While the Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD, and NGLTF have yet to comment about Get Equal’s heckling of Obama in Los Angeles at Sen. Barbara Boxer’s fundraiser, Equality California and the Courage Campaign are fully on board with zapping the president.
Say what you will about the infrastructures of EQCA and CC, but it’s curious to see both organizations make such bold statements.
Says EQCA’s Geoff Kors: “I think getting heckled is nothing compared to getting kicked out of the military and losing your job and getting fired simply because you’re gay, because there’s no federal protection, or getting denied Social Security benefits because the administration has made no effort to repeal DOMA [the Defense of Marriage Act] and has actually defended it in court. I think people are getting very, very frustrated that we have a president who promised to be a fierce advocate and the most pro-LGBT Senate and Congress int he history of the country, and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell hasn’t been repealed and DOMA is still the law of the land.”
And Courage Campaign’s Rick Jacobs: “I think that nonviolent civil disobedience is a legitimate weapon in the arsenal of social change, and I think it definitely has its place. I think that some serious attention needs to be paid to people like [Senate Minority Leader] Mitch McConnell and folks who are just making this impossible. I also think that some serious attention needs to be paid to Blue Dogs, so I think it’s more than legitimate to push the president, he’s asked to be pushed…but the other side of this is we have got to communicate with, in a meaningful way, Americans who are fair minded and may not understand what equality’s all about.” Oooh, new targets!
Just a little piece of evidence that while EQCA and the Courage Campaign have the aspirations of full-fledged Gay Inc. groups, their souls remain in line with the grassroots cadets. Or something.
Nickadoo
I think anyone responding negatively to the demonstrations yesterday is just a living example of how complacent we’ve become with respect to activism. The demonstrations today were hardly extreme, hateful or radical.
I’m glad we have folks in our community who are willing and able to vocalize their anger when it’s justified and focused. Heckle away!
…and chaining yourself to a fence? Hell, that’s the sort of family-friendly protesting we’ve seen used in about a thousand sitcoms. Nothing extreme, hateful or radical about that, either.
This isn’t the unfocused rage, fear and ignorance of a tea party rally. These are people with a clear agenda who are perfectly capable of articulating their demands. More power to them.
Not to say that I think HRC should demonstrate this way. I do think HRC needs to start demonstrating SOMETHING, though. Other than their ability to write fundraising email blasts, that is.
David Cornish
It was stupid. Very stupid. It didn’t do anything positive for the movement. It just was an attempt to threaten Obama. The silly part is threaten him with WHAT? We’ll get all mad?
Several people involved in GetEqual have been posting numerous comments trying to raise money for their new organization. They should be asked HOW these stunts are helping us? How do they help?
GetEqual wants publicity. They’ll get some. That doesn’t mean it is helpful. In fact, it looks just the opposite. People are laughing at us. Obama is saying “why bother with these misfits” and it is a very good question.
Michael @ LeonardMatlovich.com
@David Cornish: If their protests succeed at nothing more than causing ObamaRahmbot cockroaches to shit themselves, they deserve a Noble Prize.
Alas, many people are kneejerking to Obama’s defense regarding both last night’s and today’s protest because they still see him as a saintlike agent of change who must never be questioned rather than a beneficiary of change who too often has become a part of the problem rather than the solution.
Ironically, the great African-American civil rights icon Dorothy Height died today who was criticized by whites AND blacks decades ago for walking through Times Square shouting, “Stop the lynchings!”
She liked to quote Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays, president of Morehouse College:
“If the time is not ripe, then it is your job to ripen the time.”
Michael @ LeonardMatlovich.com
Ooops, ObamaRahmbotic stupidity is catching if you even come near it. Make that “Nobel Prize.”
wondermann
@David Cornish: Great post, David. Oh, I’m a proud Obamabot
TonyD
Louisa May Alcott said, “Well behaved women rarely make history,” and I believe the same principal applies to the LGBTQ community from the days of Harvey Milk and Stonewall riots until today. I don’t get the LGBTQ community sometimes- most are patient for their full civil rights, but if government told women, black, Hispanic, or people with disabilities to be patient for their full civil rights a storm would be unpreventable. Violence works for no one but neither does holding your tongue and waiting your turn. If you don’t stand for yourself, how do you expect anyone to take you seriously?
TiredOldQueen@Queerty
And so did I.
David Cornish
GetEqual is the toddler strategy of the LGBT movement. It could work. For crying out loud.
David Cornish
Even Bilerico has the sense not to cover this silly charade.
David Cornish
HRC loves this childish crap. It makes them look viable.
Michael
Think those plane trips for GetEqual are free? High priced hotels? Think again! Be sure to send them lots of $$$
Tim W
Does anyone know how you can donate to the cause? Right now all it looks like you can do is buy merchandise. I rather just give them a donation.
Lanjier
Gay Inc. has completely failed at accumulating and leveraging political power. Likely because of people-pleasing personalities who are so adverse to conflict they could not even call a waiter over to their table at a restaurant. They are so integrated with the Democratic Party apparatus, they are just drones — apparatchiks.
Democratic politicians have had a cakewalk with this assholes. All the pol has to do is say the magic words, “I support you and your issues.” When they hang up the phone they say, “Thank God he didn’t ask ‘when?'” Joe Solmonese has been such a total pushover, he actually told the community not to judge Obama until 2017!
I hate to say it, but too many gays are just too nice and people-pleasing, and are frightened to death of rejection. But we all have to man up and start using the tools of civil disobedience, which now includes a government run by the Democratic Party, with a legislative agenda totally governed by a time line set by the White House.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
The Artist
@Nickadoo: Complacent? There is a difference between activism and reactiveness. This was just rude and your preaching to the choir. Mr. Obama WANTS to repeal DADT, why wouldn’t he? THINK! This sort of outcry should be more directed to those silly wars being fought abroad to protect AMERICANS from the big bad middle eastern people! PEACELUVNBWILD!
The Artist
@Tim W: Yup. Vote! Be apart of a New Power Generation! PEACE.
TONYD
@The Artist: The president can’t overturn DADT, but congress can and they work as fast as the Roman Catholic Church at times. The LGBT Community is acting like the fat girl that gets to carry the cheerleader’s pompoms- they still make fun of the chubby girl but she defends the cheerleaders to death because she gets to be seen with them. A dirty shame some of us settle for less!
The Artist
@TONYD: Check out my comment 15! VOTE! Do it 4 change! Be a part of a New Power Generation and get rid of old ideas!
TONYD
@The Artist: The golden 60s were the time of fools- hippies became yuppies became the hoarders now demanding bonuses for milking the poor and underprivileged. Keep your New Power Generation and I’ll think for myself, looking at history and human behavior. I vote consistently every cycle according to my own research, excluding rhetoric and slogans spewed my way; sometimes it doesn’t make me popular with peers, but I’m comfortable being an independent thinker. Every once and a while, I get to cue a friend or peer into my perspective and change their mindset- great feeling.
The Artist
@TONYD: The New Power is new thinking, good 4 U 2 think 4 urself! PEACELUVNBWILD!