Who's Driving this Bus and Where the Bleep Are We Headed?

Just got a new best friend ME.

Great post J. It's my first time here, and I have a lot to say. Sorry. I promise not to do this every day. I learned my lesson the last time.

Anyway-

For me, your money shot was this: "I woke up today feeling demoralized and depressed about all of this, and after watching this video, came to the conclusion that the only way to begin to feel better about the sorry state of the gay union is to actively DO something about it."       

I’d say that about sums it up......

But wait, there's more--- This is what happened to me this weekend in D.C. I thought I'd chime in, because, well, that is what I like to do.

I marched on Sunday. On Saturday night, I was outside the Washington Convention Center for the first time in over 10 years. I was outside rather than inside, where I normally can be found sitting at my fabu table drinking my pretty drink and wearing my very best big-girl drag. When the tickets went on sale a few months ago, I thought "nope. I quit. I cannot stomach another night of self-congratulatory circle jerking at the National Dinner".  It turned out to be a really shitty year to choose not to exercise my ticket option and grow some alternative values, but I digress... Instead of being inside, I was outside watching the protestors. After I told the Phelps idiots to suck my dick (as has been my long-standing custom), I watched and listened. Although the protest was billed as something intended for Obama, it became pretty clear that it was a thinly veiled anti-HRC protest. Honestly, it was pretty lame, and none of the 2000+ people up on the third floor gave a rats ass, just as we/they didn't in 2007 when the Trans activists held a similar vigil.  However, is that to say that the protest was a useless endeavor? Nope. It was awesome. In my mind, all movements need dissent to help shape the path toward the promised land. Whether the tuxes heard it or not, it invigorated the hell out of the people who were outside. They’ll take that home with them and use it well.

Now. So.  ...  Just inside the HRC building lobby (to the left of the pink spray painted writing in your photo) is a glass wall with the names of all the donors who gave over a certain amount of money to purchase and remodel the building. My name is on that glass. If I were asked to guess, I would suspect that I have copiously donated copious amounts of cash and lent my often limited but sometimes elastic talents to help raise over a wazillion dollars for HRC over 20 something years. Does all of this make you think I am here to defend HRC? Again, NOPE. Why? Because all movements need dissent to help shape the path toward the promised land. Still, I can tell you from personal experience that HRC sometimes confuses dissent with disloyalty. They’ll get over it.  

I, on the other hand, am pissed about the pink paint. That building means something. It is a physical presence for LGBT people in Washington DC, just like all the other organizations have, and one that stands for something, whether you like HRC or not. People who are unfamiliar with our movement (um, like almost everyone who isn’t queer)  don’t know the difference between all the factions. They don’t know what the blue and yellow equal sign on my bumper means and they don’t understand the difference between a top and a bottom. All they know is that the gay building got vandalized by gay people, and I think that sucks.

I'd like to explain the little bit I know about why and how HRC is HRC. It's pretty simple really. HRC is extremely powerful and raises the most money because HRC is really good at raising money and spends a lot of the money they raise on efforts to raise more. Everything you have heard about the internal culture of pissiness and exclusion is true. Unfortunately, by creating an exclusive club that not everyone can join, they have ensured there is a long line of people waiting to join. That's how it has always worked.

The criticisms of HRC are not new. However, the current of discontent seems to be about to breach the dike. (ha). I am here to tell you that nothing could be finer. That is not to say that HRC bashing is fine. I don't think it's a particularly good use of energy, especially when it seems to be the chief activity of certain activists.

Here's a newsflash- Everyone I know who was in that room on Saturday night thinks that Obama hit a home run with that speech, that HRC has been elevated to new heights, thanks to all the priceless publicity (like being on Bill O'Reilley) and that because Obi-wan chose that forum for his speech, HRC is further cemented as the chosen, um, because he chose them.

I can't say that I agree with that view, but I can promise you that it is the prevailing opinion inside the ballpark. Frankly, I was a little bit depressed too when my Facebook updates page was completely full of friends in the ballroom congratulating themselves.

But then it was Sunday. And everything changed.

Back to me- I attended the 1994 March and the 2000 Millenium March and HRC fundraiser Being Out Rocks concert. Both marches were amazing and very well attended. They had gigantic budgets. They were both organized with the help of heavy involvement, money and resources, courtesy of HRC. For that back story, read here: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20000417/gamson  It’s interesting background.

 This march had a tiny budget and nothing more than a meaningless "endorsement" from HRC. And you know what? The march on Sunday was amazing. This march came to fruition because a very small group of people with little money and comparatively little organizing experience were determined. It happened because a whole bunch of young people who had never taken to the streets in this way were hell-bent on being heard. It was poorly organized, lacked the star-power speakers of the past, was a confusing mess and it had serious soul, baby. Standing in front of the White House chanting YES WE CAN with thousands of lgbt people who were in junior high in 2000 beat the crap out of when I "married" whats-her-name in the mock mass wedding in front of the IRS at the 1994 march.

 My Facebook update from in front of the White House read "You can pay $250 to dress up and clap for him or you can stand in front of his house and yell."

 I think that's kind of what all this boils down to. There are lots of ways to move the movement. Pick the one that fits and work it girl.

The anti-HRC monologue on this site is about as one-sided a discussion as I've seen. I don't know enough about it to be the one to present the other side, but I refuse to believe that an organization formed in 1980 has been a singular failure in the cause of GLBT rights. I would like to see someone from the HRC respond to the attacks on it's character and efficacy.

I'm also sick of reading the motives being assigned to those in leadership positions. Not just any motives, but the lowest of the low.

Here's a link to the action page of the site. Looks pretty straightforward to me.

http://www.hrc.org/get_involved/12882.htm

[added: I want to be clear that this is a general comment. I'm not directing it towards Julia specifically. This just seemed an appropriate place to put it.]