Advice

      Dick Smothers: What could President Johnson do to encourage people to stay in the U.S.?
      Tom Smothers: He could quit.

The John on the Rhode Island Avenue Cesspool (and the effect – if any – that Joe Solmonese regenerating into Chad Griffin will have):

I’m at the age where I’m just not sure they can be any better than they are.

Its called math.

Zero is greater than a negative number.

HRC can be better than it is now (and better than it ever has been) by going away.

Meanwhile, Across the Atlantic…

From the New Statesman (the magazine, not Alan B’Stard):

The Stonewall riots in New York in 1969 have passed into legend as the catalyst for the modern Anglo-American gay liberation movement; in 2012, we’ve forgotten what the fight was originally about. The image of racially mixed drag queens, dykes and poor street queers fighting back against police brutality is about as far from the contemporary ideal of the well-off assimilationist gay as you can get. The matching Volvos and semi-detached houses of buttoned-up 21st century gay(-friendly) conservatives are representative of a different, diluted era, and rather a saddening one.

Equal rights as an end goal reflect an understandable desire for an easier life. There’s a strong logic in the idea that normalising same-sex desire entails less stigma, trauma, and violence directed towards LGBT people. But a quick search for “gay marriage” on most-read British LGBT news website Pink News returns 3617 results, compared to 1247 for “violence”, or for “poverty”, a measly 178. Make no mistake, this is not because violence or poverty have ceased to be issues for LGBT people. More likely, the coverage reflects the dominance of the interests of white, middle-class, educated, and dare I say it, conservative gays and lesbians in the movement.

…

[P]rioritising equal marriage as a cause has actively meant the exclusion of other important approaches. Where are the campaigns against the poisonous ideology which supports financial and political reward for those who are married?

…

The “Conservative case for gay marriage” is spot on. If you want to reinvigorate social conservatism for the austerity generation, it makes sense to support equal marriage. The pity is the gay movement is buying into it. Hijacked by those we used to stand in political opposition to, today’s gay movement has lost its teeth.

…kinda like a meth addict.

In Praise of Jeff Epperly

Really.

[Hilary] Rosen, a longtime fixture on the LGBT scene, has come to represent the worst of that peculiar and annoying segment of the pundit-lobbyist class for whom you can’t really understand why they’ve attained the high position they have in that milieu.

After all, Rosen was a catastrophe at the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the lobbying group for the nation’s largest record companies. As head of that group from 1987-2003, it was under her watch that the recording industry began its disastrous policy of taking file sharers to court—also known as suing the pants off your future customers.

…

From there Rosen went on to such illustrious jobs as representing British Petroleum after the Gulf oil spill. In other words, if you’re looking for someone who understands the plight of America’s everywoman, Rosen is a terrible choice because her perspective appears to be a lot closer to the Romneys than she would likely admit. Yet she still manages time-after-time to get gigs as an allegedly progressive pundit, a job she still can’t manage to get right despite its ridiculously low bar for being considered a success.

But hey – even Fred Gladding got one hit, right?

Oh The Irony….

Yesterday at Crooks and Liars:

News for this day in 1940 was all about the deteriorating situation in Norway and the reaction on both sides of the Atlantic to what was becoming an ominous tide to the war. It was also around this day the world got a new word to mull around; Quisling

Today at MSNBC:

If you have to ask….

Hey Ann! Try Living With a Chronic Illness But WITHOUT Millions of Dollars in the Bank!

The eternal battle for the title of Supreme Clueless One continues. 

Current titleholder: Ann “I know what it’s like to struggle even though I’ve never worked a day in my life, know I’ll never have to work a day in my life, and know that I’ll never get any closer to being hungry than Wanda Sykes will get to being head of the Mormon church” Romney.

“Look, I know what it’s like to struggle,” Ann Romney insisted, possibly referring to her battle with multiple sclerosis. “And if maybe I haven’t struggled as much financially as some people have, I can tell you and promise you that I’ve had struggles in my life.[“]

The title often is held by some member of the Romney family – but, the irony here is that this statement was a pathetic attempt at a snark against someone who also occasionally holds the title: Hilary Rosen

“She’s never really dealt with the kinds of economic issues that a majority of the women in this country are facing,” Rosen charged

Okay…

I hereby declare the title to be jointly held by Rosen and Romney.

Well, What Else Would You Expect From a Corporation Whose Logo is Three Faux-Patriotic HRC Logos Configured in the Rough Shape of a Warped Enron Logo?

