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22 May 2006 09:37 am

The Worthlessness of HRC

The Human Rights Campaign is the premier gay lobby group in the country. I try to temper my criticisms because there are good people there who do important work. But having been in the fight for marriage equality for almost twenty years now, I can honestly say they've barely been detectable in the battle. They don't seem to be getting much better. Their main message against the Federal Marriage Amendment, or whatever the far right is now calling it, is that it's a "distraction" from more important issues. Chris Crain nails it here:

Rather than actually defend gay families and make the case for gay marriage, HRC is stuck in a three-year strategy of arguing that the American people don't — and shouldn't! — care about marriage equality for gay couples.
"Voters want candidates focused on soaring gas prices, a health care crisis and national security," [HRC executive director Joe] Solmonese says in the release, "not putting discrimination in the United States Constitution."
What sort of gay rights strategy is it, when the attention of Americans is focused on our issues, to argue that our rights aren't important, and refuse to engage our opponents in the debate over our equality?

Amen, brother. Even now, HRC is still carrying water for the Democrats - some of whom, like Russ Feingold, seem to have more conviction on the matter than HRC does. Why do they exist? And why should any gay person care?

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