No, not this (NSFW). Rather, out comes The Dallas Principles, an exercise in activism that shows how to get things done on the grassroots level when waiting around for organizations like the Human Rights Campaign just isn’t working.
Some 24 folks from around the nation — including Pam Spaulding, Lane Hudson, John Bare, and Mandy Carter — eschewed endless room service (we’re assuming) to put down on paper what happens from here on out with our rights. The result is a mix of guidelines, forward-looking methodology, and demands from our elected officials; you can read them all here.
There’s no messing around here. This is a call for full equality. Total protection from discrimination. The acknowledgment that “success is measured by the civil rights we all achieve, not by words, access or money raised.” Which means, although it’s not written in The Dallas Principles’ preamble, the politicians running the White House, Senate, and Congress are failing on nearly all counts.
What happens in Dallas better not stay in Dallas.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Bri
Hope this is big.
dellisonly
It’s about time somebody got militant and organized about this. History is on our side. Not to mention just plain being in the right.
Jeff
HERE HERE! And its about time everyone realizes that the silent passive fight that we have been fighting just won’t work. We need to band together and show our numbers and our stregnth and DEMAND what should rightfully be ours and not be moved into complacenty by the crumbs they throw us here and there.
We need to stand TALL and stand PROUD. And Demand NOTHING LESS than FULL and EQUAL RIGHTS and RECOGNITIONS ACROSS THE BOARD!
Bri
Well I just finished looking through the site and what I don’t see is a plan. And why meet in Dallas and name it after the city?
InExile
We need an ACT UP FOR EQUALITY! The group Act Up made a huge difference during the AIDS crisis. ANYTHING LESS THAN FULL EQUALITY IS JUST NOT ACCEPTABLE ANYMORE. ENOUGH WAITING!
Bri
@Bri:
okay, the email told me to stay tuned. I will be patient.
“Thanks again and stay tuned for ways to advance full civil equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans. Your support of The Dallas Principles will make all of the difference.”
Geoff
Love this.
paulied
Lane Hudson posted an article about the Dallas conference on the Huffington Post; it includes a link to endorse the principles from the conference. Please sign on.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lane-hudson/the-dallas-principles-a-n_b_205956.html
Ginny
What we need is not self-appointed “thinkers” (and it’s news that Lane Hudson would ever be considered worthy of that adjective) gathering in a hotel room and issuing some mawkish communique (“A new day has arrived” would get an F in high school lit class), but rather de-centralized action in the smaller towns of the smaller states.
Politics is moving towards decentralization over centralized roundtables, and in favor of tactical brilliance, over more rhetoric.
InExile
These people have the right idea, we should all support them. Check out their website.
Dana Beyer
I can only speak for myself, but I eschewed room service. There was no time.
Ginny, the point is exactly as you put it — get out there, wherever you are, and show us all your tactical brilliance. It happened across the country following Prop 8, so make it happen again – and again.
Ginny
The Dallas scribbling does nothing, not a single thing, to actually foster tactical efforts (or strategic ones, for that matter), in the states. Howard Dean showed us the benefits of an all-states strategy, with polish provided by Obama’s fundraising efforts.
Most people who gathered in Dallas were well intended, but my point is that the luncheon game was superfluous. Actually, it was worse than that, and here’s why: it feeds the false notion that we, as a community, need to find some better answer provider, some better community leader (or set of them) to replace the ones who’ve failed us.
We need none of that. Each person reading this right now has to realize that she/he is powerful, and to be provided the localized manner by which to plug in.
Dallas simply puts a lot of Times New Roman font onto the obvious: we want our rights, and established efforts have been inadequate. That was already out there, and believed, widely. We don’t need a roundtable to inform us of yesterday’s realizations.
Frank Woo
More words. What are the next REAL action items? The well-respected National Journal rated the Human Rights Campaign the 2nd and 4th most effective advocacy group during the 2006 and 2008 elections, respectively (out of approximately 27 groups). If HRC didn’t defeat the Federal Marriage Amendment three times during a Republican Administration and Congress, there would be no marriage equality in the states right now. If HRC didn’t help in turning the State legislatures in several states, we wouldn’t have the results we’re seeing now in places such as Oregon and New Hampshire. HRC has maintained old and built new relationships on Capitol Hill. The past eight years, during Republican control, resulted in no significant pieces of legislation for any group of citizens not favored by Republicans.
Let’s be smart about this. Until this group and/or any other organization has the legislative connections and know-how, and the access to decision makers, let’s not knock down HRC until there is a viable alternative. The people on the right-wing who understand Washington politics and the legislative process are continually knocking down HRC and Joe Solmonese because they know exactly what HRC is doing. And, they are afraid. If HRC is this useless organization that some would mistakingly believe, the right-wing wouldn’t waste their time on HRC.
