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LGBT fundraiser for DNC (reportedly) nets $1M, attendees greeted by small group of demonstrators

by: Pam Spaulding

Fri Jun 26, 2009 at 09:00:00 AM EDT


UPDATE (bumping post back up): A political insider has just informed me that there is something fishy about that $1 Million amount claimed to have been raised for the DNC fundraiser.  So we cannot confirm that this is all queer money from this fundraiser.  

As often done, Andy Tobias as Treasurer of the DNC can apply any of his fundraising efforts or other DNC staff fundraising efforts to whichever event that in order to inflate the success of the particular fundraiser.   Many straight stockbrokers (loyal DNC'ers) could have given $30K in the months prior to the fundraiser, and had no clue where his/her money was being applied internally at the DNC.  Also there are regular Queer Donors to the DNC that give monthly and annually and this amount was probably added to the tally for the event.

FEC reports will be filed at the end of this month so we will be able to check the DNC amounts for when the $$$ was raised, and who wrote a check from the LGBT community.  My inside source says they would be lucky if they actually raised $250,000.  Still a lot of money, but no where near the $1,000,000. claimed by the DNC.

Here is video from the Washington Blade of the protest:

There's not a lot of press out there about last night's 10th annual LGBT Leadership Council fundraiser yet, but Kerry Eleveld has coverage up at The Advocate this AM (and DaveM has a diary up). The number of protestors was pretty small -- I've seen 40 and this article says 25.
When Wisconsin Rep. Tammy Baldwin arrived, she chatted with the spirited flock of about 25 and then pivoted to enter the Mandarin Oriental Hotel as cries of "Don't go in, Tammy!" and "Shame on you!" followed her.

"I think it's so important that as gay and lesbian people who are denied equal rights, we do feel an impatience and a frustration and it's really important that that be expressed both outside and inside," she said.

A long list of prominent people dropped out of the fundraiser, but the event was successful -- raising more scratch than last year's event.
Despite the controversy, about 180 people showed up to hear Vice President Joe Biden speak for a price tag of $1,000 to $30,400 per plate. The event brought in nearly $1 million, up from about $750,000 last year, according to a Democratic Party source.
So what does this mean? Well, one question I have is whether those who withdrew had paid in advance actually asked for their money back when they dropped out; otherwise, the DNC coffers were still filled with queer dollars. It also means that we still have a good chunk of our well-heeled community that cares less about sending a strong message of dissatisfaction to this administration than putting chips in to stay "in the game" at the expense of, for instance, discharged service members during a time when their skills are desperately needed for our national security. So what did the special guest, our VP Joe Biden, offer up?
Biden ticked off a list of priorities for the community, starting with receiving a standing ovation for saying with great gusto, "We will repeal the Defense of Marriage Act with your help!" He touched on "don't ask, don't tell," the Domestic Partner Benefits and Obligations Act, employment nondiscrimination, the HIV travel ban and hate crimes.
But tellingly, DNC chair Tim Kaine seemed to be aloof about the issues at hand re: the community:
"He didn't really seem to recognize what it meant for the people who were in that room to show up," said LGBT activist Peter Rosenstein, calling his speech "disappointing." ...he didn't run down the litany of issues that the vice president did during his speech - it lacked a real commitment to showing what the DNC is going to do on our issues."
Pam Spaulding :: LGBT fundraiser for DNC (reportedly) nets $1M, attendees greeted by small group of demonstrators
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I'm of two minds
On one level, I can respect LGBT people who said they still wanted to attend the fundraiser to make our concerns known "inside" as well as "outside."  I guess I can see that.

But the rest of me is sighing heavily and quoting Dr. Phil, of all people:  "So, how's that working for you?"

The equation is simple
DADT + DOMA = money votes

What is wrong with LGBT people?  Why all the loyalty to the DNC? We need viable third party candidates to come forward now for the next election cycle.  They won't get elected but LGBT dollars and support going to someone else will jolt the DNC.  They think we're in their pockets, always.  Not this time, not for me.

Damn
auto correct.

DADT + DOMA = -  money  -  votes

[ Parent ]
Holy mother of God we're pathetic.
I weep for our community.

Fetch my pearls, I need to clutch them!
It's a little early for the pulling of hair, the gnashing of teeth or wailing at the wall.
Last nights demo at the DNC snake pit was not a defeat.

Of all the constituent groups fooled, tricked and lulled by loyalty to the party of war, bigotry and welfare for the rich, the LGBT communities are the furthest along the road to independence.

Compare today's situation with last November when a bit less than 1/3 of the electorate voted for McCain, a little over 1/3 voted for Obama and the rest wisely said "a curse on both your whore houses". GLBT folks who voted for Obama were self-deluded, projecting their own ideas on Obama and the Democrats who, even then, obviously didn't give a rat's ass about us. Since the election he's proven that by being either pathetically patronizing or openly hostile.  

People are catching on. Even people who've allowed themselves to be fooled time and time again. The technical term for people like that is "Democrats" or, more rarely, "Republicans".

The smallish but very significant demonstration at the DNC underscores the need to break from the Democrats and form a nationwide LGBT group devoted solely to the interests of our communities with a militant program and a mass action perspective.

That is what must be done and that is exactly what we will do.

The looter rich much prefer working with Democrats like Obama and the Clintons - they're greedier, they fool more people and they're able to get away with a lot more than Republicans.  

[ Parent ]
Now ask yourself
If you were in Obama shoes, would you really risk political capital on such a sad, pathetic, weak group?

I wouldn't.

This is the first time - even moreso than with prop 8 and that brief - that I feel truly defeated. Because we did this, no one else.

Sigh.

Do those who paid
have to disclose that donation for tax purposes? Is there any way to back trail?

If so, let's find out who the ones are who said they were not attending YET STILL DONATED THE SCRATCH.

Then label them as "Log Cabin Democrats".


"It goes on one at a time, it starts when you care to act, it starts when you do it again after they said no, it starts when you say We and know who you mean, and each day you mean one more."

Thanks to Pam for the continued updates
I just have to say that I'm very happy about the reporting coming from you Pam.  I, like Louis,was wondering how we'd be able to get the names of those who donated to this event, and it seems you're already on top of that.  Could you give us anymore details about these FEC reports?  Where can we look for them exactly, and do you have any ideas about how we can determine which came from our community?
[ Parent ]
25-40 people? I wouldn't care about the cause either.
It's interesting how I much I read leading up to this dinner/fundraiser - I expected this issue to be critically important to the LGBT community.  I saw more people protesting Harry Potter at my local movie theater.

Are there simply a small number of loud people really interested in these issues?  Are these issues really important?  

Seems to me the small number of "protesters" actually supports the DNC and administration's inaction.  I'm sure they had a good laugh at the turnout.  They could care less about us because we could care less about ourselves.

Shame on Tammy?  Shame on you! By intimidating people who could have actually made progress in a civil and meaningful way by attending, we showed how little the community really cares about these issues.

I think that the net...
gave the impression that people were angrier than was really the case.

Most of the people in DC know the legislative process and knew not to expect the DNC to march head long into a debate on LGBT issues in their first few months (especially given everything else that's been going on).

Plus remember, even most LGBT people are not single issue voters. Some of us recognize that we need the Democrats focused on health care and the economy.

At the end of the day this was all about having patience.

[ Parent ]
But that's part of the point
...even most LGBT people are not single issue voters. Some of us recognize that we need the Democrats focused on health care and the economy

The laws the community is asking for are not just 'single issues'.  What good does it get to create any form of 'universal' healthcare if I can't cover my partner--or have to cover him at an additional cost that straight couples don't have to pay?  What good is creating new jobs for the economy when I have to worry about being fired in certain states just for mentioning that I live with another man?  The Military is often portrayed as a way for poorer individuals to get valuable training and see the world.  What good does it do for the young gay kid from the projects?  If (s)he enlists, (s)he will be required to lie or lose the opportunities the Military offers, not to mention the fact that this hypothetical kid will likely be sent in harms way with wars on 2 fronts and a third brewing?  How does any bailout or other economic stimulus help a family facing dissolution because the members are from different countries?  Should I be greatful that my health insurance is cheaper if I get gay bashed and need medical attention?

