Human Rights Campaign got dissed last weekend. President Joe Solmonese flew to San Francisco in an effort to make peace with angry trans advocates, who still feel jilted after the non-profit abandoned them during the ENDA debacle of 2007. While some people were receptive to Solmonese's offerings, police commission president Theresa Sparks wasn't buying it. In fact, the trans woman remains so disgusted with HRC, she returned her 2004 Equality Award.

The transgender president of the San Francisco Police Commission bluntly returned the Equality Award she received from the Human Rights Campaign during what was described as a tense meeting last weekend between members of the Bay Area trans community and HRC President Joe Solmonese.

"It no longer symbolized equality to me," [said] Commission President Theresa Sparks… "It's a matter of their integrity and not following through and my own integrity."

Sparks said that she could no longer stand to even look at the etched glass award when it was on her credenza.

Sparks called the Solmonese meeting "balanced," but hopes he got the message: "…We're not happy, we believe we've been betrayed and question whether to trust HRC going forward."

We're truly disturbed. Susan Stanton, the former Largo, Florida city manager who left her job after transitioning from male to female, made some comments recently that make us question our unwavering support for her decision:

…Susan has said all along that she's not like other transgender people. She feels uncomfortable even looking at some, "like I'm seeing a bunch of men in dresses."

Eventually, she decided it was too early for transgender people to be federally protected. People need more time, more education, she says. "The transgender groups boo me, now, when I speak. Isn't that ironic?

"But I don't blame the human rights groups from separating the transgender people from the protected groups. Most Americans aren't ready for us yet," Susan says. Transgender people need to be able to prove they're still viable workers — especially in the mainstream.

"The biggest issue against the federal legislation is that politicians think the ladies' rooms will be invaded by guys in drag," Susan says, "instead of someone like me."

Oy…

Congress returns this week for a brief mid-holiday legislative session. There are currently three gay-related bills hovering in limbo. So, will our elected officials address the queer concerns? Recent reports sound doubtful:

Over the next three weeks Congress will be pressed to deal with bills on taxes, spending, paying for the war in Iraq and wiretaps. With partisan politics at an all-time high it remains to be seen if lawmakers will be able to deal with the Matthew Shepard Hate Crime Act, The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

If Congress fails to act on any of the three bills before the session ends the legislation would not be picked up again before mid January at the earliest. Most observers believe it would be spring and with the fall election inching closer and Republicans expected to become even more feisty many on Capitol Hill think the bills will be allowed to die.

We're not holding our breath.

Human Rights Campaign has once again been forced to defend their dodgy ENDA poll.

The non-profit released a poll last month that claimed 68% of queers supported a non-trans inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Those numbers conveniently came out as outraged activists called on HRC to explain its flip-flop on the issue.

In an effort to the find the truth, The Washington Blade asked some polling experts what they think about HRC's dubious revelations. Said experts weren't buying it, to say the least…

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HRC got hit where it hurts today. Donna Rose and Jamison Green, the last two trans folk on the Business Council, resigned. For those of you not up on HRC's many tentacles, the Business Council monitors gay and not-so-gay friendly businesses and tallies them in the Corporate Equality Index. HRC most recently brandished against Wal-Mart.

Former Board member Rose and Green's resignation comes after Human Rights Campaign flip-flopped on the non-inclusive ENDA. The non-profit originally said it wouldn't back the Employment Non-Discrimination Act without trans inclusion, then it said it would support an act that didn't include trans folk, and then it backstabbed and supported the measure. People were not pleased, not least of all Rose and Green, who write:
The letter's signed "In Solidarity and Equality". We're not sure if they include Solmonese on that one…

Download the Rose and Green resignation here.

The gay gods were smiling upon Queerty when we were granted access to Annie Lennox and Out 100 guest Gina Gershon's inner sanctum Friday night. Watch as the girls talk about knowing gay people, why we shouldn't label folk, ENDA, Lennox's Humanitarian of The Year award and South Africa's Treatment Action Campaign founder Zackie Achmat.

[Oh, and be sure to check out Annie Lennox's main and Sing oriented websites!]

The New York Times editorial crew sure has been opinionated lately - and gay. In addition to taking on the ever-complicated ENDA, the paper's journos offered their thoughts on New Jersey's "flawed" civil unions:

It is hardly a surprise that New Jersey’s civil union law is not working very well. During the past several weeks, dozens of same-sex couples have testified that the law has not provided the equal benefits that were promised when it passed.

Now, the special commission that heard the testimony has made it official: the civil union law has been a “failure.” Frank Vespa-Papaleo, who is chairman of the commission as well as the state’s director of civil rights, said the law is not as effective “as if the word ‘marriage’ were used.”