The right-wing have over five times the financial resources than the LGBT groups. Let’s stop needless infighting and spend that energy on fighting the real enemies of our community.
Bill Perdue
This is a good first step. To be successful it has become democratic, broad based and develop a militant mass action strategy. The Dallas Group is the first of many groups that will emerge out of the growing radicalization of the LGBT communities. It includes Charles Merrill a long time commenter at Queerty, a fact that will no doubt empurple christian bigot trolls like Anderson Cooper Is My Future Husband and getsevenwithgaymen.
1) Any group worth its salt has to explicitly reject being an adjunct to the Democratic and Republican parties like LCR, the Stonewall Democrats, NLGTF and the HRC. These people and others can be our allies if they choose, but the parties they represent have so far they’ve chosen to be our enemies.
If they want to be our allies it has to be on our terms. We’ll continue to fail if we allow right-centrist parties to use us to raise money and hustle votes and then throw us under the bus again. The leaders of front groups like HCR, LCR and the Stonewall Democrats follow a strategy that’s contradictory and mutually exclusive from the strategies we’ll need to achieve equality.
2) The Dallas group should immediately contact the AFL-CIO’s Pride at Work constituency group to involve unions on the ground floor and go further to involve the broadest range of activist groups and activists.
This group is a little like the Committees of Correspondence that helped organize the first American Revolution. Now we need a whole bunch of (tortured word warning) MinuteGLBTpersons culled from the best activists in our communities. The original Minutemen didn’t have a powdered wig among them and fought like Native Americans but they did win the battles. We won’t win without mobilizing and organizing activists from our own our communities.
3) To avoid being sucked into the quagmire of electoral politics the group should adopt a program of mobilizing our communities for persistent mass actions to compel passage of our agenda. That kind of action orientation will put us in a good position as the war and economic crises deepen.
Bertie
The Dallas Principal ? um, that would be Victoria, correct?
seriously –
I think this clear message is wonderful. Thanks peeps.
InExile
@Frank Woo: This group is new, give them a chance!
strumpetwindsock
@Bill Perdue:
Good ideas.
Working with the trade unions is a good and important step, bud I would be as wary of getting cozy with them as I would of any political party.
Ultimately they exist to serve the workers’ agenda, which is great, but we should never assume they would be beside us all the way. I have seen enough struggles though in which unions sell out others’ interests (environmental, anti-poverty, even other unions) to protect their own.
Frank Woo
@InExile, I know they’re new and I’m not understanding your response. I look forward to the agenda and next steps, how we will get there, benchmarks, and success factors. But, in the meantime it would be great if we stopped the infighting and the nastiness. We get enough crap from the right-wing and religious right and they actually incite and get off on infighting.
Bill Perdue
@strumpetwindsock: @strumpetwindsock: You’re not wary of trade unions, you’re wary of struggle, of a fight to the finish for our equality.
You’re full of excuses. There is a huge difference between the role of trade union bureaucrats and the historically progressive role of trade unions.
Don’t be such a liberal.
Bill Perdue
@Frank Woo: the ‘infighting and nastiness’ regarding HRC, which is virtually universal, doesn’t occur because LGBT folks have nasty tempers. It occurs because HRC is a fund raiding group that sucks money out of the movement and in return betrays us by supporting anti-GLBT legislation like Barney Franks gutted version of ENDA.
They’re a front group for the Democrats and nothing more. Money and suport given to HRC is money wasted on the Democrats bigot pandering attempts to delay our agenda and toss us under the bus.
schlukitz
I just signed up and asked 10 of my friends to join as well.
InExile
@Frank Woo: I was not being nasty, they have the right attitude and should be supported is all I was trying to say. No infighting here, we cannot afford that luxury!
BrianZ
Yes, I joined as well. I wish that this particular post could be given a bit more time on Queerty as well, to help get the message out.
denguyfl
Ever heard of fire plus ass. These principles are designed to light one. No in and of themselves, they do nothing. It is what we as a community choose to do with them.
You can start by supporting David Mixner and Cleve Jones in their call for a March on Washington to demand FULL equality.
http://www.davidmixner.com/2009/05/march-on-washington-for-marriage-equality-2009.html#more
http://www.towleroad.com/2009/05/cleve-jones-joins-call-for-national-lgbt-march-on-washington.html
Let people in your community know about the push for a march. Call every organization you can think of and let them know that demanding help us with their resources to make this happen.
