Tag Archives: useless

HRC Corporate Equality Index Perfect Scoring Companies Come Out Against LGBT Equality In Missouri

HRC Pink Paint

Further proof that HRC’s Corporate Equality index is a farce.

In Missouri,  two leading business groups — the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Associated Industries of Missouri — have come out against a proposal to amend the state’s existing Human Rights statute to include LGBT people against discrimination.  The Associated Industries of Missouri (AIM) appears to be led by several businesses that received perfect scores of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2016 Corporate Equality Index.

From The News Tribune:

Ray McCarty, executive director of AIM, told the News Tribune his organization is against the state mandating any new protected class of people to that statute. He said many companies AIM represents already have internal non-discrimination policies relating to LGBT people. …

McCarty said employees not in the LGBT community could claim to be gay or transgender if they anticipate being fired and file a discrimination lawsuit against their employers. Unlike gender, race or disability, McCarty said it’s difficult for employers to know if their employees are in the LGBT community. Therefore, the burden of proof — knowing whether an individual is in the LGBT community during the time of termination — falls on the employer when a lawsuit is filed, he said.

“We don’t support discrimination of any kind, but because it is such an area that’s going to require decision-making at the company level, it should be something a company does with its own policy that they can change policy in order to adapt,” McCarty said. “The law is not so easy to change, and somebody can abuse the law by bringing a lawsuit against an employer.”

Last August the AFL-CIO’s Pride at Work called upon “all labor unions, labor federations, and labor-affiliated organizations to cease funding HRC at all levels” over the obvious problems that HRC has with it’s Corporate Index.

Anti-Gay Hate Groups Take Advantage of The FRC Shooting, While GLAAD and HRC Fumble AGAIN

Yesterday Bryan Fischer of The American Family Association, Matt Barber of the Liberty Council, and Brian Brown of the National Organization for Marriage all pounced on the horrible shooting at the Family Research Council to use it as a smokescreen against their official designations as “hate groups” by the Southern Law Poverty Center and  blame it on to the SLPC

Today 24 hours later, Family Research Council president Tony Perkins also is blaming the Southern Poverty Law Center for Floyd Corkins opening fire at his group’s HQ yesterday.

“Floyd Corkins was given a license to shoot an unarmed man by organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center that have been reckless in labeling organizations hate groups because they disagree with them on public policy,” Perkins said on Fox News today. “I believe the Southern Poverty Law Center should be held responsible that is leading to intimidation of what the FBI has characterized as domestic terrorism.”

It’s ridiculous for Tony Perkins and his usual bunch of anti-gay activist to be placing blame on the Southern Poverty Law Center for violence directed against the Family Research Council, when the FRC and other groups has encouraged, justified, and provoked who knows how much violence against gays through their reckless hate speech for decades. buts that not stopping them from doing so and also using the GOP and the right-wing  plaster this message all over the internet, papers, and television stations.

Yesterday over 40 LGBT organizations issued a joint statement through GLAAD renouncing the violence and sending “sympathy” to the FRC. Now after 24 hours of these anti-gay hate groups using this tragic event to their own advantage with these ridiculous allegations what have GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign, and The Task Force done?

NOTHING.

According to Rich Ferraro GLAAD’s Communications Director who incidentally helped so royally screw up the whole Chick-fil-A mess. “Right now we’re watching how the media is treating this story moving forward. Also doing some education behind the scenes on what FRC is all about. If the media picks up his narrative and runs with it over the next day or so, then yes we will be ready to jump in and explain that the only thing SPLC has done is call attention to FRC’s own words and deeds.”

Yeah that’s really going to  help.   Jump in AFTER they had a few days to get every right-wing loon behind them like Dana Loesch and the Brietbart crew and they saturate the mainstream media with lies, garbage and use the wrong reasons to get their point across and push it home THEN say something just like with with the Chick-fil-A fiasco.

And the really sad thing is that if and/or when Ferraro and GLAAD do eventually jump in and say something they will propbably keep on  their usual track of ineptitude and say it’s about all about same-sex marriage.  *snort*

And where the hell is the Human Rights Campaign and the Task Force in all this?  ALL of Gay Inc. should be out in force now appearing on news shows and issuing press releases now that it is crystal clear that the FRC and others are using this event to their own advantage and incidentally destroy the Southern Law Poverty Center.

