Stop Funding the Democrats

I continue to feel utterly betrayed by the Obama administration and the president's double speak on LGBT rights issues. Just because he's thrown a few crumbs our way which impact a tiny percentage of our community does not justify allowing ourselves to be manipulated and taken for granted. Fully delivering on a promise or two is the only thing that will convince me that Obama did not cynically con LGBT Americans during his campaign. Others are beginning to feel the same way. First, Andrew Sullivan proposes hitting Obama and the Democrats where it hurts ; stop giving money to them. Here are some highlights that I agree with totally:

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One way to get the Obama administration's attention on civil rights is for gay people to stop funding the Democrats. That's all these people care about anyway when it comes to gays: our money. If the Democrats refuse to support us, refuse to support them. This is a start. But we need to get more creative. We need actions to highlight the administration's betrayals, postponements and boilerplate. We need to start confronting the president at his events. We need civil disobedience. We need to tell him we do not want another fricking speech where he tells us he is a fierce advocate for our rights, when that is quite plainly at this point not true.

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If anyone high up in the Obama administration or the Pelosi-Reid Congress gave a damn, much would have been done. We need to swamp Pelosi with phone-calls. We need to target Reid for his inaction.

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And we have to refuse to attend White House signing ceremonies like yesterday's farce. Really: until they are serious, we should not be coopted and placated with pathetic sops.

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As ABC News is reporting, some are beginning to follow this approach, beginning with backing out of attendance at a DNC fundraiser schedule for a week from now. I hope the momentum picks up and that there are many more no shows. Here are some highlights:

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“This is not an appropriate time” for the Democratic party to be hitting up gays and lesbians for money, says Richard Socarides, a former Special Assistant to President Clinton, who’s not attending next week’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee.

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Socarides says that even though President Obama yesterday signed a presidential memorandum extending some benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees, he was also aware of what the President did not do. “The president did not last night address what direction he would give the Justice Department when these issues come up in the future, he did not address the continued discharges of gay people from the military.”

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Socarides is just the latest in a list of prominent gay and lesbian Democrats withdrawing their support from the DNC event. Others include David Mixner, another former adviser to President Clinton; Andy Towle; and Alan Van Capelle, executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda and Foundation.

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And add gay Democratic donor Bruce Bastian, who told the Washington Blade he “will continue to support certain congressmen, congresswomen and senators whom I believe will continue to fight for our rights, but I don't think blanket donations to the Democratic Party right now are justified, at least not in my book.” He said he found the filing "very offensive."

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Others include National Gay and Lesbian Task Force executive director Rea Carey who decried “the malicious and outrageous arguments and language used in the Department of Justice's marriage brief are only serving to inflame and malign the humanity of same-sex couples and our families,” and the Human Rights Campaign’s national field director Marty Rouse, who told the Blade that he “like many people, personally offended by the words used in the [Justice Department] brief to defend DOMA. And I just can't see right now attending a fundraiser for the DNC at this time."