What’s more of an enticement to buy your (one hundred seventy-five dollar) tickets to attend the Human Rights Campaign’s Feb. 27 Carolinas gala in Raleigh: That newly out actress Meredith Baxter will be available for photos, that voter fraud suspect Clay Aiken will take the stage, or HRC’s own president Joe Solmonese will appear as a, ahem, “special guest”?
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Brian NJ
The HRC “please do it by 2017” handshake agreement with the Administration got us shoved off the agenda so Rahm Emanuel can go forward with his plans for civil rights for illegals, before civil rights for gay veterans and families. Now the HRC is enjoying another self-congratulatory black tie din din with gay money, and we are ones seeing stars.
John from England(used to be just John but there are other John's)
Activist’s???
How in hell is Aiken and that women activists?? She came out at 60! And he….what does he DO exactly?
Did anyone see them supporting no on prop 8??
terrwill
@John from England(used to be just John but there are other John’s): I thought Aiken was a woman activist!………. : P
Jon
Solmonese is a “special guest”? Billed as a “star” . .phhhht. .. He thinks very highly of himself. Perhaps because his apartment isn’t paid off yet, hence the “wait” stance.
Not another penny to HRC from our household. We quit giving to them years ago. Cocktails and Ross “the intern” don’t make the rubber chicken go down any easier.
I don’t need to feel good . .I wan’t action.
Interesting, that the other two recent closet cases are billed as “activists”.
Jon
ok .. grammar nazi . .kill me.
Charles Merrill
HRC needs to promote straight black civil rights leaders like Julian Bond, President of NAACP. We need to win hearts and minds and Solmonese and the entertainment figures don’t do it. They laugh at Solmonese’s gay lisp behind
Charles Merrill
the doors of GOP Congressmen.
BradSA
Google Clay Aiken on Proposition 8. There are a lot of results to choose from.
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2009/06/clay_aiken_on_proposition_8.html
He is also a children’s rights activist with his own charity and is a UNICEF ambassador since 2004 going to dangerous countries such as Uganda, Somalia and Afghanistan where UN workers are routinely killed, and as an added danger for being a gay man, he could face the death sentence or life in prison.
Last month he became one of the Huffington Post’s celebrity bloggers.
Qjersey
Fuck the national orgs and donate to your local or statewide LGBT organization or community center.
Brian
HRC is Soooo over. They waste $50 million a year and all we EVER get are fancy celebrations. WHY are they celebrating???
Since HRC started they have wasted $550 million and they have very, very little to show for it. Each year Solmonese gets a half a million dollars – that’s why he’s a “special guest.” Half a million would make me special, too. Very special.
Please do not give HRC any more money. Please do not attend this celebration.
BradSA
How ironic that Queerty chooses to highlight the “voter fraud suspect” in the article when in fact Clay Aiken voted against the newly elected Wake County school board members because they planned to re-segregate the schools and put an end to diversification. The Republican party leader challenged his right to vote when Aiken spoke out against them, effectively derailing the real issue at hand.
RomanHans
> . . . American Idol’s biggest-selling male artist.
What, is Chris Daughtry a dancer now?
Dasher
Clay Aiken is not American Idol’s biggest-selling male artist, is he? He may have been a few years ago, but Daughtry has since clinched that title. And several others may eventually overtake him too.
Stan
Clay has Chris beat in world wide sales.
YCKTR
Could Joe Solomonese’s picture BE more photoshopped? Jesus, he thinks he’s a fucking celebrity doesn’t he?
Hey Joe, instead of “giving face” why not actually, ida know, DO SOMETHING? And by that I mean something OTHER THAN collect money, throw $500 chicken dinners and engage in self-congratulatory circle-jerks with democretins who couldn’t give shit about our rights? How about that Joe?
Whatta douchebag.
!
BradSA
Dasher, who do you think can beat him of those several others? Lambert? ROFL
Brian
Clay Aiken loses ALL LGBT Credibility by endorsing HRC. Maybe Clay wants to be wimpy Joe Solmonese when he grows up.
BradSA
Are you planning to take away his “gay card” Brian? How does that work exactly?
Brian
No, i’ll just keep laughing along with everyone else.
BradSA
Whatever turns your crank.
JoshInTexas
Who cares? I mean really, who could possibly care about this non-event? Enough HRC-Scam – they don’t do anything.
Joseph
Clay Aiken lost all GLBT credibility by going BACK in the closet for Idol. Everyone in CLT and RDU knew he was a huge homo.
Erv
Joseph………man..you make up stuff to fit your agenda.
Your comment is so untrue. Some of you should do some research before you make comments.
Having been a acquaintance of Clay’s family since the 8o’s I can assure you that his family was not aware. He was brought up a very conservative Baptist boy.
Thank goodness he is now in a great relationship and happy about his life.
The basic rights of all minorities is very important to him and I would imagine that he has done more in that field than many of the complaining posters here.
Len
No doubt different people who knew Clay in Raleigh and Charlotte had different impressions of him, depending on which circles they travelled in. Being out to some, and not to others is nothing new.
Don’t be so quick to write off those who knew of Clay’s gay side before American Idol, and don’t be surprised that some of us who knew him then are a bit perplexed over why he is being trumpetted as some sort of LGBT activist now, based on so little.
Any organization which would use Clay shows that they really don’t “get” who a true hero to the community is.