Matt Taibbi in Rolling Stone:

At least Bank of America got its name right. The ultimate Too Big to Fail bank really is America, a hypergluttonous ward of the state whose limitless fraud and criminal conspiracies we’ll all be paying for until the end of time.

So I guess it got its logo right as well:

Illumination:

They’re out of control, yet they’ll never do time or go out of business, because the government remains creepily committed to their survival, like overindulgent parents who refuse to believe their 40-year-old live-at-home son could possibly be responsible for those dead hookers in the backyard.

Okay, so the comparison isn’t perfect.  Enron went out of business – sort of – but as to the other, no one connected with it will ever do time (for the consistent pattern of fraudulently soliciting donations for ‘work’ on ‘goals’ it not only has no desire to accomplish but in fact has a long history of actively working against) and it will never go out of business, because Gay, Inc. remains creepily committed to its survival, like overindulgent parents who refuse to believe their toothless 40-year-old live-at-home son who likes to collect matchsticks and sudafed pills could possibly be responsible for the pungent cat urine-ish stench in the basement or those dead teenaged boys in the boat shed.

Nothingspeak, Like a Cancer, Grows

From Metro Weakly:

[HRC head bullshitter-in-chief-to-be Chad] Griffin says that every part of his experience led him to this day, explaining that he went from “growing up as a kid in Arkansas, not knowing that I knew a single gay person … to a career in politics and policy … then, this little thing happened a few years ago called Prop 8.”

Marriage…

Griffin says[] he looked around that night [that Prop 8 passed] and saw so many new faces of all races and ages, including many young ones, “I called a close friend of mine … and I said, ‘The world has changed.'”

He notes, “Momentum is on our side, but that kid that I used to be, there are thousands if not millions of them out there, in Arkansas and [elsewhere]. In many ways, on that night I found my voice.”

Marriage…

Calling it “the grandest privilege that I’ve ever had,” Griffin tells Metro Weekly, “The impact that I can have with HRC is something that I’m looking forward to diving into head first.”

Asked whether his role as the head of a marriage-based organization like the American Foundation for Equal Rights has been will signify too much attention attention being placed on marriage at HRC at the expense of things like the Employment Non-Discrimination Act going forward, Griffin says, “I’m gonna go, every single time, back to that young kid. Every decision.”

Noting that “it’s not any one thing that impacts the life of a gay person,” he says, “I don’t think anyone who knows me would say anything other than that I’m committed to full equality.”

Nothingspeak…

Because we all know what “full equality” has come to mean – and it has nothing to do with the day-to-day lives of working-class Ts and LGBs who may not even be in a relationship and, irrespective of whether they could actually theoretically benefit to some degree from gay marriage depending on their individual circumstances, nevertheless have to care more about employment and housing than whether or not well-heeled politicos from DC – or from Arkansas via D.C.via L.A. – can get married and shelter the tons of money that they’ve ‘earned’ that working-class Ts and LGBs who may not even be in a relationship and, irrespective of whether they could actually theoretically benefit to some degree from gay marriage depending on their individual circumstances, will never be in a position to ‘earn’ without an ability to redress discrimination in court.

Adding that while it’s true that marriage — specifically the fight against Proposition 8 — has been his focus for the past couple of years, he says, “We have to fight the battle on all fronts, whether it’s school bullying, an inclusive ENDA or a whole host of other things, political or otherwise, that impact the lives of a gay person.”

We’ll believe that when we see it – and don’t see you play Lucy with the football.

Having just married an organization that is guilty of crimes against not just trans people but all working-class LGBs and which has not shown one iota of interest in actually paying restitution for those crimes (sorry, but giving an unqualified trans woman a paycheck after passing over hundreds of better-qualified actual trans activists who had actual track records is not an act of restitution; its a further crime – a hate crime enhancement to the fraud of claiming to be an inclusive organization and accepting things of value that were offered because of that claim), Griffin is guilty he proves himself innocent.  After all…

inclusive ENDA

Those are the first five syllables I’ve seen attributed to him that give me any indication that he’s even willing to pretend that trans people and working-class non-trans LGBs have any concern other than gay marriage.

Lucy.

Football.

Solmonese-at-Southern-Comfort scoreboard.

This blog post is peaceable activity intended to express a political view and/or to provide information to others.

ENDA, R.I.P.; Trans People, What are Those? – HRC Goes Full-Tilt Marriage Derangement Syndrome

Not to mention white and non-trans:

Chad Griffin, the Los Angeles-based political consultant whose central role in the Proposition 8 lawsuit turned him into a national LGBT rights figure, has been named president of the Human Rights Campaign.

