Just because Tom Amiano or Barney Frank are gay politicians, that doesn’t mean they’re “assimilation politicians”. That means they’re gay politicians — gay people who feel they can accomplish something by working within the system.

Implying that “the radicals’ outrageous acts” are the primary cause of progress overlooks the fact that oftentimes progress would’ve happened, with or without them, as progress ratchets up over time within the system to redress injustices too.

It’s a bit like saying “Invading Iraq has made us safe, because we haven’t been attacked since 9/11… therefore, we should never leave.”

There’s simply no evidence in most cases to support such a tenuous link. There is, however, direct evidence that the “assimilation organizations” made a difference.

If we are going to take action to get our equality, shouldn’t we concentrate on what we *know* works, and concentrate our efforts against our enemies, rather than ourselves and others who want to help us?!

This, frankly, is every bit as unacceptable as, say, a group of anti-Zionist Jews defacing the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

It’s simply indefensible, because the Human Rights Campaign was built by our community, by our money and our volunteers, and that organization cannot be summed up by the words of one person. It’s a community that tries their very best to protect our people… people who have been beaten, and raped, and tortured, who have been systematically ignored by the government, even when faced with fatal infectious diseases… and who have repeatedly been left to die alone and in pain.

When you attack the Human Rights Campaign, you attack the heart of our community. Your grassroots efforts mean NOTHING when you attack the people trying to help you, rather than concentrate on alienating or winning over those who are verifiably your enemies.

We are supposed to believe that the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBT organization in the United States for working through the political system to change minds and get results, is betraying us by working through the political system to change minds and get results. The proof of this “betrayal” is transparently clear, as minds are changing, and results are starting to come in at a regular pace.

We get it… you hate the system. The system is unfair. Working within the system means having to accept that progress isn’t always as fast as you would like.

But are we supposed to undermine the largest LGBT organization in the United States for trying to work within the system to create change? That’s what they’re *SUPPOSED* to do! And it’s necessary, because we cannot expect to achieve full equality AND protection from hate crimes through the courts alone… especially when politicians can pass laws undermining the equality that is due to us under the law.

The fact of the matter is, the Obama administration has said repeatedly that DADT won’t be immediate, because it will require legislation: Even Hillary Clinton said it would probably require legislation for Constitutional reasons… and she said this during the election!

See http://thinkprogress.org/2009/05/08/obama-dont-ask-dont-tell/
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/apr/08040805.html

The very month that Obama was elected, there was a meeting with GLBT organizations and the Obama administration, to discuss their plans and strategy to get legislation passed. During that meeting, it was made clear that DADT would have to wait a little while, because it will require a complete military review of how best to implement it.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/nov/21/obama-to-delay-repeal-of-dont-ask-dont-tell/

That article pointed out a few important things:
“President-elect Barack Obama will not move for months, and perhaps not until 2010, to ask Congress to end the military’s decades-old ban…”
“”If it’s part of a larger package, (the repeal of DADT) it has a better chance of getting passed.” – Lawrence Korb, advisor to the Obama campaign

That, to me, suggests that the Obama administration would prefer to deal with the legislation by attaching it to a bill the Republicans can’t afford not to pass… and there are only a couple pieces of legislation like that a year.

So, if you’re waiting on DADT, it’s because he wants to blunt Republican criticism and scapegoating of homosexuals, while still getting the military to review the existing policies, and getting their help to come up with a detailed plan on how to implement the change. This will blunt Republican criticism that he is “endangering the military during a time of war”.

You may not care about these strategic issues, and may want change now… but *some* change pushed through now, done in a divisive way that helps Republicans take back the House and Senate is foolish and self-defeating, especially when we can wait a little longer — but not past the end of 2010 — in order to get the legislation passed in a less divisive manner, with several Republicans actually supporting it.

I’m sorry you didn’t know this before. It’s easy to be angry and irrational when you’re fundamentally ignorant of the issues involved, I’m sure…

Want to know who is a sell out? How about neocon warhawk-turned-”liberal conservative” Andrew Sullivan or John Aravosis, a former Republican adviisor for corrupt, indicted Republican Senator Ted Stevens?

For instance, Aravosis said:
“…why is Obama’s own administration putting out the talking point that they can’t move ahead on gay rights until the wars are over, until health care is over..?”

The answer is simple. Aravosis over at Americablog *LIED*. Nobody in Obama’s administration ever said any such thing.