It is easy to lump 'LGBT issues' together and make them seem like one issue. However, the ramifications ripple through all of the issues on the Administration's and Democrat's plate.  Not all people who consider themselves L,G,B, or T are 'single issue' voters.  To an outsider, perhaps, they don't see how these proposals affect EVERYONE, regardless of race, color, creed, orientation, gender expression, etc., etc.  But when you're in one of the affected groups, it is really offensive when your issues are ignored when they are talking about how a proposed law will affect the whole group.

[ Parent ]
protest
I was there yesterday at the protest (rainbow flag holding girl). There were about 40 total but the 25 Tammy spoke too were from SLDN. She didn't really bother with the rest of us.

Does the DNC have to make party contributions public record? If so, it should be possible to get the filing when it comes out and check the names and amounts against the list.

Sandy

It may be the purpose of your life is to serve as a warning to others.

split groups too
The protesters also split into 2 groups (one moving off to farther up the driveway) because the hotel started parking large vehicles in front of the protesters to block us from the arrivals. They were originally going to only leave the crosswalk open but backed off and left us a car length and crosswalk when people started calling for a reporter to come over. This pic -- http://images.politico.com/glo... -- shows the amount of space we had.

It may be the purpose of your life is to serve as a warning to others.
[ Parent ]
Empty words and cold hard cash
Same old same old.

We are played by our own.

Our worst enemies are NOT straight.


I am not interested in picking up crumbs of compassion thrown from the table of someone who considers himself my master. I want the full menu of rights.  -Archbishop Desmond Tutu

[ Parent ]
out with the 'old'
they made more money than last year?  there is hardly anything worse than a hypocrite.  i would like to know who gave what, especially who paid and didn't attend.  at least attendees were were honest in that if they paid, they went and said why.  i think these 'professional' people think we 'don't get it' about how biz is done.  we get it; we just are sick of it and want it to stop.  not only that, but 'they' think our only alternative is republican.  nope.  i will vote for young and new democrats and independents.  one thing i have learned is that it isn't rational to talk to a brick wall.  one just has to take a deep breath and let the anger pass through so as to not get caught up in the insanity.  we can find newer and more thoughtful people to vote into office.  i suggest we start now.
Can't say I'm surprised
Off line (and in comments to some of the posts I added at FB) many people I encountered were appalled that there was so much dissent and impatience with The Party - most people linked the DNC with Obama personally.

Not to say that the two targets aren't cemented together, but there is a difference and most people don't seem to understand how to engage politically or said "What did you expect?" or "You are preaching to the choir" without thinking apparently.  

I wouldn't say that a small demonstration and a large take by the DNC is indicative of a content and supportive community...but it does prove what an uphill climb it is to get LGBTs to stand up for themselves against a system that is established to hold the door open for those with $$ (house homos) that seek access to power and gives them the tools to convince those with less (field homos) to remain obedient, if occasionally rambunctious.  

If anyone followed my comments over the past number of years it is obvious that I stopped supporting democrats over a decade ago.  

Nothing would convince any of the gays that I argued with - particularly on line - that the Democratic Party is overflowing with assholes that need to be cut off from the LGBT tit.  John Kerry/John Edwards ran a revolting campaign in 2004 while most homos were happy to suck it up because the alternative was GWB...and nothing could compare with that darkness.  In an effort to avoid the extremely boring third-party conversation from resurrecting, I will only make a passing reference to 2000.

But if you need evidence of a population in a rut, bring up the idea of being LGBT and NOT voting for a Democrat...it should take about 2 seconds for eyes to bulge and sweat to form on the brow and vocal chords to get shrill..."what do you mean!?!???!  what choice is there?!??!?!!?"

I will say that I enjoyed the furor of the past two weeks since the DOMA brief.  That was much more encouraging to me than any inspirational speech by Obama over the past two years, and I know that the indignation won't last long even after that blatant stab in the back.  

I'll be watching the progress on the bills that have been re-introduced, but I know that when they tank, and they will, that a sickening slime of resignation will thicken around the ankles of the LGBT Democrats and they will just give even more of themselves while they expect even less in return.  

There's a lot of truth to that
Sadly, things stand to get worse for GBLT capital. GOP is in meltdown, becoming a regional party of bigots and Jesus freaks. Dems dominate with people of color, whose numbers and clout are growing, add to that a very healthy majority of whites... And absent tight elections,  pursuing and placating gay voters becomes a lower and lower priority.

I'm wondering if the current national apathy on the part of Dems is already an expression of that.    

[ Parent ]
Standard PR tactic:
One of the fundamental tenets of the modern American PR industry is:  ALWAYS claim your events are successful. The DNC press release could have been written a week ago (and probably was).  Not only does it make it seem like they have broad LGBT support, it marginalizes those of us who emphatically do NOT support them.

It's perfectly possible, given the huge number of self-loathing gays + gays who are looking out for Number One, that they really did stage a successful event.  But their statement reads like standard-issue PR boilerplate, so I can't imagine we'll ever know.

I am not interested in picking up crumbs of compassion thrown from the table of someone who considers himself my master. I want the full menu of rights.  -Archbishop Desmond Tutu

[ Parent ]
Good point..
The DNC isn't going to allow a bunch of fags to make them look bad.  Still, I'm disappointed that we don't try very hard.

If I were in DC I would have been right there and as obnoxious as possible.  

I'll get my turn out here...and I'll be in DC in October.

[ Parent ]
And I'd point out realtive to this point
It's perfectly possible, given the huge number of self-loathing gays + gays who are looking out for Number One, that they really did stage a successful event.

There's no guarantees the plate-buyers were gay. Did they check people's lavendar elite cards? No. If the tables were not filling up, and the coffers were looking like they'd be slim, there's nothing to prevent someone--anyone--from stepping in and helping out. Could always be some democractic player from the area who has no horse in the GBLT race at all, but rather, just wants to curry favor from the DNC. They are fine with being an anonymous gay for the night, or present themselves as gay-sympathetic.
[ Parent ]
Here in Virginia
Tim Kaine has been pretty pathetic on supporting LGBT issues.  True, he signed Executive Order 1 (2006) to in theory grant employment non-discrimination protections to gay and lesbian state employees.  However, in a lawsuit based on his Executive Order, Kaine was missing in action and now a Circuit Court has ruled that the Executive Order gives fired gays no cause of action against the state and its agencies.  In short, the Executive Order sounds good, but apparently is nearly worthless.
Here is anther diary link
Yep, we're fucked
http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2...

No community gets taken seriously until they get organized. The GLBT community is an unruly mob with no real leadership, no real connection to each other, and a profound tendency to attack itself. Our opponents laugh at us, because we are the Keystone Cops of the civil rights-seeking world.

Come on, you mean to tell me our community is so fractured we can't get 40 people to not show up at a dinner?

My dad was a steelworker
My mom was a kitchen girl
and that's why
I'm a socialist.
-from an old song I used to hum to myself

Did you go?
Look, I'm not looking for or expecting someone else to hand me my equality that I deserve as a US tax paying citizen.  In a way, I don't want some group to speak for me...it's a tough one because you're right, the GLBT minority, by the laws of physics, can't reach critical mass....we need straight people...thanks to all the straight supporters who DO speak up and are visible, but we need many more.
I don't know what you mean by "community" anyways.  Few of my friends are gay, my "community" is primarily straight. W here I live and work everyone around is pro equality, but very few, even the gay ones do much.  You can't depend on "out there" to make things right...gotta personally do the heavy lifting.
[ Parent ]
That's exactly the problem, Karen
You won't let anyone speak for you, which means you are a party of one. In other words, you're alone, all alone. And do you know how much influence a single individual person with nobody else on their side has with a government that responds to the will of the collective whole?

None at all.

The homophobes are very well organized. They send out one email blast and the phones don,t stop ringing in Congress until they call them off. They can get their Senators and Congressmen to do whatever they want them to BECAUSE they move as a group-if Congressman X doesn't vote homophobic, he doesn't just lose one little vote-he loses thousands of votes. When he talks to a homophobic leader, he knows that homophobic leader speaks for millions of people.

You just speak for yourself. You won't let anybody speak for you.

Which is why Congressman X has no problem finding a time to talk to the homophobic leaders, and he's just too busy to talk to you.

