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The Christian Civic League of Maine's Mike Hein calls Pam's House Blend:
"a leading source of radical homosexual propaganda, anti-Christian bigotry, and radical transgender advocacy."
He is "praying that Pam Spaulding will "turn away from her wicked and sinful promotion of homosexual behavior."
(CCLM's web site, 10/15/07)
Ex-gay "Christian" activist James Hartline on Pam:
"I have been mocked over and over again by ungodly and unprincipled anti-christian lesbians."
(from "Six Years In Sodom: From The Journal Of James Hartline," 9/4/2006, written from the "homosexual stronghold" of Hillcrest in San Diego)."Pam is a 'twisted lesbian sister' and an 'embittered lesbian' of the 'self-imposed gutteral experiences of the gay ghetto.'" -- 9/5/2008
Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth Against Homosexuality heartily endorses the Blend, calling Pam:
A "vicious anti-Christian lesbian activist."
(Concerned Women for America's radio show [9:15], 1/25/07)
"A nutty lesbian blogger."
(MassResistance radio show [16:25], 2/3/07)
Pam's House Blend always seems to find these sick f*cks. The area of the country she is in? The home state of her wife? I know, they are everywhere. Pam just does such a great job of bringing them out into the light.
--Impeach Bush
who monitors yours Bevis ?? Just thought I would drop you a line,so the rest of your life is not wasted.
--"Joe"
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An Online Magazine in the Reality-Based Community.
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Tue Feb 24, 2009 at 06:00:00 AM EST
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| The Human Rights Campaign is the LGBT organization with the most name recognition, the most political contacts, and is usually called upon first when the MSM wants to get the "gay reaction." This is a sore spot for many average LGBTs out there; some have a love-hate (or even hate-hate) relationship with the org who feel that HRC is out of touch with their world view. But the fact of the matter is few average people really know much about how the organization works, its relationship to the community versus its public role, or its often-conflicting roles as both a lobbying group on the Hill and as a professional advocacy/activism org to the larger community.
That's why you have to click over to read QNotes editor Matt Comer's lengthy piece, "What you didn't know about the Human Rights Campaign: An inside look at the organization everyone knows, but not really." I spoke with Matt as he was working on the article (some of my comments made the cut), and I thought it was an ambitious project to write a primer on HRC. There's only so much space that can be devoted to it. Also, it's bound to ruffle feathers a bit, but largely it's written to give some context that will result in a more informed and less emotional discussion about what HRC can or should be for the LGBT community. The Human Rights Campaign is known to almost every member of the LGBT community, even if only in the slightest of ways. It's branding and name recognition reach further than almost any other LGBT advocacy group. It's iconic blue and yellow equal sign logo has become one of the nation's most ubiquitous symbols of equality for LGBT people, seen everywhere from car bumpers, storefront windows, atop flagpoles in Manhattan or the front porches of the South, the tops of notebook computers and on high school and college students' three-ring binders.
But ask an average LGBT community member how HRC operates or who actually runs it and you're likely to get a blank stare and silence for a response. Ask someone if they know who Joe Solmonese is and some might might ask, "Who's that?" Board of Governors? Board of Directors? Steering Committee? What?
...Young queer folks first coming out of the closet quickly learn about HRC. Their presence is large enough to reach even the smallest hamlet, despite the lack of any sort of local gay advocacy there. There's no doubt HRC has earned its keep in national politics and a place in queer history. Also interviewed for the piece is longtime activist, fellow Durham resident and former member of HRC's board of directors, Mandy Carter, who served in the wake of the tumultuous effort to unseat Jesse Helms back in 1990 (his opponent was the mayor of Charlotte at the time Harvey Gantt, who is black). Her comments and more are below the fold. |
| Pam Spaulding :: QNotes: What you didn't know about the Human Rights Campaign |
Mandy Carter:"I told them, 'There's not a penny I can give to you or raise,'" she says. "My being on the board was completely about my perspective as a black lesbian from the South."
Carter says she'll never regret the experiences and opportunities she was given while on HRC's board and later as a staff member. Nonetheless, Carter says she's often been frustrated by the organization's attempts to reach out to people of color.
"My main frustration was hearing a continual commitment to diversity but then not seeing it happen," she says. "That not just true for HRC, but also for lots of other groups. HRC certainly isn't the only one, but when you hear it and don't start to actually see it, that's a concern." I share Mandy's concern that more cooperative projects with organizations like the National Black Justice Coalition would give the organization more credibility and perspective on mounting successful outreach in that respect. It could also play a more proactive and less competitive role with local LGBT organizations. For instance, HRC recently held its Carolinas dinner (Matt's piece was slated to publish in time for the event). This dinner raises thousands of dollars. How much of that goes into HRC's coffers versus local organizations that are often run on a relative shoestring? The advocacy in state legislature is vitally important in moving the ball forward locally, and since HRC only represents our interests on Capitol Hill, it's beneficial, when you're the big money machine and have the infrastructure, to find common ground and help grow those local orgs. Ryan Wilson, president of the South Carolina Pride Movement:Wilson says HRC has nothing to lose and everything to gain from reinvesting the money they raise from local communities and from dinners like the HRC Carolinas Gala. "What would a few hundred or thousand dollars do if reinvested in the communities they take them from," he asked. "If you send staffers to the ground more often and do the trainings to build the volunteers, that will naturally build more money and membership." I urge you to surf over to QNotes and read the whole piece. Matt covers a wide range of topics, including HRC history, the organization's structure and its program expenses. I look forward to reading your comments. |
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