Since when is President Obama extending benefits to same-sex partners of federal workers, and the House passing the Employment Non-discrimination Act not moving ahead on gay rights?

The same goes with HRC, who has led the way with ENDA. Even before the Obama administration, during the worst days of Bush administration, they led the way in getting over 260 of the largest US companies to FULLY adopt non-discrimination policies in the work place. This is a big part of the reason that ENDA just passed in the House, with a surprisingly large bipartisan majority. Republicans don’t listen to gays and lesbians, but they do listen to large corporations.

As for Andrew Sullivan, for President Obama to firmly promise action on DADT, only for Andrew Sullivan to reply “STFU”… it’s childish, disrespectful, and immature.

Like Aravosis, Andrew Sullivan took Joe Solmonese *way* the hell out-of-context by saying he would “be happy to wait till 2017. . . to hold Obama accountable”. He called HRC, the largest LGBT group for bringing about political change “a racket”, and claimed that he wanted gays to “go to the back of the line”.He even claimed that HRC’s “real job is to get gay money to support healthcare reform.”

This, frankly, is unsubstantiated, ignorant, bomb-throwing grade-A bullshit.

HRC has been included in White House strategy sessions on how they plan to advance our agenda, and although they would *like* things to move faster than they are, the White House has not only made clear to them what kind of time schedule they are looking at on passing legislation, but also how they plan on doing it, so that it will avoid fillibusters… such as the technique we have seen with ENDA being embedded into another bill.

Frankly, I have *NEVER* heard Andrew Sullivan attack Republicans who deny us our rights to please religious bigots with such overt hatred and lies as he attacks his own community.

Of course, Sullivan, with his longstanding background as an irrational conservative Catholic, always displays sensitivity and uses kids gloves when addressing such special, bigoted people, with their special little bigoted beliefs… the ones that should have no business in government.

Too bad that Andrew Sullivan only resorts to hate speech, lies, and calls for violence when he’s talking about killing the wrong Arabs, or attacking his own people and his own community.

A few hours after Obama spoke to the gay lobby, a group of queers going by the name “Queers Against Assimilation” (to the point) tagged HRC’s building with the sentence “Quit leaving queers behind.” Their statement is after the jump. Andrew Sulliv…

It’s not that capitalism and big government is preventing progress in the US. It’s that the Republicans have been blocking it for virtually all of the HRC’s existence, largely to keep their religious fundamentalist base happy.

If anything, the HRC has been tremendously successful in influencing “capitalism”. They got over 260 of the largest US companies to FULLY adopt non-discrimination policies in the work place. This is a big part of the reason that ENDA just passed in the House, with a surprisingly large bipartisan majority.

These US companies are more successful at influencing Republicans than even millions of us.

The fact isn’t that HRC sucks… it’s that they’ve only been around about a decade, and have spent ALL of that time until this year with either a Republican-dominated Congress or a Republican President to block change at the Federal level.

The fact is, they’ve gotten Obama to extend benefits to partners of federal employees, and have led the way on ENDA, which just passed in the House. Even before ENDA, they led the way on efforts that have convinced over 260 of the nation’s largest employers to fully adopt non-discrimination policies in the workplace. They did this work largely during the Bush administration, during a hostile political environment for our community.

Their success in getting companies to support non-discrimination policies is a big part of the reason that the House was able to pass ENDA in a surprisingly bipartisan manner.

It would be a very bad idea for the community to abandon HRC’s political involvement efforts now, when there’s finally an environment where legislation can actually get passed at the Federal level.

The fact isn’t that HRC sucks… it’s that they’ve only been around about a decade, and have spent ALL of that time until this year with either a Republican-dominated Congress or a Republican President to block change at the Federal level.

The fact is, they’ve gotten Obama to extend benefits to partners of federal employees, and have led the way on ENDA, which just passed in the House. Even before ENDA, they led the way on efforts that have convinced over 260 of the nation’s largest employers to fully adopt non-discrimination policies in the workplace. They did this work largely during the Bush administration, during a hostile political environment for our community.

Their success in getting companies to support non-discrimination policies is a big part of the reason that the House was able to pass ENDA in a surprisingly bipartisan manner.

It would be a very bad idea for the community to abandon HRC’s political outreach efforts now, when there’s finally an environment where legislation can actually get passed at the Federal level.

How do you expect the LGBT community to increase its political influence, its outreach, and get legislation passed, without fundraising?

