Great Job Joe! The Human Rights Campaign takes on Obama

HRC President Joe Solmonese speaks up on DOJ's hideous DOMA brief in an open letter to President Obama.

(A)lthough I and other LGBT leaders have introduced ourselves to you as policy makers, we clearly have not been heard, and seen, as what we also are: human beings whose lives, loves, and families are equal to yours. I know this because this brief would not have seen the light of day if someone in your administration who truly recognized our humanity and equality had weighed in with you.

Good point

From AmericaBlog on the blogstorm about the Human Rights campaign and DADT:

(N)o one believes that the White House has any intention of doing anything, regardless of any timetable.

That is, I think, the conundrum HRC is facing. If the White House has decided to distance itself from the gay community (and that's certainly what the community believes), and HRC is seen as in cahoots with that White House, the community will naturally assume that HRC signed off on the White House's effort to put gay rights on the back burner indefinitely.
....
People may generally love Obama. But gay people are pissed. And growing more so by the day. The overall impression in the gay community is that we've been, or are about to be, had by this administration; that someone in Obama-land (rhymes with Rahm) is telling the President that we're political pariahs who must be shunned at all costs. You don't get brownie points for being seen with those kind of friends.

My take: He's right on the money.

Reports identify HRC as the roadblock to ending DADT

The LGBT blogosphere is in an uproar. Several sources are reporting that the stunning lack of action on the "don't ask, don't tell" military ban can be traced to a deal the Human Rights Campaign allegedly made with our allies in Congress.

As I understand these reports, the HRC "deal" sounds more like a political strategy then any kind of quid pro quo deal. The situation, as Jason Bellini reports on The Daily Beast, is that HRC asked key senators and House members to first tackle the supposedly easier-to-pass bills on hate crimes and employment non-discrimination before moving to repeal DADT.

This approach, if true, may be why the Obama Administration seems to be so uninterested in taking any action on DADT. The Administration, the theory goes, has been convinced by HRC that the LGBT community is OK with waiting.

Pam's House Blend reports HRC angrily denying the story.

"This story is not only an outright lie, it is recklessly irresponsible. HRC never made such a deal and continues to work with congress and the administration on a full range of equality issues including a swift end to the military's shameful ban on gay servicemembers."
-- Brad Luna, Spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign

I have no personal knowledge of what HRC may or may not have done. I have worked with HRC President Joe Solmonese and have always known him to be a honorable man. What Bellini and others report looks, on first glance, to be a classic political strategy, so it doesn't surprise me that HRC might do something like this.

If there is any truth to this, it is also a huge, honking mistake.

If anyone from HRC or any other LGBT leader has done this, they have provided Democrats with an excuse for inaction. This is particularly galling because Obama may be able to suspend enforcement of DADT with an executive order.

Full repeal requires an act of Congress, but a stop-loss order would end the on-going tragedy of DADT. Lt. Dan Choi and hundreds of others members of the service are being forced out of the military by an administration that claims to support them.

If this is true, HRC will have also destroyed its credibility with the LGBT community. Its leaders will have shown that they are completely out of touch with their base.



Mike Signorile interviews Solmonese and Aaron Belkin of the Palm Center.

Pam Spaulding comments and links.

One more thought on Barney Frank, Tammy Baldwin & DADT

Following upon my previous post...

I admire both Barney Frank and Tammy Baldwin. They do an amazing job, but there is something about their comments to Roll Call that bother me. Their comments also ring warning bells about our lobbyists in DC like the Human Rights Campaign and for other national organizations like SLDN.

Frank says they can't bring up a repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" because:

“We haven’t done the preliminary work, the preparatory work. It would be a mistake to bring it up without a lot of lobbying and a lot of conversation.”

Baldwin says:

“We don’t even know the votes in committee, let alone the votes on the floor.

Um, why not? Yes, I know we're in the middle of an economic crisis, and I'm willing to give Frank a pass, given that his chairmanship puts him at the center of every issue involving financial institutions. But why hasn't anyone else done this work? You don't have to be a member of Congress to count votes. You don't have to be a member of Congress to lobby. Where IS everybody?

The curse of the Human Rights Campaign

In my newest Political IQ column, I ponder the problems with the biggest gay rights organization in the nation, the Human Rights Campaign.

The organization is beginning to feel like a lead weight tied around our collective necks. If we're not careful, we may all be pulled under and drowned. Launched the year Ronald Reagan was elected president, HRC is a 20th-century organization foundering in a changed world. To switch metaphors, it's the lumbering campaign of John McCain (minus the reactionary politics) stumbling punch-drunk as it's pummeled by Barack Obama's nimble, grassroots organization.

The problem with the Human Rights Campaign

By Diane Silver

The following column was originally entitled "Stuck in the Glamour Trap," but I decided to head this post what I had originally intended to call the column, and then, well, I chickened out.

Here's the beginning of the column. You can read the rest after the jump.

I yearn for the day when being an LGBT American is no more remarkable than being an Irish American. We would still be a definable group with an interesting and sometimes bitter history. We might even continue to hold parades every June. But the days of obsessing about politics would be long gone, because we would finally be equal. Obviously, we’re not there yet. Even more worrisome is the fact that we’re stuck in a trap that threatens to keep us from ever reaching that sweet day.

I call it the glamour trap. (Read more of this Lesbian Notions column at The Dallas Voice.)

