White House Continues to Snub LGBT Americans

Earlier today the White House held a conference call with DNC's gay caucus in an apparently very lame effort at damage control. Interestingly, as John Aravosis reports at America Blog, one of the questions was:

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"What are we going to do about the blogs?"

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Truth be told, other than taking concrete action to deliver on campaign promises, there is nothing that can be done to shut down the LGBT bloggers who are holding Obama and the DNC's feet to the fire for real, substantive action as opposed to scattering a few crumbs that benefit only a small percentage of LGBT citizens and families. Like it or not, Obama cannot control the LGBT blogosphere and the spotlight that is being focused on Obama's disingenuous double speak on LGBT equality issues.

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Meanwhile, the DC fundraiser being put on by the DNC is spiraling downward as attendees bail and the Service Members Legal Defense Network ("SLDN") announces its plans for fielding a demonstration on the 25th outside the Mandirin Oriental Hotel in Washington, D.C. Here is the SLDN's statement:

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SLDN will be outside boycotting the National Democratic Committee (DNC) LGBT event in Washington this Thursday. We will be wearing and handing out buttons with number 256 We will be wearing and handing out buttons with the number 265, representing the number of service members who will have been discharged this week since President Obama was sworn in. We do not, nor would we want to, dictate how members of our board or our Military Advisory Council make their political views known. However, I understand that two board members are attending the DNC event. I also understand they will be making their own spirited and creative statements once inside the room.

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Adding to the circus nature of the event, reporters and photographers from the Washington Blade will be inside the DNC event documenting who is attending and arguably throwing the rest of the LGBT community under the bus.

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As a post this afternoon by a guest blogger on Bilerico-DC noted, a growing effort is being made to divert LGBT dollars from the DNC to make it clear that LGBT votes and money cannot be taken for granted. Here are a few highlights:

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I created a Facebook page entitled "DNC Boycott" - and it states "until 'our' leadership decides to lead on the issues important to US - on health care, education, a cleaner environment, job creation, getting us out and keeping us out of wars, equality for all to include marriage for all - then we will not give our time, nor our money."

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Be mindful of where you spend your money. Is it going to fund a politician or an organization that is not speaking for you, or going to those who have less than a minute with the Prez while being served a cocktail? Even if they keep saying that more time is needed...needed for what??? As we have learned, there is never a good or convenient time for civil rights to be asserted and obtained.

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Think about the options. For those who say that the Dems are at least better than the Repubs...are they really?? Who has and continues to receive money from the very same organizations that they now want to regulate - the banks, the healthcare companies, etc. As a friend recently reminded me, there are other parties - like the Green Party who has a great LGBTQ platform that a friend drafted. Competition is and always will be a good thing. Or, declare yourself an independent - and make them come looking for you and how you are thinking about voting.

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In an upcoming post on this blog and on Bilerico-DC I will be suggesting some alternate places to donate money until such time as the Congressional Democrats and President Obama deem us worthy of real efforts to make us full and equal citizens.

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."