Unless he needs your money. Then he'll talk to you until the check clears, and then ignore you.

DoN,t you think its so sad that you will let straight people talk for you, but you won't let gay people? Why, are your straight allies better than us?

My dad was a steelworker
My mom was a kitchen girl
and that's why
I'm a socialist.
-from an old song I used to hum to myself

[ Parent ]
Let's do a little math.
Assuming that Karen votes in California (no guarantee of that, since 39% of eligible voters nationwide do not vote), her individual 'nobody speaks for ME' vote is 1 divided by the entire population of California multiplied by the ratio of electoral voes allotted to her state divided by the total number of electoral votes.

Therefore, your unorganized, "I won't let GLBT people represent me" vote = (1/36,756,666) =.000000272059% of the California vote alone, so that's how much pull you have with either of your two Senators.

Yes on 8 Campaign had 98,500 California residents of voting age as their donors-people who actually ponied up money for them, not just the people that pulled the lever for them. That's about .2% of the population, so even if they could say they only speak for their donors, they'd still have 10000000 times more influence over California's two Senators than you do. Considering the majority of Californian voters that pulled the lever for Prop 8 in total- about 60% of the state- Yes on 8 has much more power than you all by your lonesome self ever will.

The enemy is highly organized. We're not. This is why we lost California.

Think maybe you can get over the whole 'I'm too good to be represented by a GLBT person' trip now?


My dad was a steelworker
My mom was a kitchen girl
and that's why
I'm a socialist.
-from an old song I used to hum to myself

[ Parent ]
I asked, "did you go?"
What is your "GLBT" community that speaks for you, DaveB?
I would change my phrasing from, "i don't want some group to speak for me." to mean, and here I agree with you, there is no group that speaks for me....(to add) in a unified effective way.  I NEVER said I wouldn't let gay people speak for me....don't put words in my mouth.

So yes, the "community" (still wondering if you mean ONLY GLBT citizens or all those who support equal civil rights) could only muster 40 people.  I admit, I was just getting out of work here on the left coast so I couldn't make it.
Did you go?

While I actually agree with you about the need for unified organization, do some more math (as you probably have done) and there's no way GLBT citizens can reach a critical mass of voters to effect change at the voting booth.  

So your suggestion is....?  I there some group you are behind so I can consider adding my vote.  

[ Parent ]
Actually, there are a number of GLBT groups that represent me
I donate to HRC, Forum for Equality, EQCA, the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, ERW, Lambda Legal, as well as civil liberties groups such as the ACLU, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, and People for the American Way.

During the runup to the DNC fundraiser, I harassed not only the three Congressional hosts, but every invitee on Pam's list. I will not claim that I held any great sway over his decision, but I will say that I did manage to make an argument that seemed to impress one of the senior staff at the Victory Fund while Mr Wolfe was away on vacation in Montana and out of cell phone reach; I was nonetheless reassured by this person that Mr Wolfe would be informed of the details of my call.

I also contacted groups that did wind up attending anyway, such as the SLDN, who mentioned that they were staging a protest, and were determined to be 'well positioned' with the Obama Administration and therefore were going to attend no matter what I told them.

My mission was to get people NOT to go-I wanted Joe Biden to address an empty dinner hall, with the echo from those empty walls underscoring for him the sense that he cannot assume GLBT people will support his efforts if he will not support ours. The small protest that gathered out front stood no chance of being effective, but that silence of an empty room would have been powerfully effective.

I opposed the SLDN's protest, because despite their signs and their pins, they still raised 250,000 more than last year to support an Administration that is ignoring us, and will continue to do so so long as they can milk us for money. So no, I did not attend the protest-I saw it as futile from the beginning.

I can say however that the groups I do regularly contribute to boycotted the event. I made it quite clear to all of them that my monthly donations would permanently cease if they went.

So, what exactly did you do, Karen?

Oh, shit, I forgot... you don't consider the GLBT community to be your "community". You like straight people better than your own kind. So I guess you probably don't give money to any GLBT groups, and therefore... they probably would have ignored you even if you did call them.

Which you probably didn't, since you think your 'straight allies' will help you better than your own kind will.

Hey, did your straight allies stop Prop 8? No?  

Damn, maybe you need some new friends.

My dad was a steelworker
My mom was a kitchen girl
and that's why
I'm a socialist.
-from an old song I used to hum to myself

[ Parent ]
Thanks for answering my question finally.
That's exactly what I wanted to hear.
I still don't get where you got that I like straight people better than my own kind...you're reading something into what I didn't write, especially with the "you probably don't give money to any GLBT groups" and therefore, you lost me there.
How do you know whether or not I contribute to GLBT groups? I didn't say...Actually if you had been around the coffee house for longer then couple of weeks that you have been, you would know which GLBT groups I DO donate to because I have mentioned these groups more then a couple of times.
Stick around we can all learn from each other.

All my straight and glbt allies and friends couldn't stop Prop 8 which was my whole point of my first post to you.

[ Parent ]
Bullshit
Why can't you list them here, instead of making vague references to them?

And anyway, wouldn't it contradict your earlier assessment that you don't want GLBT organizations speaking for you, that you don,te ven consider yourself a member of the GLBT community, that you have more straight friends than GLBT friends?

For someone so ashamed of her own kind, someone so ashamed of herself, for that thing that makes you one of us, and not like the straights you so admire-it seems odd that you would claim to support organizations advocating for that.

Stop hating yourself. And stop hating us. Gay is good. What's bad is attacking people for just being themselves, even when that is yourself.

Listen to me, baby. I don't feel any need to hide who or what I am, or to run away from it. I feel no shame at all. And even though I embarass you, and you desperately wish I'd just go away someplace-I'm going to liberate myself. Now, you,re welcome to join me any time you want to, and liberate yourself too. Someday, I hope you'll stop feeling like you,re something awful that you have to run away from, and you'll come back to yourself.

You're not some scary monster, and neither is any other GLBT person. You're beautiful. We all are. And if we organize ourselves together and stop listening to the bigots that trash talk us, then we can become a very powerful force indeed.

If we stand together, we can shake the world. I don't want to lead you or follow you, I'm just as happy to walk next to you. All I'm doing is offering you a hand so you can get up off your knees, and walk like a human being.

My dad was a steelworker
My mom was a kitchen girl
and that's why
I'm a socialist.
-from an old song I used to hum to myself

[ Parent ]
Dude, you're out of your lane
Where do you get off nitpicking a sentence you might disagree with, maybe, and trying to start an argument with someone you know nothing about?

Hang around awhile and observe before you start telling complete strangers to 'get off [their] knees'.

While you may or may be completely exaggerating your own efforts, contributions and influence, you're definitely in need of a Manners Makeover.

But wait, there's more!

[ Parent ]
Oh, its real strange alright. Can't get much stranger.
Look, she stated that she doesn't consider herself to be a member of the GLBT community, that she only wants straight friends-what more do you need to know? That one statement right there spells it out for you, plain and clear-she doesn't like GLBTT people, even though she is one, which kinda indicates that she must not like herself very much.

And as far as manners go? Listen, you can sit there stuck in neutral without anyone doing a damn thing to advance your civil rights and be all polite about it if you want to.

But get the fuck out of my way, because I am going to get rude if that's what it takes to make it.

Don't expect an apology for that either.


My dad was a steelworker
My mom was a kitchen girl
and that's why
I'm a socialist.
-from an old song I used to hum to myself

[ Parent ]
You really light up the room, Dave.
Remember kids, mind-altering substances and politics don't mix.

But wait, there's more!
[ Parent ]
Cheap Shots
Well, I guess if your argument doesn't stand up on its own, you can always do what six year olds do and just insult your opponent personally, without even attempting to use logic for any of it

My dad was a steelworker
My mom was a kitchen girl
and that's why
I'm a socialist.
-from an old song I used to hum to myself
[ Parent ]
Thanks for admitting
that you think "Few of my friends are gay, my "community" is primarily straight" is the same as "she doesn't consider herself to be a member of the GLBT community, that she only wants straight friends".

You need to work on your reading comprehension and count to at least 5 before you start making things up.

[ Parent ]
Let me quote you directly
"don't know what you mean by "community" anyways.  Few of my friends are gay, my "community" is primarily straight."

