gay inc.

Leading Gay Rights Groups Agree: March on Washington a Stupid Idea

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With those grassroots hecklers taking all the power away from mainstay gay organizations like the Human Rights Campaign and GLAAD — what with their push to repeal Prop 8 in California and their march on Washington efforts — it appears Gay Inc. is moving to the back of the bus on activism while the strap holders take over. Actually, this isn’t news: As Queerty has chronicled since our inception, the most prominent organizations have been losing the trust of gay Americans for years. But sure, their opinions still count! So where does Gay Inc. stand on these yahoos organizing big deal events all on their own?

Blogger Joe My God went looking for answers and began quizzing these groups on whether they backed October’s planned National Equality March.

So, do they?

Well to find out, you’ll have to read through their bleary, horrendously vague responses that are typical of the non-transparency these organizations regularly engage us with.

HRC says in part, “We shouldn’t wait until October for a march in Washington to do the critical grassroots organizing that can happen today,” which is funny, because HRC is the last organization we think of when it comes to “critical grassroots organizing.” But okay, that’s not definitive answer. Does that mean they’ll support it? In a follow up call with HRC director Joe Solmonese, Joe says “Solmonese could not say whether HRC would advise its members to support or attend a MOW, as its actual occurrence is not yet assured.” HAHAHAHHA! That’s such a crock of shit! Either Solmonese wants HRC “members” to support something like this, or he doesn’t. Luckily fewer and fewer gays heed his advice, so there are fewer of us who have to read between the lines.

Moving on. What about the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force? They replied, in part: “National marches can certainly have a community-building impact when energized participants return to their hometowns and get involved, but in an economic downturn — when resources are extremely limited for individuals and organizations, and critical work remains to be done locally — focusing on grassroots organizing at home is all the more critical.” Translation, as Joe notes? No, the NGLTF does not support the March.

Again, the influence of these organizations among gay Americans is on the decline. If folks want to attend this march, they’re going to. Certainly HRC and NGLTF, if they backed the march, could help publicize it with their email blasts, but these organizations do not operate on the grassroots level. And those are the folks we should be listening to, and working with.

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