OH SNAP — These guys again: The GetEQUAL kids temporarily shut down the Las Vegas Strip, home to the current Netroots Nation conference, where liberal bloggers, liberal activists, and the “liberal” politicians who love them (hey, Nancy Pelosi!) descend on Sin City for a long weekend of back patting and strategerizing. Something about ENDA and Sen. Harry Reid? I dunno, I just hit big on the nickel slots!
[photos via]
Clint
Yeah! You all rock! Robin McGeehee you’re a hero!
James Monroe
Who funds GetEqual?
Who is on their paid staff?
What are their top priorities?
It’s time for transparency!
thematics
@James Andreww Monroe:
Go to something called Google, type in your question, and they shall provide ansWWers to you.
Those answwers shall be clarified!
But you’re right, they zigged when they should’ve zagged.
Enron
The last two guys to the right are sexy. The rest can go. Thank you, have a nice day.
Mike
They’re all drama queen losers that need to find something better to do than make idiots of themselves. Based on the photo, hitting the gym wouldn’t be such a bad alternative. Why don’t they vote for Sharron Angle? They clearly have a problem with Reid. I’m gay and annoyed of GetSTUPID. I can’t imagine how straight people feel about this group of ungreatful cry babies.
edgyguy1426
Thematics! That was hilarious in a major wWay! Mike: ENDA was about to slip into the subconscious of the Dems. The GetEQUAL crowd is determined to keep it on the front burner. Civil disobedience may not be your thing (disparaging them based on appearance was a low blow- But I’ll bet Choi is in good physical condition – you know, not too overly wined and dined like the HRC group)
missanthrope
“They’re all drama queen losers that need to find something better to do than make idiots of themselves. Based on the photo, hitting the gym wouldn’t be such a bad alternative. Why don’t they vote for Sharron Angle? They clearly have a problem with Reid. I’m gay and annoyed of GetSTUPID. I can’t imagine how straight people feel about this group of ungreatful cry babies.”
What has the HRC done for you over the last thirty years with that $25 million plus in donations other than wine and dine Barney Frank and friends? Hate Crimes Bill that should have been pass a decade ago? That’s about it. A pretty piss poor deal if you ask me.
The Democrats have also brought you DOMA and DADT. Some friends we have.
paul-e-wog
So as I see it…a group of individuals work together to bring equality to the LGBTQ community, get themselves arrested in Las Vegas based on these principles and make a big enough deal to get decent press coverage. Then the group who they are fighting for turn on them as demonstrated in some of the comments and more so with an extremely biased and condescending news story provided by Queerty writers. It is no surprise to me we don’t have equal rights when members of the community put down our own brave fighters.
To me these individuals are heroic. Keep fighting!
AndrewW
The children are back.
This is another silly, ineffective publicity stunt that just makes the LGBT Community look like the Westboro Baptist Clan.
I guess they can afford to gamble in Vegas with their $90,000 salaries.
Jonathan Lewis (Progressive Insurance) wasted $500,000 financing this band of idiots.
edgyguy1426
AndrewW you keep bringing up salaries yet specify it was private money that is financing them. As long as it’s not YOUR money, what do you care how much they’re making?
Now GayInc.’s salaries are fair game because they solicit so much from the public sector
@paul-e-wog: Amen
AndrewW
@edgyguy1426: Good for them getting paid to do what most of us do simply because we care. Their stunts don’t require full-time salaries.
More importantly, any group that claims to work “on behalf of the LGBT Movement” should be held accountable for their actions. They are trying to get non-profit status, yet they are not working on our behalf – they’re working against us. Their childish antics have only embarrassed us and made us look stupid.
Most people understand that GetEQUAL is simply trying to get attention but they have no real strategy or purpose. Jonathan Lewis (Progressive Insurance) hired them to “embarrass Democrats.” That childish behavior doesn’t help us. It makes no sense to piss on our friends. Maybe Lewis feels better, but that’s not part of our Movement – obtaining our full equality is.
We’re very smart, creative people – we can do a lot better than childish antics. There is no absolutely benefit in imitating the Westboro Baptist Clan or the crazy Tea-baggers.
Michael L.