Copypasted from your own post.

Oh come on, you can bullshit people into thinking you've been misquoted if nobody's recording the convo, but all you have to do is scroll up a little to see what you wrote. Jeez, do you think we're all illiterate?

My dad was a steelworker
My mom was a kitchen girl
and that's why
I'm a socialist.
-from an old song I used to hum to myself

[ Parent ]
Thanks for the laughs, Dave.
It's one thing to disagree. But to willfully falsify what Karen and Matt have plainly written is just nonsensical.  At first I got all in "how dare that twerp talk to them like that" mode.  Then I just started laughing at the idiocy of your thinking that we can't figure out the game you're playing.

You truly are annoying, Dave. But I imagine your Socialist Worker pals tell you that all the time. It's probably why you came over here to straighten everybody out.

[ Parent ]
See above post
"don't know what you mean by "community" anyways.  Few of my friends are gay, my "community" is primarily straight."

-Karen in Kalifornia.

My dad was a steelworker
My mom was a kitchen girl
and that's why
I'm a socialist.
-from an old song I used to hum to myself

[ Parent ]
You are both touching on the greater issue
an example of this:

In my city we are gearing up for a possibly large non-discrimination ordinance fight. I sent out a call in the LGBT community (and our allies) for people to volunteer, even a few hours here and there. But I needed people for this weekend, to help out and also get training for future tasks.

A few people (1/50) volunteered.....many will not return my email or phone requests. A large number of people are going to Chicago Pride this weekend, so they will not be available. But what are they doing in Chicago? Networking, maybe some fund raising, discussing strategy? No the only reason they are going is to party and drink.

Pride parades and similar events are no longer about focusing our communities' efforts and working for equality, they are about sex, drugs, drinking, selling things, and just having a good time.

I know this has been asked before, but why are so many of our community members and events so self involved and so uninterested in their own advancement?


Help defend equality, visit One Kalamazoo http://www.onekalamazoo.com/

[ Parent ]
I dunno if that's true
I mean, tomorrow is the New Orleans GLBT event, and I will be there gathering signatures for the Olson-Boies case. I dunno if they'll do any good or not, but you know, if I send it to them and they decide to use it to make a case that alot more people support overturning anti-marriage laws than the Rights makes it out to be, maybe what I'm doing tomorrow will contribute to their work in some way.

Maybe not, too. I won't pretend that my little canvassing effort here is going to be the big thing that wins over the SCOTUS. I'm just doing the best I can to be of the most use as I am able to for a cause I believe in.

So yeah, I'm sure there will be some guys getting loaded and having a good time, and maybe that's their primary goal for the weekend. So what? Let them have their fun. If I can convince them to pause with the necking just long enough to sign my petition, then I'm happy.

You know, I hear this argument from people trashing gay pride, saying, "Ooooo, everyone just gets drunk and scews! That makes us look bad!" Well, I worked at Mardi Gras this year, and believe me I saw plenty of drunken public fucking between heterosexuals for a good two weeks there. I don,t believe anyone uses that as an excuse to make the heterosexual community look bad.

Why are you so quick to attack your own kind? You'll use a totally different standard for us-what, you think we don't deserve rights if we don't wear a suit and tie at all times and pretend that we never have sex? Shit, I see straight kids necking all the time, in public, all over the place. Nobody thinks that's embarrassing. They just sigh and go on about how grand love is.

Can't you apply the same standards to your own people?

Long live love, baby. Maybe you want to play ward and June Cleaver, just don,t presume you have the right to force everyone else to pretend this is the 1950's.  

My dad was a steelworker
My mom was a kitchen girl
and that's why
I'm a socialist.
-from an old song I used to hum to myself

[ Parent ]
Well I could
if those same people taking a day or even an hour out of their lives to help the cause.

Heterosexuals don't count, sorry. They have all the rights and are not working to gain acceptance of their marriages, etc. So they can mess around all they want.

And if you say, but some of those going to Pride are working for equality. I can counter by saying I know at least 20 or more people who are at Chicago Pride this weekend who do nothing but party and enjoy the fruits of the work done by others.

Of course I could be a little bitter and my response is a little tainted right now. But it does make me a little annoyed some times.

Help defend equality, visit One Kalamazoo http://www.onekalamazoo.com/

[ Parent ]
"GLBT community is an unruly mob with no real leadership, no real connection to each other, and a profound tendency to attack itself."
Thats mostly wrong.

We're not self defeating. Quite the contrary. We've been fighting an uphill battle in almost total isolation while subject to beatings, murders, harassment and intimidation, (much of that at the hands of police) combined with the virulent hatred of pulpit pimps and other professional bigots for decades. And then there was the little matter of HIV...

And through it all we've made enormous progress, educating and organizing our own communities and winning allies. If it hadn't been for Obama's 'gawd's in the mix' we'd surely have won against Prop 8. Until he said that the polls were all in our favor.

What you are totally right about is the lack of leadership. Our leadership is often sullied by connections with the Democrats. We need a nationwide, militant, independent mass action organization with a democratic internal life and an elected leadership and program.

That's what's needed and that's what'll be done.
 

The looter rich much prefer working with Democrats like Obama and the Clintons - they're greedier, they fool more people and they're able to get away with a lot more than Republicans.  

[ Parent ]
I do appreciate your optimism
And hey, if nothing else, you're the first poster that hasn't replied to my rant with a 'I hate gay people!' reply.

We ought to build each other up, not tear each other down.

And yes, I recognize that I'm guilty too-after all, I just trashed talked the shit out of Karen because she doesn't like GLBT people and would rather have straight friends than GLBT ones, and Matt for being so embarrassed by people having a little fun on Pride day. Its a little weird having to defend the GLBT community from GLBT people.

Hey look, I'm not from the 'straight acting' crowd-would never want to be a part of that. I don't 'act' like anything, I just am, you know? I'm as gay as a field of daisies, and I don,t see any reason to pretend that I'm not.I know that upsets alot of folks on the fringe of the community-the closet cases and the conservative types. Sometimes it seems like the least welcome member of the GLBT community is a femme gay guy. You can be anything you want to be, just don't be queeny, huh? We can rally millions of GLBTs to go after a radio station in California for trashing Transfolk-and yet the same people will turn on you so quickly if you're obviously gay.

Well, you go on with your internalized homophobia. Maybe you can hide in your little cloud of heterosexuality. I can't. I draw alot of the fire that would be headed for you otherwise. Maybe that's why I'm more motivated to fight for our rights than alot of these folk. After all, they can pretend to be straight, so they don't have much reason to care one way or the other. If they lose, they can just blend back into the shadows, you know?

I guess for me, losing is not an option. I stand out when I try to duck into the shadows. There is no place for me to hide.  

My dad was a steelworker
My mom was a kitchen girl
and that's why
I'm a socialist.
-from an old song I used to hum to myself

[ Parent ]
LGBT Equality Dead in America
I hope I am wrong about this, but given that the DNC dinner raised more money than before, LGBT people like Frank, Baldwin, and Polis sold out on their own people, and the number of protesters was minimal, it seems like hope for LGBT equality in America is dead.  Sure, we may get a "gay federal employee benefits" measure thrown in occasionally to appease us.  But I doubt that any of the measures VP Biden spoke about will get passed into law for the foreseeable future.

Even in Biden's speech, he said "We will repeal the Defense of Marriage Act with your help!"

This is code that nothing is going to come down from Obama; they will just tell the LGBT community that they need us to make the changes we don't have the political position (like President!) to do.  Then when those changes don't happen, they will point the finger at us because we, the LGBT community, didn't do enough.

More of the status quo.

"Force me to do it"
Is what Biden is saying.

It's not like there were great masses of people out in the streets during the black civil rights movement either. But it was organized.

[ Parent ]
It's pretty lame, though
as it's why we frickin' donated, volunteered, canvassed and voted your ass to DC in the FIRST PLACE!!!

And you knew it at the time which is why you promised us the moon!

And now, you're moving the goal posts again.

And besides, how do we force them? There's very little GLBT legislation on the table for us to lobby on it's behalf.

[ Parent ]
Sheeesh, I'm at work
and there's all these pride events this weekend...

