The Oracle: Matricide, Patricide, Fratricide, Sororicide
Many in the the LGBT equality movement actively seek to politically “kill” those with whom they disagree. The examples are so numerous, that I could not decide whether we are “killing” our political mothers, fathers, brothers or sisters. I guess it really depends on your perspective of our movement.
I have been actively involved in the national LGBT equality movement for decades. As many of you know, I was on the Board of Directors for the Human Rights Campaign for seven years during the leadership period of Elizabeth Birch. Most recently, I was the Co-Chair of the National LGBT leadership Council for the Obama Campaign. What I am beginning to find extremely troubling is the lack of cohesiveness and increasing pettiness within our community activists, organizations and media. As an active member of the Human Rights Campaign and a leader for the organization in San Diego, I find some of the vitriol hurled at HRC unconscionable.
This week a so called partner of HRC, tried to stir up trouble concerning the transportation of veterans for Veterans Lobby Day www.veteranslobbyday.org. Of course, the story was picked up by bloggers and spread like wild fire. HRC is not providing a bus for the veterans to go from offices of Servicemembers United to the Pentagon. Oh my goodness, let’s stop supporting HRC. This type of behavior by bloggers should be castigated. Did they say that HRC was paying over $75,000 to host the veterans in D.C.? Absolutely not. Did the so called HRC partner who leaked the information offer to pick up the bus cost? Absolutely not. Are these facts relevant? Absolutely. What is even more troublling is a leader of a national organization wrote this to me in response to my defense of HRC, you should “question HRC’s ability to vet it’s own staff, as some of them are the ones who are committing grave acts undermining the LGBT community each and every day (or nearly every day, as far as I can see personally).” Really?
This matricide, patricide, fratricide and sororicide of our organizations and leaders is not focused solely on to the Human Rights Campaign. As opposed to having civil discourse, many of our leaders and organizations undermine the work of others to try to gain some strategic advantage in fundraising or national prominence. Most LGBT bloggers claim their intentions are pure when they make unfair criticism of our leaders or organizations. The public is not stupid, these blogs exist to generate readership, plain and simple. Tabloid bloggerism is rampant within the LGBT community.
There are those who disagree with some of the tactics of GetEQUAL, I being one of them. However, I have never said that they should not exist or they should be politically “killed.” I cannot say the same for the leadership of GetEQUAL and their opinions about some of our national organizations and leaders. In fact, GetEQUAL exists because the organizers of the most recent gathering on the Washington Mall could no longer get along. Doesn’t that speak volumes about our inability to allow those with different opinions and strategies to co-exist? The proposed sit-in at HRC offices during the Repeal DADT Lobby Day, organized by GetEQUAL, should be declared inappropriate by every LGBT organization, media outlet and blogger. I will not hold my breath.
All of our organizations have the best intentions for LGBT equality, but we need to stop fighting one another and creating controversy where none exists. Constructive criticism is important, creating a tempest in a teapot is not. We in San Diego have had our own controversies within our most recognized organizations. Those controversies have been based upon concrete facts, not manufactured issues to further the agenda of a blogger, person or organization. If you do not like an organization, do not provide financial support or your time. Is it really necessary to actively try to negatively impact those organizations that are fighting for your LGBT equality, but have an approach different from your own? You know the proper answer, no. So stop doing it.