…

Griffin will remain on the board of the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER), the organization he co-founded in 2009 to organize, publicize, and fund the Prop. 8 lawsuit. Bruce Cohen, a fellow AFER board member and an Academy Award-winning producer whose films include American Beauty and Milk, applauded the announcement, saying that Griffin’s new position “makes a very strong statement on behalf of HRC that they chose him to lead.”

“Chad thinks big. And then he goes out and accomplishes his goal,” Cohen said. “If AFER is any blueprint, then I think we have exciting things to look forward to….

And all of them will be all gay marriage, all the time.

HRC’s executive search, a very private process over the past few months, “included the consideration of over one hundred diverse and extremely well-qualified candidates from the worlds of business, academia and activism,” according to a Friday HRC news release.

Over 100 “diverse” candidates yet magically they ended up with a white guy whose only connection to what the Scampaign claims that its mission is, based solely on the turds floating to the top of the Rhode Island Avenue Cesspool this morning, involves gay marriage. 

Per Queer Channel Media:

Griffin has had an extensive career fighting for progressive causes. According to his bio on AFER’s website, Griffin is founding partner of political and communications strategy firm Griffin-Schake, and taken on the tobacco and oil industry while pushing forward with issues such as equal rights, clean energy, universal health care, stem cell research and early childhood education.

His bio states he was responsible for spearheading Proposition 87, California’s Clean Alternative Energy Initiative; Proposition 10, which provides $600 million each year to early childhood education; and Proposition 71, which enables billions of dollars to flow to stem cell research.

…

Mark Glaze, a principal of the Raben Group, which works on LGBT issues, said Griffin is “a great choice” for the role.

“He’s smart, he’s strategic, he has the kind of sizzle that you’d want in a movement,” Glaze said. “His work on AFER has been a model of effective advocacy, which isn’t easy given the crowded field of groups doing LGBT work.”

But what points to a history on T?  And, while we’re at it, what points to much of a history on gay other than gay marriage  – I mean beyond being an “executive producer” on the documentary Outrage?  Yes, it was a decent film, but are we to presume that “issues such as equal rights” encompasses at least one thing of relevance to the lives of working-class Ts and LGBs for whom work and housing are light-years ahead of marriage as a priority?

Color me unimpressed.

According to Pee Wee’s peep:

When I decided to begin the next chapter of my career, I could not have imagined a better successor as president of the Human Rights Campaign. Just a few minutes ago, the HRC’s Board of Directors appointed Chad Griffin, a brilliant visionary and strategist, as the organization’s next president. While you know him as the mastermind behind the federal lawsuit to overturn California’s Proposition 8, Chad’s spent his career taking on the toughest fights against entrenched, well-financed interests. He’s passionate about our equality…

Please provide your definition of “our.”

Chad Griffin has the leadership qualities critical to propel our movement for equality forward and I am so proud that he will succeed me this June leading HRC.

A native of Arkansas and a veteran of the Clinton White House, Chad was inspired by young people in taking on this new endeavor. He told the board this morning, “All over this country in big cities and small towns, there are families and young people who long to be accepted for who they are, and who want be treated with the same dignity and respect as everyone else. Today’s generation of young people, and each generation hereafter, must grow up with the full and equal protection of our laws, and finally be free to participate in the American dream. As HRC president, I’ll approach our work with a great sense of urgency because there are real life consequences to inaction.”

Gee, Chad…

How did the “consequences” regarding “inaction” on ENDA in 2009-10 affect you personally?

What’s that?  You don’t really need ENDA?  Yes, we can tell.

With your support, HRC has won historic victories over the past several years. In addition to passing marriage equality in New York, the District of Columbia, Washington and Maryland, repealing the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law, and convincing the Obama administration to stop defending DOMA, HRC also spearheaded successful efforts to pass hate-crimes protections, secure equal hospital visitation rights for same-sex partners, and much more.

And we can tell that Pee Wee doesn’t really need ENDA either.

 I know that you’ll continue to be there as Chad fights to propel our movement forward.

Again, Pee Wee – please provide your definition of that word, because I suspect that it is not the same as mine or even most Ts and even non-trans LGBs.

He is uniquely qualified to lead HRC into the future.

Hmmmm…

A white gay man with DC connections whose clear top priority is gay marriage.

Tell ya what, Pee Wee…

While you’re putting a post-it note in that lexicon by the word “our,” go ahead and stick one by “uniquely,” because I suspect that your definition of it also may have emanated from inside a black hole of insanity.