Many of the people on here are tired of the talk but I have yet to hear what they have DONE. If we do not stand up and shout from every street corner – from our hometown city halls, to state capitols to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, we will be having this conversation for the rest of our lives. I am not willing to wait. We have momentum on our side at this moment. Shape the debate before it is shaped for us.
strumpetwindsock
@Bill Perdue:
Come on Bill, is it your dogma, or are you really that naive?
I’m not saying don’t work together with the unions, just don’t get too cosy and don’t trust them to always back you up because you may be disappointed. Or worse, you may wind up with an organization pushing someone else’s agenda in your name.
…Like our public utility union arguing in favour of building a nuclear power plant here.
…Like out auto unions acting like errand boys for the car companies to pressure the government for a bailout.
…Like the union negotiators knuckling under to the province in the 1982 BC General Strike,
If you’re older than me and had anything to do with trade unions you know they can be good allies… just don’t give them the keys to the store.
And never mind that you don’t know a damn thing about me, you’re too busy reciting the Wisdom of Enver Hoxha in your head to even hear what most of us are saying half the time.
Now I think what these people are doing is great. Let’s hope they are careful and keep their eye on the prize.
TANK
Strumpet, is that your idea of a proposal to bill? You’re about the same age…both have incoherent understandings of the world and both like to argue for the sake of it (which I do, too)….I think you two would make a lovely couple. I just gag every time I think of what kind of shenanigans would transpire behind closed locked and bolted vault/bedroom doors. But that’s on me. So where are you going to honeymoon, strumpet? …where do old folks go for vacas….hmmmm, that’s tricky.
TANK
Unions fuck the very people they seek to help via exclusion.
Bill Perdue
@TANK: aka, tankie is tormented by late stage symptoms of Tourette’s Syndrome. He’s the personification of the term troll.
That and his reactionary view of politics disqualifies him from commenting on anything related to the fight for GLBT equality. We want equality, he wants to be hated.
The only time he hears something good about himself is when he talks to his mirror. He likes it that way.
BrianZ
@Ginny: I disagree. You cite the national organizational prowess displayed by Democrats in 2008 coupled with extraordinary centralized fundraising to turn around and argue for localized action while dismissing the Dallas Principles. A centralized, well-crafted message and local action are not mutually exclusive. I believe we do need strong leaders in the community who are visible and active, clear in message and addressing issues at a national level.
I do agree that we cannot rely on a national mouthpiece to do our work. We have to make it personal at the local level, to take the time to put the foot on the pavement or upside someones ass. The utter failure that is HRC is proof of that. But there has to be a unifying thread, a common goal and a common message even at the grass roots level or it’s just Pride 2.
If it all turns out to be an HRC do-over … I’ll retract the above and agree with you 100%.
John in SF
@Frank Woo: Frank, my friend, works hard for HRC to make it the finest organization it can possibly be. I respect him for it. HRC has put LGBT rights on the agenda in Washington for years, and stamped our community with pride in its ability to stand up for itself in the halls of power.
Frank, I don’t know if I ever told you, but the first person I encountered in the No On 8 Campaign, and who first trained me to talk to voters, was an HRC field staff. For anyone who might have believed that HRC was the cause of our defeat…I’m hear to say that if it weren’t for HRC we would have lost a whole heap more votes.
I don’t know how many have read the Principles – which are composed of a preamble, a set of equality goals, and the Principles themselves. Nowhere do we call out HRC or any other organization. Instead, we tried very hard to raise the bar for our ENTIRE community, our organizatons, and our elected. ALL OF US. Why? Because this is the first time that we have a progressive “enough”… Congress, President, and electorate…and all jazzed about the need for real change in our land…to actually achieve real equality at the federal level. But turning the PROMISE of equality into the ACHIEVEMENT of equality requires US ALL to come together, building on our mutual strengths as donors, activists, legislators, litigators, and every single gun-slingin-beer drinkin-queer in the US. Its within reach, but its not going to be easy.
In my view, the pieces of the puzzle are pretty much all there. They do lack a single unifying vision that motivates common action. And they a system for coordinated action. We are trying to furnish at least that first item: the vision.
We are not knocking down HRC in this document, truly. There were HRC supporters in the room, in fact. I’m not looking for a fight. In fact, I don’t believe that equality can be won at the federal level WITHOUT HRC. Just my opinion. But I have to say, Frank, that sometimes it feels like HRC thinks it can win equality WITHOUT US. Again, just my sense.
We can’t achieve equality when only 5% or so of us writes a check to an LGBT organization. We can’t achieve equality without a strong caucus of LGBT electeds and allies. We can’t win without effective lobbying organizations. But mostly, WE CANNOT WIN EQUALITY WITHOUT A COMMON VISION, and that is what we hoped to provide.