You act as if they’ve done nothing, when they’ve led the way on ENDA, which just passed in the House.. and even before ENDA, they led the way on grassroots efforts that have led over 260 of the nation’s largest employers to fully adopt non-discrimination policies in the workplace. They did this work largely during the Bush administration, in a generally hostile political environment for our community.

So don’t act like HRC does nothing, just because you’re ignorant of what they actually DO accomplish and ARE doing, and only notice the (very effective) fundraisers!

This, frankly, is every bit as unacceptable as, say, a group of anti-Zionist Jews defacing the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

It’s simply indefensible, because the Human Rights Campaign was built by our community, by our money and our volunteers, and that organization cannot be summed up by the words of one person. It’s a community that tries their very best to protect our people… people who have been beaten, and raped, and tortured, who have been systematically ignored by the government, even when faced with fatal infectious diseases… and who have repeatedly been left to die alone and in pain.

When you attack the Human Rights Campaign, you attack the heart of our community. Your grassroots efforts mean NOTHING when you attack the people trying to help you, rather than concentrate on alienating or winning over those who are verifiably your enemies.

We are supposed to believe that the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBT organization in the United States for working through the political system to change minds and get results, is betraying us by working through the political system to change minds and get results. The proof of this “betrayal” is transparently clear, as minds are changing, and results are starting to come in at a regular pace.

We get it… you hate the system. The system is unfair. Working within the system means having to accept that progress isn’t always as fast as you would like.

But are we supposed to believe that the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBT organization in the United States for working through the political system to change minds and get results, is betraying us by working through the political system to change minds and get results?! That’s what they’re *SUPPOSED* to do, because we cannot expect to achieve full equality AND protection from hate crimes through the courts alone… especially when politicians can pass laws undermining the equality that is due to us under the law.

The proof of HRC’s “betrayal” is transparently clear, as minds are changing, and results are starting to come in at a regular pace. I have heard their critics accuse them of concentrating on passing a “symbolic” ENDA now, rather than taking on DADT. Never mind that there is nothing symbolic about non-discrimination in the workplace… something which effects us far more directly than DADT. If there’s anything even remotely symbolic about ENDA, it’s that the HRC has *ALREADY* taken a leading role through their Corporate Equality Index, and their grassroots efforts, to get over 260 of the nation’s largest employers to support full employment non-discrimination policies and practices.

(Yes. They did that. Sorry, critics. Your claim that HRC is a “do -nothing” organization is a complete lie.)

After being ignored for decades, our President’s administration is sticking up for one of their top gay political appointees who is being viciously smeared by the right wing. They haven’t buckled. The President can’t seem to attend a public events with the GLBT community or personally honor events like Stonewall or the march on Washington without another government policy change or piece of legislation that helps our community.

… and we’re supposed to believe *he’s* the enemy, as opposed to Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats?! He said back in March that addressing DADT “will take some time to complete (partly because it needs Congressional action).”

President Obama could’ve blown smoke up your ass and told you DADT would be an easy thing to get rid of… but he didn’t.

For people like neocon warhawk-turned-”liberal conservative” Andrew Sullivan or John Aravosis, a former Republican adviisor for corrupt Republican Senator Ted Stevens, to smear, and falsely misrepresent Joe Solmonese as saying that waiting until the last day of the Obama administration for any action is okay with him… well, that’s transparently dishonest.. especially when HRC has unprecedented access to the President’s staff, is personally involved in strategy discussions on how to get LGBT legislation passed without a fillibuster, and knows that there’s a *LOT* in the pipeline.

Bloggers like Andrew Sullivan and John Aravosis are not the community… especially when they viciously distort and smear our President, our leaders, and our organizations, and hurt our community. Our community isn’t one of us, a few of us, or even all of us… because you can have a lot of people hiding in the dark, and not have a community.

The community is what we all choose to share, what we choose to build together, the space that we create together for ourselves, our friends and loved ones, and it is something some of us choose to defend. It’s certainly a lot bigger than a few hotheaded individuals who use ugly words and ugly deeds in an effort to build themselves up, as they try to tear their community down.

These vandals don’t own our community, have no right to hold it hostage to their naive cynicism, and are not defending our community by attacking it in such a senseless manner. How dare they attack those who are trying to defend us?

http://bashbacknews.wordpress.com/2009/10/11/radical-queers-bash-back-against-hrc-headquarters/

What a lame case of misdirected, impotent childish acting out.

Bottom line: HRC has a lot to answer for. QAA has maybe gotten at least a point across, who imagined it could be done with glitter grenades?

Signed…
~~Love and Solidarity~~