For the first time in history, a Kansas governor stands up for LGBT people

By Diane Silver

I just returned from a historic signing ceremony at the Kansas Statehouse. For the first time, a Kansas governor has declared that it's wrong to discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people in state hiring and on the job.

With one lesbian employee of the state social service agency and one gay employee from the state's environmental agency standing at her elbow. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius signed an executive order adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the state's anti-discrimination policy. The order effects the approximately 25,000 state employees who work for the governor.

"I'm sorry it took so long," Sebelius said after signing the order as she handed out ceremonial pens to us.

I've known the governor since she was a freshman member of the Kansas House. To me, she sounded quite sincere in her support for LGBT people and a bit apologetic about the time it has taken to get an anti-discrimination order in place.

Sebelius also told reporters that she supports an anti-discrimination bill in the Kansas Senate. The bill would prohibit discrimination against all LGBT people, not just those who work for the state. The bill extends protection to housing and private employment.

After Sebelius signed the order, we all applauded her heartily.

After all the garbage this state sometimes takes, I have to say that today I am so proud to be a Kansan.

Sebelius also posed with a Kansas Equality Coalition T-shirt and posed for pictures with many of the people present, who represented a who's who of the equal rights movement in Kansas.

I'll have photos as soon as they're available. Unfortunately, I didn't take my camera, but several of our folks did take pictures.

Today's executive order was the result of the hard work of many people. Among them are members of the Kansas Equality Coalition, the Kansas City regional Human Rights Campaign, the Democratic LGBT Caucus and many others.

The effort that resulted in today's order received much support and help from moderate Republicans. Republicans like Bruce Ney and Jim Yonnally helped make this order happen.

The Kansas Traditional Republican Majority also stood up for us today. The group's leader, Andy Wollen, issued a statement saying: "It's about time."

Those who attended today's ceremony include Cora Holt, a Social and Rehabilitation Services employee from Manhattan, and Dennis Dobson, a lab supervisor for the Department of Health and the Environment.

Others attending included Steve Brown, from the LGBT Democratic Caucus; Maggie Childs, chair of the Lawrence Chapter of the Kansas Equality Coalition and an advisor to KU's Q & A; Jason Dilts, Wichita, head of the LGBT Democratic Caucus; Carolyn Marie Fugit, chair of the Wichita Chapter of the Equality Coalition; Pedro Irigonegaray, Topeka attorney and longtime equality activist; Kirk Isenhour, Kansas City regional Human Rights Campaign affiliate; Cathy Jambrosic, chair of the Johnson County Chapter of the Equality Coalition; LuAnn Kahl, vice chair of the Southwest Chapter of the Equality Coalition; Bruce McKinney, a longtime Wichita activist; Bruce Ney, the former chair of Kansans For Fairness; Cyd Slayton, a member of the national board of governors of the Human Rights Campaign and of the Kansas City affiliate of HRC; Angela Siedener of the North Central Chapter of the Equality Coalition; Thomas Witt of Wichita, the state chair of the Equality Coalition; and Jim Yonnally, a former Republican state legislator and Equality Coalition lobbyist.

Sarah Kennedy from GLAAD also gave us great support today.

The Equality Coalition issued a news release on the signing. By the way, I'm the fool who put the incorrect number of state employees in the release.

AP already has a story with some comment from social conservatives. The Lawrence Journal-World also has a story posted.

The finer points of the Dem candidates' support (?) for fair laws for lesbians & gays

By Diane Silver

The Human Rights Campaign survey showing near unanimous support from the Democratic presidential candidates for fair laws for lesbians and gays may not be as clear cut as it first seemed.

More information is coming out today about the details of the candidates' survey answers. Among the most important issues is each candidate's stand on the misnamed and truly nasty DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act).

I'm still sorting through all of this, so I'm withholding my opinion for the time being.

However, here's more information from Pam's House Blend complete with a video clip from last night's debate. Pam also has the full questionnaire responses from six of the candidates, including Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Andrew Sullivan, who is no fan of the Human Rights Campaign, says the survey was rigged to make Clinton look good.

Stay tuned.

A serious Democratic allergy to using the "marriage" word for same-sex couples

By Diane Silver

The Human Right Campaign's newly released survey of Democratic presidential hopefuls has generally good news for lesbian and gay couples.

One lingering pain in the rear remains, though. That's the continuing aversion of candidates to the use of the word "marriage" for same-sex couples. Only Rep. Dennis Kucinich is willing to own up to supporting full-fledged marriage for us.

On the other hand, everyone from Hillary Clinton to John Edwards and Barack Obama is supporting full rights and fairness under the law in every other way.

Generally, I think this is good news, but is there any other reason to back away from the word "marriage" except for political cowardice? I expected more from Obama.

The full survey results can be found on the HRC site.

Call Congress today about the proposed hate crimes law

By Diane Silver

The far right is ramping up it's attack on proposed legislation giving lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered citizens hate crime protection. That's the same protection that religious groups enjoy.

The attacks being mounted today are absurd and misrepresent the bill.

The U.S. House is supposed to vote on this tomorrow. Contact your representative today. We should particularly focus our efforts on Kansas Democrats Dennis Moore and Nancy Boyda.

Here is the Human Right Campaign's video, explaining the proposed bill and responding to the far right's attacks.