A couple of thoughts:

1) I remain convinced that the national Dems will ultimately be persuaded when the gay community begins to show the electoral power that we already actually have. My thing is, California, New York, and Massachusetts would probably go Dem regardless of what we do or don't do. We need to look at Florida, Ohio, Colorado, and maybe Texas (a pre-emptive strike, I don't think that Texas is in serious play until 2016).

2) Continue to call out the "Uncle Tom Gays" (I loved that sign) for who they are.

3) We need wins at the state level.

[ Parent ]
Ironically, in Nov 08, I traveled to FL
from NY, to help Obama's campaign.

Now, I wish I'd saved the vacation time and donated the plane fare to fight Prop 8.

[ Parent ]
Speaking of Prop 8
IMO, we also need to prioritize as a community. I know that everyone wants to repeal Prop 8 but is another expensive ballot initiative in California going to drain community resources that could be better spent elsewhere? I mean, California is a pretty big bang for the buck, I understand, but there are not limitless resources.
[ Parent ]
But, but, but...
"we need to prioritize as a community"
As far as I'm concerned, that is a dead statement.  See my comment above...how do you define "community"?

Meanwhile, kev, Repeal of Prop 8 is getting my time and money already....I'm organizing with others in my "community" (ie. people who live in my area of LA of mixed orientation).  I'm also counting on the mormon family who last year gave $50,000 (10k each for their 5 young sons) that they will not be able to do the same next year.  They already spent their wad to take away my rights....

My personal spirit and psyche is limitless when it come to getting back my rights.

[ Parent ]
Repeal effort not looking so good
Not to be too much of a naysayer this morning...but I'm getting the impression that although signatures might be gathered to get a repeal on a ballot in 2010, there will not be nearly enough $ or organization in place to mount an effective repeal next year.

I personally hate the idea of a repeal in 2012, but the thought of waiting until 2014 makes me want to wretch and unless something dramatic happens in CA soon, there won't be momentum to push a repeal nearly as hard as will be required.

11% unemployment in the state.  

[ Parent ]
Not just that Patrick but there's also this
from that gadfly Peterilis.

There's an incredibly important and lengthy article in today's Pride issue of the Bay Area Reporter, written by ace reporters Matthew S. Bajko and Seth Hemmelgarn, about the funding troubles of LGBT and AIDS service providers and advocacy organizations.

With lots of cutbacks in government funding streams to people with AIDS, many HIV organizations are holding meetings to discuss how to deal with the money crisis and meet the direct daily needs of PWAs. Among the items on the agenda, merging groups and cutting overhead, according to the BAR.

In the past, the dozens of AIDS groups in San Francisco have strongly resisted ceding any turf and putting institutional egos aside, merging their services and better helping PWAs survive and thrive. Let's hope such thinking radically changes as we all grapple with the budget crisis.

One part of the BAR article forced me to raise an eyebrow; the part about an initiative to repeal Prop 8 and its potential adverse impact on AIDS groups. I think this is the first time I've read in a San Francisco publication, debate about how raising millions of dollars for another gay marriage ballot proposition could negatively affect service orgs, and the people they serve.

What also surprised me is that leaders of AIDS Inc tried to meet with Geoff Kors of Equality California, and a defacto honcho in any ballot initiative, and that he missed a meeting to discuss the matter.

Not only that, as the BAR reports, the same leaders, like many regular LGBT community members, are not sure who's in charge of making the decisions about an initiative.

It doesn't say much good about California's gay community that, eight months after we lost Prop 8 and the right to marriage equality, we cannot pinpoint who the leaders are for either a 2010 or 2012 return to the voters.

From the BAR:

As the community prepares for a Prop 8 repeal campaign sure to cost tens of millions of dollars, nonprofit leaders are expressing concern about the impact the looming battle will have on their ability to raise funds.

Last year's Prop 8 fight cost the LGBT community and its allies $40 million, largely spent along California's liberal coastal areas. The repeal fight is expected to cover the entire state, ensuring the next ballot battle will be far more costly to the community.

"I don't know of any LGBT organization in the state that's focused on direct services and advocacy outside of marriage that isn't worried about fundraising in light of another ballot initiative," said Masen Davis, executive director of the Transgender Law Center, which has received more than 1,200 requests for assistance this year.

Dana Van Gorder, executive director of Project Inform, and several other AIDS agency leaders had hoped to meet with Equality California's Geoff Kors this past Monday to discuss how to fund the next campaign, while at the same time, ensure local agencies serving the community do not see their fundraising efforts adversely impacted. But Kors was a no-show and the AIDS executives said they're confused on just who is leading the repeal effort. ...


[ Parent ]
We've had cut backs
in our local HIV/AIDS service provider here in Kalamazoo. A number of people I know have been let go. This is particularly serious since this organization is the only real provider on the west side of the state.

Help defend equality, visit One Kalamazoo http://www.onekalamazoo.com/
[ Parent ]
We've had HIV/AIDS cutbacks in Illinois too.

[ Parent ]
You can add Dallas to that list

[ Parent ]
Good question
And I've donated what little money that I have for Prop 8's repeal as well as Anthiny Wood's campaign as well as donating and doing work locally in "my community." Tell me why I should give a flying fu*k about Prop 8? (Even though I do care about it?)

My spirit and psyche is just as limitless but my time and purse are not.

[ Parent ]
"Anthony Wood's"

[ Parent ]
Don't. Don't care. I mentioned Prop 8 in passing
but didn't suggest you should care about it.

For what it's worth, I you're within reasonable boundaries to not care, if you don't live in CA (although there are good arguments you should, which others may appeal).

I don't know that it's helpful to argue forcefully against a prop 8 repeal (it like will be on the ballot, for better or worse).

Another tactic that isn't so divisive is just to argue in the affirmative for causes you do believe in, and if you're successful, your cause will trump other in the competition for short resources of money, time, personel.

And it avoids denigrating causes others believe in.

[ Parent ]
No, I do care very much about Prop 8 repeal
And I said as much. I will make other small donations in the future, in fact.

What I do resent, somewhat, is the amount of money and oxygen that a Prop 8 repeal will cost, especially in a state like California where many other things are needed.

[ Parent ]
I don't know what to say to that
I'll likely send Courage Campaign a small check, soon. (I'm a NYer.) I certainly don't resent my GBLT friends in CA fighting for their rights. They gotta do what they gotta do. There was a lot of public backlash to Prop 8's passage, the community is well served not to let the heat dissipate, imo.
[ Parent ]
Like I said, I agree
it's just...I would think that everyone in California is getting hit extremely hard by the budget crisis there and by the economy overall. I suppose it's really not for me to question (as a Chicagoian) and I see the wisdom in what you say.

(Incidentially, I donated small amounts to the Courage Campaign and to Equality California, already. I'm concerned about letting the Prop 8 bigotry stand for too long, too.)

[ Parent ]
"Force me to do it"
I agree that's what he's saying.  But I have to ask:  What kind of indecent creature takes that  position?  Did we have to force them to promise to do it?  

See, I promised to help my elderly neighbor with her shopping, but I'm not going to do it till she forces me to.  I promised I'd help the little handicapped orphan boy down the street with his homework, but I won't do it till he forces me to.  I promised to help the local food bank with their distribution, but I won't help them unless they make me do it.

What sort of creep makes a premise and then dares you to force him to keep it?  Oh, that's right--a politician.

I am not interested in picking up crumbs of compassion thrown from the table of someone who considers himself my master. I want the full menu of rights.  -Archbishop Desmond Tutu

[ Parent ]
Then if a politician doesn't keep his promises
then he has to be prepared to face the electoral consequences.

That's our task, really.

[ Parent ]
And how are we to do that?
After all, America doesn't give a damn about a bunch of whiny fags. You know it and I know it. The only reason support for the repeal of DADT is so high is because military service has been so uber-glamorized over the last century, and our sense of imperialism is so aggrandized that Americans want all the bodies they can get to fill the spots. Isn't it evident in the fact that 72% of the public supports allowing queers to serve in the military, but less than half support equal marriage, equal employment, housing, and public access protections, hate crime protections equal to christians, equal immigration rights, and health care for PWA and GRS transitions?