Meanwhile, back at what used to be the Advocate:

“In Washington, there’s a deep institutional bias against doing anything that would rock the boat. But we’re fighting for our lives and for our freedom, and as far as I’m concerned, you’ve got to rock the boat,” said Richard Socarides, who served as a White House special assistant during the Clinton administration. “I think Chad is someone who’s proven that he’s willing to do so….

The problem is: The Rhode Island Avenue Cesspool is an oganization that has proven that it isn’t – and the same people who let Pee Wee feed at the $300+K/year trough for seven years while lying to the people who the Cesspool claims to speak for are the people who made the call on hiring Mr. Gay Marriage now.

Of course, its just dumbass us trans scum who have seen the Cesspool for what it really is, right?

In the line-up of corrupt people and corporations who populate the rogue’s gallery related to Wall Street’s pillaging of the world economy, you’d have a hard time coming up with more perfect villains than Goldman Sachs (GS) and its CEO Lloyd Blankfein.           

There does not appear to be any depth which would seem too low for Goldman Sachs to sink in pursuit of tainted profits, and for which Blankfein could not offer some justification for doing do.

…

So imagine everyone’s surprise when none other than our own Human Rights Campaign (HRC) announced that it was making a deal with the devil in the form of a partnership of sorts with Blankfein. Under the banner of its American’s For Marriage Equality effort, HRC got a video in which Blankfein issues some late-to-the-party bromides about marriage equality.           

What do GS and Blankfein get from the deal? Goldman Sachs, one of the worst corporations in the world, gets a listing as a Bronze Partner (still well under Platinum, Gold and Silver partners). But, most of all, Blankfein and his company get to be humanized at very little financial cost and without a single bit of evidence that it will change its financial dealings that helped to bring the world economy to its knees and bankrupt untold numbers of other non-profits that have gone out of business since the economic meltdown began.

…

Joe Solmonese and HRC prove once again to those of us who’ve defended them all these years against charges of being soulless corporate and political shills how wrong we may have been in dismissing HRC critics as not understanding politics in the real world.

…

Solmonese has a history of this sort of thing, not least when he was at Emily’s List and allowed (then) closet case founder Ellen Malcolm to endorse anti-LGBT political candidates under the guise of real world political decision-making. At that time I gave Solmonese a pass, even though his justifications didn’t completely pass the smell test.           

I’ve decided, however, that the Blankfein decision is the deciding factor in turning me from a staunch HRC supporter into someone who will now scrutinize its every move with a more critical eye toward what is best of our community, as opposed to what makes HRC and its functionaries feel important.           

As for Solmonese, who is leaving to be one of many co-chairs of the Obama re-election campaign: good riddance to self-serving political trash.

A giltter-ridden manifesto from Fister Limp Wrist?

No, its from that well-known radical queer anarchist…

Jeff Epperly of Bay Windows.

That Jeff Epperly.

Now, I’m not in the illusion-land of Gay, Inc.’s that are willing to give equal consideration to trans women when it comes to hiring or the fantasy land of an ‘Equality’ Maryland that gives a damn whether trans people live or die or the lysergia land of a Maryland Legislature that contains any members that have any intention of expending any energy on a trans bill after pushing through a gay marriage bill…

No, I live in reality.

I know that if HRC suddenly did everything that the Epperlys of the workd wanted for the Epperlys of the world and for the Epperlys of the world alone, then Epperly wouldn’t give a flying fuck about a shindig for wall street criminals (much less whether working-class Ts and LGBs live or die), but…

right now…

his op-ed in the current Bay Windows is what it is…

and we all know that HRC will continue to be what it has always been.

This blog post is peaceable activity intended to express a political view and/or to provide information to others.

History! Repeated! Maryland Trans People Fucked Again!

No more appropriate moment of zen than:

…worked like a charm!
        – The old gang from 2001

Funny…

HRC head Solmonese to join Obama campaign. Hmm…

…

Did HRC under Solmonese try to curry favor with the White House so that the President would speak at their dinners (i.e., help them fundraise) and, ultimately, offer Solmonese a cushy job in the campaign, and then the administration?  Well, it’s certainly a concern a number of us have expressed publicly before, and now it seems to be playing out just as we feared.

Whether it’s appearance or reality….

…but when trans people connect these sorts of dots (five gay male bloggers – including that one – as well as the zombie quasi-publication that used to be the Advocate lying about what a news report said, seemingly doing the lying for no other reason than to churn the existing anti-trans sentiment among the dregs of the already-overly-privileged gay elite?) we’re branded as paranoid and, even worse, not-team-players.

No appletini-laden HRC water bottles for us, eh?