@AndrewW: So whats your solution? democrats and Obama put this most important issue on the back burner….past civil rights movements DID get loud, hairy, raw, uncomfortable and explosive at times. From Chicano, to AA, to Jews, and womans rights too. What you want is more talk, and giving the pass to the enemy. Some of us don’t want to get in bed with the enemy. Change needs to be made and until it is, antics get the point across that not all of us are as flippant about being treated as second class citizens as you are so willingly wanting to be.
Michael L.
@Mike: When someone has to mention being gay in the same sentence they brush off a HUGE injustice toward gays as “no big deal” and label those fighting to right that wrong as “cry babies”….you’re not gay. Don’t be a coward hetro. Man up to who you are instead of pretending to be someone else. That’s lame and does a disservice to your moot point of promoting prejudice.
AndrewW
@Michael L.: If we must play “politics” then you need more friends and you don’t get them by pissing on the ones we have. There is no third option – we have two teams and it is a very clear choice. So, we should do what we can to help Democrats, not hurt them.
We won’t make our friends better by embarrassing them. We’ll just give them a reason to ignore us. GetEQUAL has made us look stupid and childish.
Cam
@James Monroe: said..
Who funds GetEqual?
Who is on their paid staff?
What are their top priorities?
It’s time for transparency!
___________________________
This is HRC’s latest tactic. They don’t want anybody to notice the fact that both HRC and the White House were telling gays that nothing was going to happen with gay rights for a few years…Barney Frank, HRC, all of them were saying that gays were being whiney and we needed to shut up because Obama had other things to worry about.
Suddenly here comes “Get Equal”, they staged sit in’s in Pelosi’s office. HRC went livid and decried them attacking our “Friends” saying they were setting the movement back. Well what happened? Pelosi because our biggest crusader after that, pushed a house repeal of DADT through, and told the White House it was happening with or without them. This forced the White House on board.
So now, HRC cannot say that Get Equal hasn’t gotten results. So what they are trying to do is this. HRC, the group that will never ever release their actual dues paying membership numbers is trying to make “Get Equal” out to be some sort of shadowy conspiracy.
My comment to HRC is this, HRC, you are showing your true colors, RAther than trumpeting the fact that Get Equal got the ball rolling on a DADT repeal with according to our “Friends” in Congress it was dead, you are attacking them. HRC is supposedly a group that is fighting for gay rights, yet they are attacking a group that just got a major peice of legislation pushed through. It is obvious to me that HRC is less concerned with our rights then they are with their position as a fundraising leader in the gay community.
And if you think that these attacks on “Get Equal” aren’t coming directly from HRC, then I have a bridge to sell you.
AndrewW
@Cam: I’m not HRC. I think HRC is useless. I have criticized GetEQUAL because they haven’t done anything helpful to our Movement. They don’t have a strategy, a formal organization with a Board and By-laws, they do childish stunts and they have wasted $500,000 by hiring “activists” that don’t seem very bright.
They brought “markers” to a Committee Chairman because “with the Recession he couldn’t afford them.”
They heckled the president and he – along with most of America laughed at them.
They handcuffed themselves to the White House fence and they were ignored by the media. They already knew that David Mixner doing it 15 years ago accomplished nothing.
They didn’t get enough “attention” so Dan Choi attempted suicide by starvation. When he was ignored he quit.
They asked us all to go to Washington D.C. in an “emergency call to action” and 20 people showed up – half of them being paid to do so.
They asked us to send Nancy Pelosi “a pack of chewing gum everyday until she learned she could walk and vote at the same time.”
They did a silly protest against Exxon Mobil that caused a negative shift against us by their shareholders.
They told Rep. Jared Polis that he “wasn’t telling them the truth and that he didn’t understand politics.”
They have alienated many Democrats with their childish idea that “embarrassing democrats” will create any results.
They have embarrassed us and made us look like children and completely out of touch with political realities.
Do you need more?
HRC is ineffective. GetEQUAL is ineffective, but they are also dangerous because they are counterproductive. THAT’s the difference.
If you want to be a cheerleader for GetSTUPID you’ll have to GetSMART and provide some rationale for their stupid “get” tricks.
Mark
@Cam: You’re wrong. Many queer activists on the left such as myself, the founder of QueerToday and StopHRC have serious questions for GETEQUAL.