The obvious conclusion is that the Legislature should give same sex-couples the right to marry.

Ah, yes, but that would be too easy and politicians have a severe allergy to expediency. Except, of course, when it comes to fucking people…

In light of recent controversy, HRC offered The Advocate some more details on their self-affirming ENDA survey, including the exact wording of its questions.

The move comes after journos Cindy Laird and Rex Wockner sent HRC president Joe Solmonese a letter asking for some answers:

We feel that HRC, as the largest LGBT organization in the country, owes a complete and full explanation about its poll, in the interest of transparency to its members and to LGBT people in general.
…
Mr. Luna (HRC communications director Brad Luna) told Ms.Laird that they were not HRC members and were not subscribers of The Advocate.

If this is the case, how were they identified as LGBT? It is our educated guess that most polling organizations, to get a random sample of 500 LGBT people, would need to telephone in the neighborhood of 10,000 Americans at random.

If this is the case, how could this be done in one day, October 26th, as reported in The Advocate story.

That detail's definitely cleared up by The Advocate, which says the Knowledge Networks, Inc conducted survey took place October 2-5. Read the results after the jump…

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The New York Times spilled some ink today to discuss the recently passed Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Not surprisingly, the left-leaning paper urges the Senate and President Bush to move forward with the law and protect America's gay people. The paper also takes some time to celebrate Barney Frank and Tammy Baldwin, the homo-politicos who helped push ENDA's painful passage. Here's what the gray lady says about the controversial trans-exclusion:

Transgender people should be protected from discrimination, and we hope they soon will be. It would have been regrettable, however, had the sponsors refused to compromise, and as a result, lost the chance to extend basic civil rights to the millions of Americans who would be covered by the current bill.

Throughout American history, civil rights have been achieved in incremental steps. The landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, for example, barred race discrimination in public accommodations, an enormous step forward at the time. It wasn’t until the next year that Congress protected voting rights in a separate bill.

We bet the NY Times five dollars trans-rights aren't passed next year. Or the year after. Regardless, they've got a point, even if they're taking a bit of an overly optimistic view.

HRC's recent ENDA poll has a lot of people scratching their heads. For example, who were the 500 people tallied for their astounding statistics - 70% of the participants supported a non-inclusive ENDA. Those results happened to support HRC's flip-flop of a decision to actively support HR 3685, which they vowed not to support.

Considering all the inconsistencies, Bay Area Reporter asked HRC's Brad Luna for an explanation. For the record, we also left a message for Luna, but were not granted a reply. Queer. From BAR:

We immediately asked who these [poll subjects] were – HRC members or subscribers of the Advocate? (The magazine was first out of the box to post the story about the survey, leaving some to wonder if the two were joined at the hip on this one.) Minutes later, we received a call from spokesman Brad Luna, who assured us that the 500 folks were "randomly" selected "from across the country" and were "not HRC members and not Advocate readers."

He declined to name the polling company that conducted the survey, which he said was done by telephone.

Blogger Michael Petrelis highlights another part of the excerpt, "[Luna] declined to name the polling company that conducted the survey, which he said was done by telephone." He also implores HRC give up the secret of their survey success.

Now that the Employment Non-Discrimination Act has passed through the House's halls, it's up to Ted Kennedy and his Senatorial pals to deal with the non-inclusive legislation.

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It's a bittersweet morning for millions of gay Americans.

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The House of Representatives passed the non-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act today by a vote of 235-184.

Read lesbian Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin's statement after the jump.

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Homo-politico Barney Frank took the House floor today to fight for HR 3685, the non-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Watch as Frank discusses his "regret" over the lack of trans-friendly votes.

Bloody ridiculous! We've heard a lot of arguments against granting gay people equal rights, but this one's the most bizarre.

Conservative commentator Bryan Fischer of Renew America thinks the FDA's gay blood ban should be evidence enough as to why Congress should squash ENDA:

According to the FDA, which, by the way, is not a right-wing think tank, men who have had sex with men since 1977 have a risk of contracting HIV that is 60 times higher than the general population. Further, homosexuals are about 5-6 times more likely to be infected with the Hepatitis B virus than the general population.

These are staggering and alarming numbers, and make the objective observer wonder why anyone — especially Congress — would go out of its way to provide special workplace rights to those who engage in dangerous behavior that threatens the health of the American people.

That's the most idiotic thing we've ever heard. Does this man seriously think that someone's HIV status - or, rather, odds of HIV infection - should preclude them from equal rights. Conservatives sure have demented world views.