It's pretty clear to me what my fellow Americans think of me. I put my body and life on the line in uniform for ten years, was blackmailed and raped for my trouble, paid my taxes, followed the law, I'm still doing national security work as a civilian while so deep in the closet I should have frequent flier miles to and from Narnia, and FOR WHAT? So my fellow citizens can tell me that my life STILL isn't worth as much as theirs.

So I ask, how exactly are we supposed to effect electoral consequences when the majority of our fellow citizens feel either hate or apathy towards us? They'll never make LGB and ESPECIALLY T equality or protections a priority in supporting primary candidates. People are only going to look out for their own interests, and for 95% of the voting populace, that means queers don't matter.

Yes, I'm bitter and despondent. I think I have reason to be.

God save ornery old queens! - kevinchi

[ Parent ]
Many "swing states"
also have pretty big gay populations; I can name three:

Florida, Ohio, and maybe (if HappyCat is right) Colorado.

We do what the Religious Reich did; build up at the local and statewide levels, we elect Representatives to Congress (There's a gay man in Florida that's running for the Senate). The community keeps being stingy with the money.

And we mobilize in those swing states so that any presidential candidate knows that if you fuck with the community a little too much, we could swing your state.

We need to honestly assess the political power (in terms of votes) that we actually have.  

[ Parent ]
Well, we don't seem to have any out here
The Catholic church and the Waipahu storefront christian hate groups and the rich Rethugs in Hawaii Kai saw to that pretty effectively this past legislative session. Family Equality Coalition is having our general memebership meeting this Saturday at 10 at UH Manoa Ballroom, if any locals out there are interested in going. The main topic of discussion is going to be strategies for marriage equality legislation next session. I am quite sure that support for Neil Abercrombie and Gary Hooser's Gov/LtGov run will also be a huge topic. I'm waiting on a response from Neil Abercrombie about his failure to be included in that 77 signator letter to President Separate-But-Equal about DADT before I decide to help him. Gary Hooser, however, has my time, my money, and my vote. Now, HE is a real ally.

The trouble with Hawaii is that our battle is in the State only. We will always, without fail, send two-faced DNC thugs to Washington no matter how they vote.

Colorado...now, THAT is where a good future lies. Western states, while they can be conservative about a lot of things, also have that "I don't care about your personal life" streak which benefits us. That fetus-personhood amendment went down in flames last year. Just don't support anyone who wants to fuck with the water.

God save ornery old queens! - kevinchi

[ Parent ]
It's also code for:
"When we don't do it, you people can only blame yourselves for not helping enough."
[ Parent ]
'with your help'
That's exactly how I read it also....make me do it...the same line that Big O uses.  Pretty words, no action.
[ Parent ]
Well, no, it's FDR's line
I mean, it was never like Kennedy and Johnson wanted to sign those civil rights bills. they were forced to.
[ Parent ]
"Force me to do it" is FDR's line, I mean

[ Parent ]
Disappointed
I don't know which is more sad, that only 40 people could show up to protest this fuckery, or that so many rich social climbing queers so disregard equality for the rest of us.  Perhaps they think they can buy their rights.
If you lived in DC
You would know that they have already bought their rights.  The right to sit at dinner with powerful politicians who can send money, influence and business their way.  It's all a big game of $$$$ for these beltway insiders.  

The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. - The U.S. Constitution Article IV.Section. 2. Clause 1


[ Parent ]
Stand up
I'm reading a lot of blame on others in these posts. Tell me, what are you doing? What have you done?
Write your Senators and Congressperson every day-that's a start. And then if you can't make it to DC to stand in protest, stand in front of your city hall or state Capitol. Be visible. Talk to people and let them know what's going on.
Someone talked about being leaderless- what a cop-out.
I'm standing in front of the White House July l-4 then in front of my city hall after work, and state Capitol on weekends. No one organized me, though I've been trying like hell he organize others who say they want to do something, but don't want to put themselves out there.
Read the comments here:http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2009/06/16/civil-disobedience-a-proposal
Not one person has responded because Dan isn't involved in my effort. If you want change, you need to lead yourself because you can't depend on anyone else stepping up.

Time to Stand! ProtestForHumanRighs.com
Still hopeful
I am less discouraged about this than some of the other posters.  Calls for the boycott have only appeared over the last few weeks, while requests to potential attendees have been out for a few months.  I have no doubt that some of this money was raised from people who ended up supporting the boycott, but who did not get their donations back.  And, as someone who is familiar with "papering the house", it is unclear how many of the attendees were donors and how many were place-sitters.    In addition, many of the supporters of the boycott are people who gave smaller donations to the Democratic Party, even if those donations were significant in total.  These people would not be among last nights attendees.  It is of greater interest to me that Pelosi met with Frank, et al. re moving our agenda forward.  This would not have happened if the boycott were not a significant concern.  I believe that it's too early to get discouraged.
Right
there was a response to the outrage of the community, so things are beginning to move where they would not have otherwise.

Getting civil rights is a long and winding road.

[ Parent ]
Certainly, as someone pointed out attendance was down
but proceeds were up. It's entirely possible Dems called in some (straight) big dogs to step up and fill avoid. A 100 large, here , a 100 large there, it's like the boycott didn't happen, as far as the news reports go.  
[ Parent ]
I assume names of the attending house homos
Will be public knowledge?
Well..
It makes me feel pretty sad that so few people showed up.  It seemed like the gay blogosphere was on fire about this, then only 40 show up?  There really is a divide between talking the talk and walking the walk.  I guess that's what the internet has done to us.

That being said, I have no place to accuse others of not being good activists.  I wasn't there.  If I had the money and the time I would have gone... but I don't have the deep pockets those paunchy politigays have lying around.

We have truly been sold out by the gays with higher socioeconomic status.  We've lost our gAyTM blockade to the gay bankers.

In your town
So you don't have a lot of money- protest in your town. Organize your friends to stand outside your city hall. Write your Congressperson and the President everyday. Get your friends to write.
I repeat myself a lot because people have such short attention spans now a days. It feels like you need to say something 100 times before the thought sticks.

We need to stop feeling sorry for ourselves and stand up. Tell everyone you know what the Administration is doing and keep telling people.
I am traveling to DC at great cost to myself, but I will also be standing at my city hall and Capitol building. If you're in Washington I invite you to join me, if you're in another state, start your own effort.
Even if just one person was standing outside the 50 major city halls in the country, it would have an impact. But we need to stand.

protestforhumanrights.com  

Time to Stand! ProtestForHumanRighs.com

[ Parent ]
The most productive post
I've read all day.  -Thanks
[ Parent ]
Like I said...

I highly respect the protestors but as a community we have to do better.

25 or even 40 people protesting at a DNC fundraiser will get us nowhere. It's sad that after the DNC fillet's us and hangs us out to dry ...AGAIN, all we can come up with is 25-40 protestors?

And we wonder why they dont take us seriously.

Did you go?
See my comment above.
Also Enigmas's encourage to protest where you live.
[ Parent ]
You know...
My enraged veteran dyke ass can only do so much in exile out here in the middle of the fucking ocean.

As I said in Jennifer Chrisler's post:

One last thought: we are to the DNC what the Jesus freaks are to the RNC. We are the crazy, angry, single-issue people that no one wants to deal with, and everyone wishes would just shut up and go away. The difference is that the Jesus freaks still run the show at the RNC, while we're still sitting politely on curbs across the street from the party, waiting for the invite inside. Why is that, do you think? And how do we change that dynamic?

God save ornery old queens! - kevinchi

To be clear the Jesus freaks run the show at the RNC because
they scared everyone else out of the party.
[ Parent ]
Not only that
They forced 'em out too when they started taking over the vital county and state central committee posts, too!

Remember, it's these groups which do alot of the endorsing, especially the local races.

Listen to "TransTalk" every Thursday at 4-5pm ET on http://www.falconradio.org

[ Parent ]
Keori,
you do plenty.  The fucking middle of the ocean needs you.
[ Parent ]
Re: Kaine's speach
Folks lets remember that Tim Kaine is no friend to the LGB community - he doesn't support gay marriage, domestic partnerships or adoption by gay couples.  The fact that Obama appointed him speaks volumes about Obama's views about US.

I've given up on Obama - its time to go to the base of the Democratic Party and bitch like hell.  When I call officials out on this at a local level people pay attention.

