This Sunday, Jan. 16, the Human Rights Campaign will host more than two dozen ladies’ nights nationwide at bars like Haute in West Hollywood, Middle East in Cambridge, Escape in Las Vegas, and Crystal Ballroom in Portland. (New York’s event has been postponed until February “due to unforeseen issues with our venue.”) What’s all this about? It’s called “Her HRC,” and it’s billed as a lesbian celebration of, well, lesbians. Okay, the official description reads: “Join thousands of women in cities across the country for a national night of celebration! Her HRC is a time for us to come together as women in support of equality for the LGBT community and have fun!” On Facebook some 181 of you say you’re attending, which works out to about seven people per city, but you know what they say about Facebook RSVPs: they’re so non-committal, you can expect people who say they’re coming to skip it. But the Facebook data doesn’t mean people don’t attend these things; from the look of the videos from past Her HRC events, they appear to have some pretty good turnout. But if Her HRC is about getting women drunk, it’s equally about getting women to join HRC’s roster: The $10-$50 tickets get you in the door and add you to in HRC’s donor roll, paying for an annual “membership” to “the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization.” NOW WHO’S BUYING THE FIRST ROUND?
James
When is there going to be a “His HRC” — “A National Night of Celebration for Men”? Where there can be a discussion and focus on the issues that affect gay men?
That’s right. Never.
Because gay men are second class to lesbians. Both in the eyes of the general public, and within our own LGBT community.
Notice that it is “LGBT” community, not “GLBT” community, because the lesbians demanded that they come first.
There is a special organization called the National Organization for Lesbian Rights, but there is no special organization for “Gay men’s rights.”
Except that gay men are disproportionately more affected by HIV/AIDS, and suffer more discrimination, on average, than lesbians. Out of the teenagers who committed suicide due to their sexual orientation last year, how many were gay males and how many were lesbians?
Devon
@James:
inb4 “sexist, misogynist, privileged, gay rights organizations are all about gay men by default so wymyn deserve their own events and groups” and other assorted herps of derpery.
Kev C
It’s not about lesbians v gays or homo v hetero. It’s not even about raising lots of cash from drunken women. It’s all about folk guitar music.
Satsuma
@Devon: I’d like to ditto that derp.