one example.
Shorter HRC “Won’t you please join us in the Veal Pen? Ummm! Veal!”
“America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender(LGBT) equality,”Sorry, that needed to be fixed.
The HRC has done little to nothing for the gay rights community over the past two years. All they care about is lining their pockets with more money from us gays.
“Open up your wallets and shut the fuck up. We’ll tell you when it’s time to speak up or do something”.
Man! I’m glad the HRC was there directing the Stonewall riots and campaigning for Harvey Milk. We owe them soooooo much.
The HRC has become like so many other organizations: existing to service itself. They exist to fund raise and to support it’s staff. Nothing else. Anybody who gives to the HRC just isn’t paying attention. I can no more imagine why any LGBT person is a member of the HRC than I can imagine why anyone is a Log Cabin Republican or a GOProud member.
Could not have said it better Margaret! I think other grassroots organizations like Freedom to Marry, Get Equal, etc deserve our money and support. Jon Solomonese has just become too comfortable with our social security killer Obama and not looking out for the people who need HRC’s support the most
Joe Solomonese has always been a self centered ass. I think he got that way before he hit elementary school.
If HRC accomplished all it aims to, all at once, wherever would Joe Solmonese and his crew find their cocktail weenies and validation? It’s just like the pro-Choice crew (Joe came from EMILY’s List) — be sure to go slow; if you accomplish everything on your mission statement, you’ll be outta business.
It didn’t work for blacks….it STILL isn’t working for blacks.
sure glad I stopped donating to these mooks. they must find the current political climat ea s haaaaard as Obama does.
Also: shhhh
The first rule of gay rights is:
Don’t talk about gay rights!
The HRC has done their job well! They have convinced America’s LGBT population to embrace militarism, defend imperialism and perpetual war, and moved it through the legislative process.
Now the Xian right will embrace them and Koch will send them billions of $$$$.
Nothing left (to say.)
Hmmmmm. Long time since ACT-UP was the vox populi.
Harvey himself had something to say about various “liberal” groups that won’t do anything that might endanger their own cushy salaries, didn’t he?
May dawg bless each and ever one of yas LGBT’s, and fuck HRC . . . . n Hilary too, now that I think about it. /s
Some fine, fine humans in this forum who post and comment, for my better understanding . . . thank you, one and all . . . *bows*
As much as I believe HRC is a waste of money – they created the “Compromise DADT Repeal” deal in February. They needed to get some Republican votes, so they created the idea of a “military Study” and it worked.
Most other organizations and activists condemned this “compromise,” but DADT was only repealed because a few Republicans in the Senate voted for it. HRC did that deal and they deserve that honest, objective recognition. Their “idea” worked. Nobody else in the LGBT-equality industry can claim that. Not this year.
People can complain and try to irritate people into submission, but HRC deserves credit for creating a way to get enough votes in the US Senate. They did it. Honest people will acknowledge that.
Please provide links showing this was HRC’s ‘deal.’
Because you can’t. Honest people will admit that.
You again, with your HRC apologia.
Look, this didn’t happen without angry, loud, boisterous hectoring of the White House. HRC was never a part of that.
Please go and sit back down with your cocktail and your weenie. The rest of us are wanting to get ENDA passed and DOMA repealed.
You just be a good boy and go count your donations, and be happy about your WH access, mkay?
God bless the Empire!
Yesterday on MSNBC, cluelessness hit new heights, as Andrea Mitchell actually had the chutzpah to introduce Joe Solmonese as the man most responsible for getting dadt repealed (or some such bullcrap).
Nauseating.
These cable newsreaders really do specialize in misinformation.
Perhaps “some folks” ought to be contacting those “major donors” to educate them a bit?
But I’ll bet he’ll be receiving oh so many invites to the WH — perhaps even to any “signing ceremony” that occurs. And THAT picture will be front & center in HRC’s fund-raising missive, don’t ya know.
He is certainly the most uncontroversial, palatable, and media-savvy of the leadership of Gay Inc, and therefore validates Mrs Greenspan’s introduction by spewing the acceptable pablum. It’s a self-reinforcing circle: by having him on her program, she validates his leadership, while by appearing on her program under the rubric of ‘most influential’ he validates her savvy at having got him to appear with her.
It’s a win-win: cocktail weenies for all! Remember, Andrea never has people on with her who AREN’T massively influential; otherwise, why would she have them on her program?
Taking that statement a bit literally, aren’t you? Sainz isn’t saying that they’re actually going to sit around and do nothing, he’s expressing optimism that this will lead to further progress for gays and lesbians, which would have been clear if you’d included the preceding paragraph:
“That idea has been kicking around Congress since the 1970s, and few think the new members of the Republican House majority will be the ones to put it over the top. Still, some gay activists say the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ repeal will inevitably lead to more successes in their effort to erase the official barriers to complete parity in society.”