Surprise!
It turns out the LGBT blogosphere is a bell jar afterall.


--ish
That's the first thing you ever said that makes sense.

[ Parent ]
New Targets
We must target the groups that showed up at this fundraiser and others around the country. MassEquality crossed the line at the Boston fundraiser; they shan't be getting my money.

Which gay groups crossed the line in D.C.? We've got to make their pocketbooks hurt. That may be the best way to make the DNC pocketbooks hurt, in terms of gay dollars.  

So your going to target
Lieutenant Colonel Victor J. Fehrenbach?

The individuals who were there to express their displeasure with the dem's?

In the current economic environment there are a number of groups, especially HIV service providers that needed to go so they can get the money they need and make sure their doors remain open.

Perfect targets.................

Help defend equality, visit One Kalamazoo http://www.onekalamazoo.com/

[ Parent ]
nice straw man...
Where did I ever say target Colonel Victor J. Fehrenbach?

Or that we shouldn't fund HIV service providers? Sorry, but that's not even an intellectually honest argument.

Fehrenbach is courageously standing up for his fellow soldiers, gay included, as well as the President. Certain groups, like the EFC, are acting like token gays, propping up the administration as it sets our rights back. HRC isn't any better -- what has its $40+ million dollar budget done for gay rights in the entire history of their existence? What major legislative victory can they lay claim? What bill have they passed?

Either we can have organizations more concerned with hobnobbing with politicos in DC at cocktail parties, or we can try to actually pressure them by occasionally dealing in uncomfortable truths, organizing people across the country. If HRC spent its money on field organizers instead of cocktail parties, we may have a few federal civil rights by now.  

[ Parent ]
Hhhmmm....no
By your blanket statement of attack for those who attended, you did target all of those groups and people. Nice attempt at dismissal of my argument though.

I dislike political/social functions myself but as some one who works with various organizations I now that you must attend these events to keep your work going. Or perhaps you Ryan have the funding so I don't have to go to these type of events anymore? How about the access to the people who provide change laws and help our community out, can you provide that on your own?

Help defend equality, visit One Kalamazoo http://www.onekalamazoo.com/

[ Parent ]
I was there.
I originally had a long angry post here, but it didn't make it past clicking preview.

I'm really quite annoyed at the dismissing of the protest, and honestly, I think that our community's ability to go from outraged to energiezed to dispondent in no time flat is something that will only hurt us.

Thank you
For everyone that was at that protest, good job. You're probably DC locals, so will you be at the protest on Saturday? Will you join in the protest starting on Wednesday?
Everyone there deserves recognition, but that doesn't mean you can sit on your laurels. I'm not putting down the protest, I thought it was great to be there. But we need to keep going.
One protest isn't going to do it. One city isn't going to do it. We need to stand all over the country, in places we're not wanted. We need to demand attention if we ever expect to win.
We deserve our rights as Americans, but the majority hates giving up its power. We must take them.

protestforhumanrights.com

Time to Stand! ProtestForHumanRighs.com

[ Parent ]
A long term approach is needed
The DNC won't take us seriously because they got what they wanted from this event.  There are still things we can do to get their attention.  

First, we can urge LGBT persons to not make any future contributions to the DNC unless we see tangible progress at the Federal level.  Part of the problem with the fundraiser in D.C. was that many of the participants had already purchased tickets at the time the calls for a boycott went out.  There will be future fundraisers - and they could be not as well attended because potential contributors could be convinced well in advance not to participate.  Start shouting far and wide:  no more money for the Dems, no more tickets to their fundraiser, no more photo ops for them, etc, until they begin earning it by showing tangible progress on our issues (beginning with passing the Hate Crimes Act and withdrawing the offensive DOMA brief).

Second, strongarm the major LGBT rights organizations into cooperating with a plan to apply pressure to the DNC (and other Dem organizations that raise funds at the Federal level).  We can withhold contributions to the LGBT rights organizations unless they become involved in a campaign to pressure the Dems by 1) not attending or cooperating with their events and 2) discouraging contributions to the Dems unless/until tangible progress is made.  They can use their mailing lists to do this.  The Dems cannot ignore mass mailings to a significant part of their base discouraging donations.

I think, with a sustained effort, we can convince people to keep their checkbooks closed and not show up for their events.

Note:  we should not cut off communication with the Dems.  There should always be a means for dialogue.  I'm saying only to cut off the money and photo ops.  There are many worthy organizations that are more deserving of our money than the DNC and the dem congressional campaign committees.

Also note that what I'm saying applies only to the DNC and other federal dem organizatons (i.e. comgressional campaign committees).  There are many state and local Democratic party organizations that have done some hard work on our behalf and have earned our support.

I'm personally pleased
that cooler heads prevailed. Most rational people recognize that the Democrats have an agenda to push and that passing it takes time and compromise.

The angry bitter folks have gotten it into their heads that if something does not happen NOW that it will not happen EVER. The advocates in DC know that they have an impact on policy but they also know that the Democratic Party cannot and will not do everything at once. A coalition as large as the DNC has many constituencies to please and it takes time to accomodate everyone.

It was NEVER realistic to believe that Obama would take office and...poof...DADT, DOMA and other laws would suddenly disappear. It was never realistic to believe that the Democrats were going to make this such a huge priority that they start pushing this in Year One, to say nothing of the first 6 months. That's what I've always found odd about this sudden frustration. You elected Obama to a FOUR YEAR TERM...what made you think that he and the Democrats were going to start addressing LGBT issues right away (especially given the wide array of issues that they were going to be forced to deal with anyway).

Some folks also need to calm down and refocus their attention. FAR TOO MUCH time has been spent bitching about and trying to pressure Obama instead of working on Congress. It is Congress with the power to fix all of these issues, not the President. If Congress moves on this, the President will sign it. People have spent way too much time and energy talking about Obama not commenting on things or making public statements on LGBT issues. That is NOT what we should be focused on.  

I had expectations
I was ready to join the AF after years of waiting for DADT to be repealed. I understand it will take Congress a while to get the law repealed, but Obama can sign an emergency declaration saying no more using DADT to kick out quality people. I expected that in the first month. And I'm pissed that I'm still waiting. I voted for Obama with the understanding that he would be our advocate. He would stand with the progressives that worked so hard for him. I can see now the wool was pulled over my eyes, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to still fight.
I'll pressure Obama and Congress, because both branches need to work for equality. I don't think enough time or energy has been spent on Obama. He promised us change, and we will demand it.

protestforhumanrights.com

Time to Stand! ProtestForHumanRighs.com

[ Parent ]
Where did you get...
the idea that it would happen in the 1st month?

You know you can still join the USAF if you want to. You just cannot be out. Then again, a stop loss order would not protect you if you went into the AF announcing your sexuality. They'd simply decline your admission.

[ Parent ]
Stupid hope
That's where I got my idea. When Obama said on the campaign trail that all Congress needed was leadership on the issue, I had great hope. As soon as he was inaugurated he signed an executive order to close Gitmo. That gave me more hope. It felt like he really wanted to change things.
True, he never made time lines for his promises, but he gave us all hope that things would be different. And even if my hope that he would sign a stop-loss for DADT was unrealistic, I will stand by it.
It's an easy step he could have taken to promote equality. But he's done nothing- besides scrambling to appease a small portion of donors when they threatened withdrawal of money.
I'll keep my expectations high, because I refuse to become jaded and apathetic. I expect more from my leaders because otherwise they don't have as much to live up to.

Time to Stand! ProtestForHumanRighs.com
[ Parent ]
Oh no, your telling people to calm down a little and think
prepare for the attacks against you :)

Getting over heated and irrational is a favorite past time for many on-line citizens.

Help defend equality, visit One Kalamazoo http://www.onekalamazoo.com/

[ Parent ]
What part of the agenda and "taking time" required we be trashed?
The Obama admin did not have to file that DOMA brief, period. Ignoring that is nothing but apologism - and the "cooler heads" is just belittling. These Cooler Heads may be lucky to get civil rights in 2050 if their strategies continue to lead the way.  
[ Parent ]
This points out LGBTs have NO CONTROL of where OUR organizations spend money
ALL we control is where we as individuals give. Those politicians and LGBT groups who anger us, do so at their own peril.
Individual checkbooks will SLAM SHUT.

