Comments on: Equality Matters looking for a purpose

By: AndrewW

AndrewW — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 15:36:18 +0000

@John: The Victory Fund seeks to elect LGBT persons to public office and has a strategy for that. That, alone, is not going to create our full equality, but it is certainly a supportable goal.

HRC, GLAAD, TaskForce, EqualityMatters, GE and others have absolutely NO strategy for winning. Just ask them.

By: KenG

KenG — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 05:55:59 +0000

I agree with AndrewW that we need to support advocacy organizations that KNOW HOW TO WIN. Here in California, during the Prop8 Campaign, we actually outspent our opponents and we began the year with a lead in the polls. But our national organizations ran the campaign as if there would be no opposition. Of course the enemy emerged late in the year, and the campaign got predictably ugly. Our commercials were vacuous, symbolic, and run largely on outlets like the Bravo Channel. Theirs were direct, hard-edged, and targeted right at the swing votes. We lost 52-48 on Election Day.

By: John Klenert

John Klenert — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 00:25:15 +0000

I sincerely hope that Andrew W does not include the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund in that category of a non-strategic organization. Our strategy is simple: elect/re-elect open and qualified LBGT to local, state and federal office. What they do once in office is up to the rest of us.

By: AndrewW

AndrewW — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 16:13:47 +0000

GetEqual was formed to “embarrass, humiliate and threaten people into submission.” It is a counterproductive strategy. After wasting more than $1 million doing a dozen publicity stunts, there is NO evidence that they changed any minds or votes. They have not received financial support or participation (unless paying “activists” to show up).

EqualityMatters may be headed down the same unproductive path. It isn’t enough to simply run around town complaining – people know about our lack of equality and they know we have religious-based enemies. Confronting that group doesn’t create ANY change.

Our success depends on educating, enlightening and enrolling people to support our full equality. That requires conversation, not confrontation. Even without GetEqual or EqualityMatters, each of us can talk to friends, neighbors, co-workers and even strangers and ASK them for their SUPPORT.

In addition, not a single one of our myriad of “non-profit” advocates has a strategy to actually win. They exist to survive and have become good at fundraising, not making verifiable progress. We don’t need more paid activists or another high-spending group like EqualityMatters because they do not have a useful purpose. All efforts must be judged by their ability to enroll support, not simply high-profile complaining.