gay inc

HRC Just Granted Obama an Absolutely Horrific 7-Year Pass on Gay Rights (Updated)

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If there was any doubt the Human Rights Campaign was colluding with Democrats and the White House to give Barack Obama a pass on your civil rights, confirmation arrived yesterday, when the organization told its “millions” of members not to judge the president today, but wait until January 19, 2017. Yes, more than seven years from now.

The stupidity of the message

But what has he [Obama] done?

I’ve written that we have actually covered a good deal of ground so far. But I’m not going to trot out those advances right now because I have something more relevant to say: It’s not January 19, 2017.

That matters for two reasons: first, the accomplishments that we’ve seen thus far are not the Obama Administration’s record. They are the Administration’s record so far….

I am sure of this: on January 19, 2017, I will look back on the President’s address to my community as an affirmation of his pledge to be our ally. I will remember it as the day when we all stood together and committed to finish what Senator Kennedy called our unfinished business. And I am sure of this: on January 19, 2017, I will also look back on many other victories that President Barack Obama made possible.

— should be self-evident. (The full message is on the next page.) That note, from HRC’s Joe Solmonese, effectively lets Obama off the hook for your LGBT rights until the last day of his (not definite) second term. Yes, Solmonese is saying we will judge Obama’s legacy on that date. But you know who can’t wait for 2017 for Obama to come around? The same people who supposedly aren’t facing “immediate threats” to their civil rights: American soldiers, parents who yearn to adopt, couples who are not attached under the law, employees who can be fired at a moment’s notice because they are queer.

It’s preposterous that an organization charged with defending and demanding the rights of LGBT Americans — and already facing allegations of telling Obama to give preference to some gay rights legislation while ignoring others — just told the entire world that the gay community can wait until Obama is moving out of the White House to expect our rights. The ramifications of HRC’s message are dire; the media and other gay organizations around the world take cues from this organization, and if this is the agenda they are pushing, we worry it’ll reverberate into a message the “gay community” is behind.

It is not.

HRC may be comfortable “looking back” at some point in the future, but that’s not good enough for millions of us who don’t have seven years to putz around and, fingers crossed, expect a man to come to our aid. We certainly share Solmonese’s hope: That when Obama is done as commander-in-chief, we’ll wave goodbye to a man who helped enact the most progressive slate of gay rights legislation in this country’s history. But we don’t expect too much from a guy who doesn’t (publicly) think we’re entitled to the M-word.

We’re not in the business of building Obama’s legacy. We’re in the business of making sure we’re all treated like any other America. We’re not quite sure where HRC’s mission falls.

Maybe the protests arranged for tonight’s HRC dinner shouldn’t be aimed at the president, but at America’s “largest” Gay Inc. organization.

UPDATE: Joe sends this update, clarifying:

I’ve seen some reactions to my weekly message, that I gave the President a free pass not to fulfill his campaign promises until 2017.

Here’s something from what I wrote that the authors didn’t include in their pieces: “I predict great things coming out of our work with this President, but that does not mean that I am satisfied today. Our community cannot be satisfied so long as DOMA is on the books and an inclusive ENDA is not.“ I am not satisfied.

HRC is not satisfied.

Our community is not satisfied and that’s why thousands of LGBT people and our allies are in Washington this weekend to demand more.

That’s our position. Stopping here would mean losing. But stopping here is not what we intend to do.

We are pushing for much more. It is our job to dog them, but it is also our job to make sure that success is possible. As I wrote, “To do the work, we have to work with our supporters in Congress and with the Administration.

Whatever you think of the Administration’s first nine months, you don’t pass laws by sitting out. You pass laws by sitting at the table.” Do I believe we’ll have a good track record by 2017? Yes. But the President can’t deliver on his promises alone. It will take all of us working together.

NEXT PAGE: Solmonese’s original message in full.

JOE SOLMONESE’S EMAIL MESSAGE SENT OCT. 9 2009

Sometimes life moves so quickly that you can forget how much is changing around you. But this weekend we will have a powerful reminder: President Obama’s appearance at HRC’s national dinner. His joining us that night says that although last year, we were outsiders to our own government, this year, we are a part of its vision.

It shouldn’t be difficult to see why the president of the United States speaking to the nation’s largest LGBT rights group is a good development for LGBT people. But at this point in time, it is hard for many among us to see. The substance of the feeling is this: he promised us the world, and we gave everything we had to elect him. But what has he done?

I’ve written that we have actually covered a good deal of ground so far. But I’m not going to trot out those advances right now because I have something more relevant to say: It’s not January 19, 2017.

That matters for two reasons: first, the accomplishments that we’ve seen thus far are not the Obama Administration’s record. They are the Administration’s record so far. If you ask “is that all” my question to you is “is that all you think we’re going to push for?” It isn’t.

More importantly: today, and for the next seven years and three months, Barack Obama is the most powerful person in the world, with the largest bully pulpit, and the most power to effect change. To do the work, we hav e to work with our supporters in Congress and with the Administration. Whatever you think of the Administration’s first nine months, you don’t pass laws by sitting out. You pass laws by sitting at the table.

And you don’t get to the table at the expense of your principles. You don’t get the President’s ear at the expense of your expectations. In June I wrote a letter to President Obama describing HRC’s disagreement with his decision to defend DOMA in federal court, and with the offensive and inaccurate arguments the government put forth. It’s hard to read such a letter—a public one—from an ally.

But when the President signed a memorandum providing family protections and an inclusive non-discrimination policy for federal employees—policies for which HRC and our sister organizations had advocated—I was proud to be present. Our disagreement about DOMA did not require me to ignore a step forward for transgender federal workers and for same-sex partners. In turn, the President invited me because he recognized HRC’s accomplishments in promoting those fair policies, and because he would not exclude a civil rights advocate for speaking up about our community’s rights.

Those protections were a good first step. Passing the hate crimes law is a monumental one. I continue to believe that with this president, we will do much more. As we prepare to dedicate HRC’s Edward Kennedy award, I know that this president shares his mentor’s commitment to promoting justice for LGBT people.

I predict great things coming out of our work with this President, but that does not mean that I am satisfied today. Our community cannot be satisfied so long as DOMA is on the books and an inclusive ENDA is not. This is something we share with all those who advocate for civil rights. No civil rights advocate can be satisfied as long as there are children who eat their only meals in their failing schools each day. No civil rights advocate should be satisfied until all of us have health care and no one has to declare bankruptcy because of a hospital bill. We are not satisfied until this country keeps its promise to everyone.

Advocates for health care, education, LGBT rights and other civil rights issues are getting used to this new landscape, where passing our legislation is possible, but still hard. We’ve learned that end of life counseling can be twisted into “death panels” and hate crimes into “pedophile protection.” We’ve come to understand that we didn’t win it all in November but that we can win now.

I am sure of this: on January 19, 2017, I will look back on the President’s address to my community as an affirmation of his pledge to be our ally. I will remember it as the day when we all stood together and committed to finish what Senator Kennedy called our unfinished business. And I am sure of this: on January 19, 2017, I will also look back on many other victories that President Barack Obama made possible.

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