Richard Socarides Will Lead Web-Based Equality ‘War Room’ To Make Up For Everything HRC Is Not

Now that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is on its way out the door, groups like Servicemembers United will soon have no reason to exist. Luckily a new LGBT activist group is stepping up to fill the void in rabble-rousing activist land! Media Matters, the anti-Fox News watchdog, is launching something called Equality Matters that will serve as a “communications war room for gay equality.” Basically: A lot of links and video clips about the anti-gay spin machine and how to counter it. And who’s running this thing? None other than Richard Socarides, the gay Clinton adviser who’s been hunting for a way to get paid for all his punditry. The Advocate‘s Kerry Eleveld, meanwhile, is ditching the magazine to edit the website. HRC’s Joe Solmonese, at least publicly, says he’ll “welcome” the new group, but c’mon: The launch of Equality Matters is a reasonable thing only because HRC is not the rapid response team the gays have long needed. Expect a lot of “urgent releases” with Peter Sprigg’s name.