Others in our group may describe things differently than I just did. I speak only for myself here, but I was, one participant of the Dallas Meeting.
Oh and that gun-slingin stuff…maybe we spent a little too much time without fresh air, in the Lone Star State.
Thanks Frank for listening. We got a long road ahead. But it’s gonna be a great ride.
John Bare
Michael Guest
ginny, as one of the folks present in dallas, i can assure you that no one is trying to “centralize” action at at all. there are great things going on around this country, and most of the progress on lgbt issues has indeed been at the local level.
but at some point there has to be change in national laws and in the national consciousness about the constitutional rights that are denied lgbt people. our hope is that a groundswell of calls for equality now can make an impression and a difference.
i joined with others in dallas not as a self-appointed leader but as someone whose heart knows that equality has only one meaning, and that we all have to find our own ways to contribute to that goal.
Ginny
“but at some point there has to be change in national laws and in the national consciousness about the constitutional rights that are denied lgbt people.”
You actually believe a conclave and windy manifesto was required to state this?
It’s also obvious to anyone with even a slight interest in gay politics that key organizers of this effort are bitter, bitter critics of HRC, the DNC and other players. I’ve found some of these bodies sorely lacking at many past junctures too, but this Dallas group is simply incapable of speaking honestly about the need for orgs and efforts to come together.
As BrianZ revealed the illogic above, with:
“The utter failure that is HRC is proof of that. But there has to be a unifying thread…”
Does he not see the contrast in the statements? Do the people in Dallas think most of us cannot see who some of them, some of the leading figures, are?
The Dallas group was nearly all from the two coasts. The rest of America sees very differently, and certainly see insider gay political parlor games for what they are.
Pam Spaulding
“The Dallas group was nearly all from the two coasts. The rest of America sees very differently, and certainly see insider gay political parlor games for what they are.”
Well, I might be on the East Coast, but I can assure you that I’m not sitting in a hot bed of pro-gaydom, nor do I cruise around in the DC professional LGBT establishment circles going to cocktail parties. In North Carolina we have zero pro-LGBT legislation on the books, and one of the reasons I was in Dallas is because unless we take action at the federal level, I’m not likely to see much more than an anti-bullying bill in my lifetime.
We want and need all of the parties to get on the same page and stop playing political games with civil rights. As you saw in Robert Gibbs at the WH presser, the administration looks completely foolish re: DADT. It’s time for the WH and Congress to get off the pot.
Nick
Frank: I read the document and it proactively tell us to ask for more and set higher standards of ourselves and all of our advocates. I don’t see any HRC bashing here. I think your knee jerk reaction might be telling ON HOW YOU SEE HRC. Do you agree that ” We will never leave any part of the community behind”? From whatI hear HRC is ALREADY contemplating on getting behind an Employment Non-Discrimination Act that excludes transgender people. Do you believe ” Individual involvement and grassroots action are paramount to success and must be encouraged”? Do you believe HRC is actively supporting a strong local independent grassroots? Do you believe ” Individual involvement and grassroots action are paramount to success and must be encouraged”? You talk about words and hot air. Ever read the HRC website? They boast on how crucial HRC’s efforts were to passing the 1998 Hate Crimes Act through the Senate. Although the 98 Act was written partially in response to Matthew Shepard’s murder, ALL LGBT LANGUAGE WAS STRIPPED TO MAKE SENATE PASSAGE EASIER. Thats right HRC still brags about passing a bill where they failed to enact a single protection to help their own constituencies.
Also in ever post Prop 8 panel I have watched, HRC claims they weren’t running the show. It was the locals.
I think we do need an EFFECTIIVE HRC along with local grassroots. However we all need to be accountable. Including the President, HRC and ever indivildual LGBT American.
I signed the Dallas Principles and will send them to all of my friends and family.
schlukitz
@Ginny:
“You actually believe a conclave and windy manifesto was required to state this?”
Why is it that whenever someone tries to do something positive, they always has to be some negative, doom-sayer like you to take a piss on it?
To paraphrase your comment; you really believe that you are the only one who sees things “correctly”?
Frank Woo
To be clear, I did not mean to imply that the members of The Dallas Principles or InExile were HRC bashing or being nasty. If anything, you sound like voices of reason and understand that we’re all members of one community and that we don’t have to knock anyone or thing down to make yourself look good or better.
It’s the others here and in the blogosphere who feel it’s their right to bully, demean, or disparage others who may have differences of opinions. I find it ironic that some of these people claim “community” yet not willing to embrace others unless they act and think like them. Because of these childish antics and name-calling, I don’t make it a habit of responding to other’s comments and simply because everyone is entitled to their opinion.
