HRC recently sent me a reminder to renew my membership and enclosed a questionnaire as to why I hadn't done so. One of the questions listed was "HRC hasn't been aggressive enough" which I checked off. Until that happens, not going to renew. I told Joe that.

@robert: Agree Robert. Plus, Joe's salary is $338,400. If it was hard-earned, I wouldn't mind.

I gave up on the HRC when I found out that Joe Solomonese earns (read sucks up) a perversely large sum of money for basiclly attending parties.

Um, why is joe paid something like $200,000 more than a U.S. senator? I'd rather send money in to organizations who are really in the fight, not ones headed up by a sell-out lobbyist who only cares about his access to the best dinner parties in town.

@Freeballer:

That's truly amazing, wow. Now I know I'm not going to renew, I find that an obscene figure for the leader of a gay organization supposedly dedicated to LGBT equality. I wonder how much other leaders are getting in our community?

I doubt after asking it's workers to take pay cut. He offered to do the same

Hmm… maybe it's time for Joe Solmonese to take a pay cut from his annual salary of $338,400… that should help quite a bit in making up the fundraising shortfall. I lose little sleep for organizations which sell out significant member populations of our community and engage in behind-closed-door political deals while living high on the hog…

Except for the "sticker" we apply to our cars to meet people while driving, HRC hasn't accomplished ANYTHING in 30 years. Lots of parties and political glad-handing, but no verifiable PROGRESS.

The thing that has always amazed me about HRC is the HAVE NEVER HAD A STRATEGY OR PLAN. It seems we have finally figured this out and will stop wasting money.

LGBT people need a SOLUTION. A comprehensive strategy and plan that can actually deliver full equality.

1) Joe Solmonese did take a pay cut this year
2) Robert, do the research yourself…you can find out exactly how much the leaders of other groups with the same size budget make.
3) Another perfect post from Queerty that does not have any facts to back up the claims!

HRC is a front group for the Dumocrats, who carry the message "Wait your turn, the Obus will be here soon, and don't forget to send money." into our communities.

In the decades they've been in business, taking themselves and Dums out to lunch and dinner to beg favors while writing memos, signing fund raising appeals and organizing ‘leadership’ retreats at appropriately elegant resorts, they've only shown tiny smidgens of leadership on two occasions.

First they actually had the courage (sort of) to censure Dixiecrat Bill Clinton when he ran his infamous ads on christer/cracker radio stations boasting of his efforts to get DOMA passed. HRC bared their teeth, sat bolt upright in his lap and whined furiously until Clinton pulled the bigoted Dum party ads, but only after the ads successfully pandered to bigots to counter the pandering of the Repugs, who were fuming because Clinton pilfered DOMA from them.

Secondly HRC sent a delegation to Jena LA to express solidarity with the Jena 6, under attack from local racists and a few racists in our own community who don’t understand what real solidarity and alliance building are all about, especially when push comes to shove. That’s the best thing HRC ever did.

The rest of the time they've been busy raising money and spending it on an endless round of lunches and dinners at 2941, Le Paradou and the Lafayette room at the Hay Adams with grateful Dum Congress members (and even the occasional Repug). With those notable exceptions, they’ve never produced a single major victory or a single piece of federal legislation that’s actually passed in the almost three decades of their existence. What they have done is waste millions and millions of donated dollars, time and energy. The only lasting result of their work has been to churn out class after class of movement hustlers and self-appointed leaders who want bigger and bigger salaries and perks, all of them are Dumocrats. Those are the folks who lost same sex marriage in California in 2000 and 2008 using the same tactics they want to repeat in 2012 or 2014.

They’re the personification of the term ‘loser’. We need more of them like we need a hole in the head.

Amen Bill!

@Kristy Johnson:

So he only sucks up $250G this year instead if $380G?

HRC is going out of business. 1/2 Price "Memberships" soon.

It is great to finally see the LGBT community focusing more on solutions and results than political/lobbying groups. HRC hasn't accomplished anything noteworthy – 30 years is enough.

Great comment Bill Perdue.

Now, what? Why don't we have an organization with a strategy and a plan? How do we create one?

@Bill Perdue: I agree Bill, we would be better off donating our dollars to Hillary Clinton to convince her to run against Obama in 2012. Now that would be money well spent.