What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small
Were gays in DC not mad enough?
I am extremely surprised no gay groups organized a bigger protest.

What is it going to take so that we get out of the blogs and into the streets.

Had I lived in DC I would definitely had been there protesting!

Gays in DC
tend to be more politically astute and understand that the legislative process is slow and complicated. Most people with realistic ideas about Democratic priorities knew that LGBT issues were not going to be high on the agenda in the first few months.  
[ Parent ]
I agree with this in part
My sense is that the real action is at the statewide. Depending on the state, that could be hazardous but (if I remember the black civil rights movement correctly) there was action going on at both levels.

Again, it's a question of priorities. Noow for things like ENDA and hate crimes, it is probably time to go federal; DADT would solely be a federal issue. DOMA itself, the votes aren't there and more of a critical mass needs to be reached at a state level, IMHO.

[ Parent ]
Possibly scifi.. but

This was a very advertised (in our community) event, and if we disagreed with its message and purpose we should have been in front of the buiding saying so!

I hope more of you Washingtonians show up tomorrow and support SLDN and our discharged soldiers at the Whitehouse protest. 



It's the Hammer of JUSTICE,
It's the Bell of FREEDOM,
It's the Song about LOVE between,
my Brothers and my Sisters
...All over this Land.
[ Parent ]
LOVE the 265 badges idea.

Now that we all can update photos etc, we should keep making them for events we attend.

Remember all Lt. Choi's hearing is Tuesday if you support him in any capacity, even just thoughts and prayers, put it to good use. He needs faxes of support for his attorney to have on hand TUESDAY.

HERE is the link:   ltdanchoi.com/id4.html 

Thanks, and please ask other supporters. 



It's the Hammer of JUSTICE,
It's the Bell of FREEDOM,
It's the Song about LOVE between,
my Brothers and my Sisters
...All over this Land.
[ Parent ]
More astute?
Are the people who atteneded that fundraiser more astute or have a more vested interest in keeping things moving at glacial pace?  They have more to gain from kissing up to the power structure than they think they would get from any real progress on gay rights.
[ Parent ]
Absolutely TrumpetDC
Especially with jobs for everyone scarce.. they surely can't afford to have Full Equality, then they could all be disbanded the way the Canadian ones were.

It's the Hammer of JUSTICE,
It's the Bell of FREEDOM,
It's the Song about LOVE between,
my Brothers and my Sisters
...All over this Land.
[ Parent ]
EVERYTHING in DC
moves at a glacial pace. That's the nature of DC. It is only in an extreme emergency that DC picks up the pace.
[ Parent ]
Somethings move quickly
when they're demanded. Bush didn't wait for his tax cuts. Wall Street didn't wait on their bail outs (yet reform moves at "glacial pace" ... funny, that.)

Only the democrats wait. Only the democrats lack spine to move on priorities for core, base issues. Funny how the Republicans never did that.  

[ Parent ]
no
they may suffer from the beltway syndrome or preserving their government jobs/getting ahead, but they are not more "politically astute." Don't be ridiculous.  
[ Parent ]
This is complete speculation, but
Perhaps gay groups in DC are focusing on issues that specifically apply to their local communities, like the referendum anti-gay groups want passed. The American Prospect's Adam Sewer has a tangentially related article about it.

http://www.prospect.org/cs/art...

[ Parent ]
What price failure

Well its nice to see that drama isn't dead in the community. Admittedly we might have had higher hopes of how all of this turned out but I wouldn't exactly call what we did accomplish a failure. We have only been about all of this for two weeks and we managed to give the Administration pause, garner the attention of an often ignorant media, and make one of the most successful political parties in history sweat a little bit at the height of its modern political performance. I mean yes the event made more money than last year but it certainly didn't make as much money as it had planned to make in what should have been a much more successful event. Imagine what we could do if we decided to keep the momentum going.... Let me know what you guys want to do but today I am going to be humming "lip gloss" all day regardless.

"What you know bout me
what you know bout me
They say my lip gloss is cool
My lip gloss be popping
I'm standing at my locker
And all the boys keep stoppin"

Always thinking about it...

Isn't there more than one way to skin a proverbial cat?
Is it entirely possible that some of this money might not be coming from gay people who are using this gala to buck the system? As much as I understand the sentiment here, there is, and has to be,  more than one way to attack this problem. I'm not entirely convinced its wrong to have some trying to work within the system, and having others agitate and work the grass roots. I don't think its nescesarily a betrayal have gone, its not something I personally would have done, but open dialouges are just as important in this struggle as monitary power. We should be motivating on this and any level possible to get support of these issues, not cutting each other off at the knees. I understand that this is something the lot of us feel passionatley about, but can we please remember that we're for the most part all on the same side?  

"So. What have we learned? We have learned the first lesson. They will always hate us... We must give the ordinary humans respect, compliance, and understanding. And we must never mistake that for trust." - Emma Frost, Astonishing X-Men, 1


Doesn't Surprise Me
if the wild reported amount raised was bogus.  Most people I know who donate to a political cause have donated less this year than last year because they're burned out from what they contributed to Obama's election.  

If anything, the reported amount was just to spite GLBT activists; a shitty attempt at screaming "WE'LL SHOW YOU!".

Re: Pam's update
This analysis strikes me as right on target.  I know the PR racket well enough to know that, as I said in a comment earlier in the thread, the base line is ALWAYS: keep the message upbeat!  Never admit failure!  I've seen fundraisers for various causes that were disappointingly small and brought in a lot less money than the organizers hoped for, yet were followed by press releases claiming they were a resounding success.  And if anyone starts asking inconvenient questions, there are always creative ways for a CFO and his PR team to maintain plausibility.

Bottom line:  The DNC has been lying to us for months.  Why should we believe them about this?  Let them open the books for inspection by a good forensic accountant, and if it turns out I'm wrong, I'll gladly admit it.  But let's be realistic; that won't happen.  Transparency is an alien word to these people.


I am not interested in picking up crumbs of compassion thrown from the table of someone who considers himself my master. I want the full menu of rights.  -Archbishop Desmond Tutu

another point
There could have been a few people who donated an unusually high amount compared to their typical donations because of pressure to ensure that this event did not fail. Heaven forbid they get bad press and actually have to do something about our rights.  
[ Parent ]
Good point, Ryan
Reportedly some attendees paid over $30,000 for their tickets (as opposed to the bargain price of $1000, for rubber chicken and the scintillating company of Joe Biden).  How many of those were there?  If there were a mere 30 of them, that would have brought in $900,000 right there.

I am not interested in picking up crumbs of compassion thrown from the table of someone who considers himself my master. I want the full menu of rights.  -Archbishop Desmond Tutu

[ Parent ]
I look forward to seeing the FEC donor list...
Because I'm quite sure that even some of the people that pulled out had already purchased their tickets a while ago.
Pam thanks for the update about cooking the BOOKS at DNC fundraisers
You really have to just shake your .
If the DNC imagines it is going to keep a secret from queers for more than 2 days.
We are a chatty well connected community, and some of our members, even friends in the DNC aren't aware are in their midst. You'd have to wonder HOW WELL the leaders in the DNC "KNOW" any LGBTs, if they don't know secrets we are VERY good at keeping, and equally good at EXPOSING.

What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small
shake your head...typo


What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small
[ Parent ]
Sorry to be a downer.
But I'm thinking more and more that there will be no significant movement in regards to LGBT rights in America until I can turn on the news here in Australia and hear about riots/strikes or other civil disobedience.
Thanks PAM...will await facual report.
FEC reports will be filed at the end of this month so we will be able to check the DNC amounts for when the $$$ was raised, and who wrote a check from the LGBT community.  My inside source says they would be lucky if they actually raised $250,000.  Still a lot of money, but no where near the $1,000,000. claimed by the DNC.

Be sure to update us. That lower figure WOULD really be News!

It's the Hammer of JUSTICE,
It's the Bell of FREEDOM,
It's the Song about LOVE between,
my Brothers and my Sisters
...All over this Land.

LGBT fundraiser for DNC (reportedly) nets $1M, attendees greeted by small group of demonstrators | 126 comments
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