Despite glaring indications that the White House won’t be an ally in pushing for a DADT repeal this year, HRC president Joe Solmonese, piped in to Michelangelo Signorile’s The Path Forward town hall today, says “I do” believe the law will be killed this year. Aubrey Sarvis, exec director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, who revealed today that the White House has not invited SLDN to its insider meetings that HRC is invited to, agrees, but: “We do not have the votes today.”
Note: HRC barely criticizes the Obama administration. SLDN does.
Wade MacMorrighan
Hey, here’s a random question: Anyone know if ENDA will protects us Fags from being fired under DADT? Doesn’t ENDA seem contradictory to DADT, and such dismissals? I’m surprised that no one else has raised this question (to my knowledge), yet!
Cam
Wade, no, ENDA won’t, the Military is exempted, that is why it can have rules against women in combat etc…
Cam
If HRC won’t even say anything about the White House dragging it’s feet, then they are pretty much proving that they are not an advocacy group for gay rights, they are, as somebody said on here earlier, a group who feels that their job is to protect the White house and the Congress FROM the gay community. Remember earlier in the year when Joe Solemnase wrote that memo that basicaly said nobody should critise Obama until 8 years from now on any gay issues.
he obviously has no loyalty to the gay community other than the fact that his enormous salary is paid by our donations.
Chance
And since, on a program ostensibly about finding and fostering a “Path Forward,” none of the assembled leaders or invited callers could present or support any such path, I guess we’re without leadership. We are pathless. Neither HRC nor McGeehee could tell us how we’ll actually achieve our goals or what our next steps ought to be. But at least we gave the President and Congress some grades. I feel better about that.
Cam
@ No. 4 · Chance
If we’re thinking about the same program, McGeehee wasn’t invited.
Lanjier
Ok. You just keep scrubbing Obama’s floor, Cinderella Joe. But until you get off those knees he’s never going to stop grabbing the back of your head and shove, shove, shoving it down your throat.
Pitou
@Lanjier: Oh, how appropriate for Joey to be flewing his DSL’s in the pic too! Love it!
Pitou
Damn no edit *flexing his DSL’s..
AndrewW
There is no consequence for anything Solmonese says. There is no accountability for anything HRC does. The same is true for all of Gay Inc.
That’s how well we have established our dysfunctional Movement. It doesn’t matter if something is effective or helpful because nobody cares. Until we wake up and demand a real movement, we’ll just keep getting useless crap.
jeffree
The inability 2 face reality about DADT is glaring on the part of HRC. That SLDN wasnt invited by the White House speaks volumes.
If Joey S. cared about LGBT rights as much as he cares about keeping HRC afloat & intact he would push for SLDN’s inclusion in the meeting.
SLDN has far more expertise w/ issues faced by LGBT service members. Joe has more expertise w/ fancy feasts, press releases and ……..all-u-can-eat buffets !!
chris
I agree that the HRC is ineffectual at best, counter productive at worst. But isn’t it possible that you guys spend too much time pointing out the flaws in Gay Inc. instead of actually providing information on the events/activities/local organizations so one would be able to easily participate in gay rights activism? Something other donating to hack organizations and writing our career politicians to let them know we’re angry…
adman
@Wade MacMorrighan: They military is regulated via the UCMJ, and not the constitution. So the answer to your question is no.
Steve
There is accountability for HRC, it is their members. If you do not like what HRC is doing, fine, do not give them money and funnel your support to organizations you feel are doing the work the way you think it should be done. If GetEqual is the group you support, then contact then and take part in one of their actions in DC or organize an action in your community if your cannot travel, like a sit in at your congressperson or senator’s district office. If you do not think any of the Gay Inc organizations are doing the work you think needs to be done, the way you think it needs to be done, then use the money you could donate for your bail. Once everyone who complains about HRC and the other Gay Inc groups actual takes part in actions like GetEqual’s and start getting arrested by doing civil disobedience then I will look at your comments with some semblance of credibility.
jeffree
@Steve: You make good sense. My own focus is to get eligible (age & citizenship) college students –including students getting a masters degree– to *register to vote*. As lame as that sounds to anyone not of college age, over 2/3 of the eligible students we polled here [so no claims from me on scientific validity else where] were NOT registered. Top reasons listed for not being registered include “don’t know how” “don’t care” “don’t think it matters” & “too busy.”
our efforts are not specific to LGB issues, not related to any political party, & not focussed on any single local/ state/ national election.
we do not have any valid way to judge effectiveness YET but i am pushing hard to build this in 2 the process.
Im also trying 2 get local/state LGB organizations to visit our school, but so far no success. We had almost *NO* response from nat’l orgs to our request 2 help by providing posters/ brochures/ speakers to help counter the never ending supply of super-organized ex-gay supporters passing out their brochures about *Options* to the “gay life style.”