@Brian: First and foremost we have to be independent of the Dumocrats and the Repubs. It's fine to accept their support but suicidal to follow their lead because its always on their terms and means hitching our wagon to the latest version of a not so lesser evil. Like Obama.

Second we need a democratic movement with regular get togethers that can democratically decide on a program and strategies and that elects it's leaders based on their support of our common program . There's nothing wrong with a paid staff as long as it's elected by all of us and subject to easy recall. Salaries should be bare bones. Nobody actually needs a Lexus or a closet full of tuxes but if that's what they want they should look somewhere else.

Third, there is a huge new pool of LGBT activists in factories, shops, schools, colleges and among the unemployed who can form the activist base of a national coalition to bring real leadership to our movement. A lot of them will be at the March on Washington which is the main reason I support it. Everyone going, if they're interested, should discuss it locally and come up with ideas on how to call and build such a national group and promote them at the march/rally with leaflets or on the net.

Fourth, and this can be done immediately, we need to do serious alliance building, reaching out by supporting, in tangible ways, the fights of labor, of unemployed people, African Americans and other minority groups, immigrant and imported workers, women’s choice groups and the antiwar/GI antiwar movements. Go to their rallies and picket lines and be open and out but mostly supportive of what they're doing. When it's time, ask them to return the favor.

Nothing is remotely as important as calling and building such a nationwide, mass action, internally democratic GLBT coalition with a cutting edge agenda.

Nothing.

Everything is secondary to that goal.

@InExile: You're an idiot.

@Bill Perdue: So you support Obama's continued inaction to electing a true leader, correct?

What is the point of this entire article?
Bill…do some research and find out what HRC is doing for the national march that you are supporting, it is a lot. :)
Way to spend your money, see you there!

@InExile: No. I'm neither an Obot or a Hilbot. You however are still an idiot.

@Kristy Johnson: Hi Kristy. I'm glad they're helping out, but it's suicidal.

The point of this article is that they're like a dinosaur, mortally wounded and doomed but too dim to figure it out.

The march, the reaction to the outright treason of Obama supporters in EQCA and No on 8 are all signals that our movement is growing in size, militancy and gaining political sophistication. Those are nails in the coffin of HRC and other Dumocrat front groups. It's too late for them. Everyone knows they’re bankrupt they and very few are willing to forget and forgive.

I cancelled my monthy donation recently. HRC is more concerned with access to power than actually doing anything. As for salary, even if he took a "cut" 250K is absolutely ridiculous for a "non-profit" CEO salary.

@Bill Perdue: I get it Bill, you're against LEADERSHIP that can get things done, that is your prerogative. We need to start thinking about 2012 so Jeb Bush or Sarah Palin isn't elected.

When they do something besides ask for money constantly I may be inclined to contribute. DOMA, DADT, and transgender rights are areas that need to be addressed before I can support the HRC.

@Kristy Johnson: How much did Cleve Jones pay get HRC to "help out?"

@Bill Perdue: I agree, it is pointless to rely on politicians – are efforts must be with the voters, the real people. What they "believe" affects us the most.

I disagree with you about the March in October – it's dumb. There is no real purpose or real result that anyone can define. It is an ill-conceived demonstration of the fact that this "movement" has no strategy, plan or idea of how to win equality. ALL LGBT Groups, especially HRC, are only interested in increasing their paid positions for as long as possible.

We need a solution. Now.

HRC only has HRC to blame for dwindling income. Their abysmal do-nothing record soured me on writing checks to them … and of course Solmonese's salary was unsettling.

From the HRC Email begging me to help them meet payroll:

Together we've spent years laying the groundwork for the unprecedented momentum we're seeing this year. But this moment won't last forever. With some lawmakers pushing LGBT equality to the back burner, there's an urgent need to avoid missing a huge opportunity.

- Jeremy Pittman, HRC Deputy Field Director

No Excuses… I just think you are ineffective and only interested in your paychecks. Oh, do you have a Plan to win our Equality? If so, please forward a copy.

Bill Perdue for President!
I agree with everything Bill stated and stopped supporting either party AND HRC many years ago. Until we have our own movement (outside the two political parties) We are all doomed for disappointment again and again.