I love hearing different opinions and viewpoints because I think it’s a great way of expanding one’s thoughts, thought processes and allows for diversity and inclusion in many aspects of my life. It would be great if people were more clear that statements made were their opinions instead of presenting them as facts. Our community would be better served if we refrained from spreading rumors and unsubstantiated “news.” In this economic climate, the more time, energy and resources spent by organzations addressing these matters, are simply wasted and not productive.
It’s clear that some are dead set in their opinions because their reality is whatever they choose to believe…regardless of the truth or their beliefs are based on misinformation or selective information. Truthfully, that’s fine yet how I wish others were more considerate. It’s unfortunate that because my opinion may differ from others, that a total stranger should know me so well that he knows my reaction is “knee jerk” and that he knows and share with others how I feel and think. And, yet supposedly he knows me, he poses questions to put me on the defensive.
I’m not into games. I’m not into questioning others and having them to defend themselves. My initial comment presented facts and a simple request…that we try to be one community. And, John my buddy, I value our friendship. HRC is always trying to get everyone involved because full equality will be achieved that much more quickly. That involvement does not only include financially. Our successful Action Center network will send a letter to one’s Congressperson urging their support on legislation, yet you have people complain that they don’t want to get email notifications authorizing HRC to send that letter.
We have volunteer opportunities for people to get involved with campaigns and get-out-the-vote efforts, but I guarantee there would be more people sitting at a barstool in Badlands than volunteers interested in campaigns and elections.
Conversely, there are some who don’t/won’t be involved with HRC. I ask people to swallow their pride, pay a $35 membership so HRC can get its membership numbers beyond 750,000. If people only understood that there’s power in numbers. Hated groups such as the Traditional Values Coalition and Family Research Council boast membership in the millions. Couple that with the fact that they have over five times the financial resources as us, they get their voices heard no matter how trivial or idiotic.
So, back to my original message, “Can’t we all just get along?”
John in SF
@Frank Woo: Frank raises a good question. The reason HRC issues action alerts is so that when they walk into a legislator’s office, she/he is much more willing to listen to HRC on a piece of legislation if they’ve already been inundated by thousands of calls and emails on the issue. If HRC’s 750,000 members won’t take ACION, then HRC is working with its hands tied behind its back when it meets with legislators.
Likewise, if HRC (or EQCA, or any of the other groups) can’t get enough volunteers to do ground work, how can they be effective in moving our issues?
Endorsing the Dallas Principle’s isn’t a license to bash anybody, its about setting a high bar for all of us, so that we are mobilized and inspired to achieve equality now.
This is the perfect moment for full equality, and moment’s like these don’t last forever.
Act! Donate! Volunteer! Get trained! Mobilize your friends!
schlukitz
HRC was founded in 1957.
Stonewall occurred in 1969.
I acted. I became an HRC member. I volunteered. I donated. I got trained. I mobilized my friends…and then some.
It’s been 40 years since Stonewall.
It’s been 52 years since HRC was founded.
So. If HRC is so effective, how come we are still dealing with the same discrimination, the same hatred, the same bigotry and same abusive, second-class status citizen laws we had back in 1969?
I mean, in 52 years, what has HRC actually done to get full equality for the LGBT community and are they any closer to it now than they were back in 1957?
Why aren’t they the ones organizing a 40th Anniversary march on Washington instead of a grass roots organization?
Why are annual membership renewals, endless requests for donations and politically correct dialogue with our government the only way to get our full civil-rights?
To my way of thinking, looking to the HRC to secure our full civil-rights, makes about as much sense as believing that Mr. Obama is going to hand them to us on a silver platter. Hello?
Is anyone here old enough to remember the old expression, “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.”
schlukitz
There is also another old expression.
“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again.”
My take on it is, if at first you don’t succeed, you need to step back and take a good look at what it is that you are doing wrong!
Bob Roehr
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Nope, no way. It’s roots were as the PAC of the Gay Rights National Lobby — how many remember that group? — and as HRC claims on their website, it was established in 1980.
Brian Miller
The principles hammered out are smart, logical, and have been repeated many times by non-partisan and third party activists.
The real test of their usefulness — will adherents and “A-list gays” stick to them when times are tough? When Obama bats his eyelashes at them, will they coo and fall in line — or will they stand up to him and stick to their principles?
And if the rest of us choose to endorse and campaign upon those principles without compromise, can we count on the leaders involved to support us unconditionally — even if adherence to those principles may compromise partisan political agendas on other issues?
The answers to those questions will determine the success of this initiative.