@InExile: Jeb Bush and Palin wouldn't do any more damage than Clinton did or Obama is doing.

And you're still an idiot and no you don't get it.

Have a nice life.

@Brian: Ok, we'll disagree about the march. If it leads to the development of a national group you'll hear about and if you like it you can affiliate.

I'm going to do my best to raise the idea of building our own organization in the build up to the march and I know others are going to present ideas from their own localities. I hope they lead somewhere.

@Bill Perdue: I get it Bill, but some are better for gays than others. I realize we are screwed with everything else regardless of the party because they are all bought and paid for. Our government is for the corporations and by the corporations. The problem is they have amassed so much power there is not much us little people can do. Too many Americans are stupid and buy it all which forces the rest of us to work within the corporate system we have, unfortunately.

@Kristy Johnson: They denied they were involved and only got involved because Bastian (their biggest funder) is bankrolling the march and starting to pull back from them. This 'No excuses' campaign was to justify them getting into the march… and it needs more money than the march?!?

@Brian: He didn't, their biggets funder believes in the march and donated $100,000

@Drew: RE: Cleve's March w/ HRC. A few have us have asked for our donations back. They keep changing their story. It will probably lead to an investigation.

@Brian: Why exactly did you ask for your donation back? Also, Bastian gave $100k so even if EVERYONE else asked for their money back they still have that to work with.

@Drew: Cleve first said he only needed $50,000 – he's raised over $200,000 so far. Several of us got confirmations with different charity names as the responsible party. Then they wouldn't tell us how much they've raised.

It is poorly planned, poorly executed (so far) and there are too many charity/financial questions unanswered.

@InExile: "The problem is they have amassed so much power there is not much us little people can do."

Get a grip. What if John Adams had been as unrealistic as you? Or John Brown? Or Sitting Bull? What if Barbara Gittings and Frank Kameny had given up? Or the suffragists, the unions, the antiwar movement?

Unrealistic pessimism is an excuse for inaction. In your case that takes the form of admiring the American version of Margaret Thatcher.

@Kristy Johnson: you said "1) Joe Solmonese did take a pay cut this year"
__________________________________________

Um…he still makes over $300,000 so it sure wasn't much of one.

Solmonese gets paid from two different accounts. It's more than $400,000 total.

Want an action plan you can do today right this very minute?! Simple. Get involved in your STATE group and make it as strong as possible. Help it build coalitions with other groups. That ultimately influences positive change at the federal level.

I've been supportive of The Task Force and their Creating Change conference – they actually work to support people of color, trans people, and work with community organizers. They work with Sylvia Rivera, FIERCE, GLAAD, National Center for Transgender Equality, Queers for Economic Justice, Southerners On New Ground, and many other queer organizations. The Task Force isn't perfect, but at least they do things with the money that people donate.

You must join HRC! How are they going to pay for all of those canapes and bottles of wine to celebrate the government that oppresses us?

They are working hard — decorating tables and platforms for the government, printing invitations, picking vintages, writing "THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING!" notes, plackards, limos to pick up the honored guests.

Without your dollars, HRC can't do the important work that culminated in multiple standing ovations for the Commander in Chief who dumps gay vets on their ass every month.

Standing up and sitting down, followed by a refreshing drink of wine is very tiring for the HRC. Give generously.

Joe Solmonese earns how much?! They are filth…

I don't have a problem with what Joe earns. Guys– that is what top talent for a non-profit costs. I know it's unpleasant to talk about, but talented developers (read: fund raisers) are expensive. I have a huge problem with HRC's handling of gay protest, and with their willingness to exclude the Tranys. FOr these reasons, I am not a member of HRC, and wont be. But paying for top talent is ok, and necessary. I promise you– any of the large national non-profits have people at the top making good money.

Joe Solmonese is not "top talent." He's a weasel. An overpaid weasel.

You know, the HRC reminds me of what we used to call, in my homeless days, "homeless pimps." They never really did anything concrete to end homelessness, just enough to make sure they would have a job. Sounds like HRC.

I have given a few dollars in the past to HRC but upon hearing about Joe Solomonese's obscene salary, I'll find better ways to apportion my money to various causes.