But they say nothing, and they wait.

These are our LGBT leaders.

This is Gay Inc.

And this is exactly why we are always getting fucked.

 

Ohio Legislators Pass Stripped Down Anti-Bullying Law Void Of LGBT, Disability, and Race Protections

Earlier this year we heard about the Michigan State Senate and it’s “license to bully” Anti-Bullying Law where Michigan Senate Republicans inserted a provision that allowed for exceptions to the law for “a sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction.” the exemption was eventually stripped from the bill after much controvery and publicity but the eventual reworked bill did not specifically adress bullying based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Well Ohio has gone one step further with Ohio Senate Education Committee passing the  “Jessica Logan Act,” designed to stop harassment of students on and off campus but the the committee would only HB116 at the last minute when it was stripped the provision , “that would prohibit bullying based on any real or perceived characteristics of the student, such as race, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity, and the bill did not include enumeration of particular characteristics.” according to Equality Ohio director Ed Mullen.

So basically this law protects no one and is so vauge that is give authority figures an “out” to ignore bullying of LGBT students, diabled students, or student bullied by race because they either don’t want to stop it or  perceive it as wrong.

Which basically makes this bill as useful as Clay Aiken judging the Miss Nude USA pageant.

Not only is this an outrage.  But whats even more an outrage is that no LGBT news sources are reported it.  And that might be Equality Ohio’s own fault because according to thier press release they are only “disappointed” not mad as hell as any other gay advocate rights group might be.

Only in Ohio kids.  Only in Ohio.

The REAL Reason HRC Gave A Pass To The Companies Behind The TN Anti-Gay Bill – MONEY!

Yesterday The Human Rights Campaign issued a statement about the Tennessee’s LGBT hate law SB 632/HB 600 that repealed LGBT protections in Nashville and set into place a law effectively outlaws all local LGBT rights laws statewide and bans any future discrimination protections not already offered by the state of Tennessee which of course does not include sexual orientation.

HRC’s Statement read:

“In an apparent attempt to score cheap political points, Tenn. Governor Bill Haslam has ignored the business community and signed into law a bill that wipes out county and city anti-discrimination laws, despite the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry reversing their earlier support and now opposing the bill. The measure – SB 632/HB 600 – passed the legislature last week and was designed to remove protections for LGBT Tennesseans by prohibiting cities and counties from enacting discrimination bans. Since there are no state protections for sexual orientation or gender identity, the Governor’s signature of this bill becomes a green light for anti-LGBT discrimination across the state…….Discrimination should have no place in the Volunteer State and the Chamber [of Commerce]’s opposition to this law sent a strong signal that corporations are on the leading edge of positive change. In contrast Governor Haslam has put discrimination ahead of the state’s values and even business interests by signing this horrible legislation.” – Joe Solmonese

The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and some o the following companies that were behind this bill: Nissan, FedEx, AT&T, Comcast, DuPont, Pfizer, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Caterpillar, KPMG, Whirlpool, Embraer, Alcoa, and United HealthCare.  Did indeed come out against the bill. ONLY after they were caught and it was apparent that they knew the ramifications of this Bill against the LGBT population of Tennessee and ONLY when it was too late to do any good. 

The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce held its statement until 20 seconds literally 20 seconds – before the governor signed the bill into law, making it utterly worthless

So why is Joe Solmonese and the HRC, the United States’ largest LGBT advocacy group giving the companies listed above that worked with the GOP and the religious right to push this hateful anti-gay bill a “get out of jail free card”?  MANY of them are highly rated on HRC Equality Index and are also HRC Sponsors.

A simple Google search shows:

Comcast – Annually sponsors various Annual HRC Fundraising Galas   *AT&T    Donates and sponsors HRC Events and even has an award named after it, the AT&T E-Hero Award  which is presented at the HRC Fundraising Gala.  *DuPont has been recognized by the Human Rights Campaign as one of the best places to work for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender peopleDupont has been officially recognized as one of the BEST companies for LGBT workers.  *Pfizer is a sponsor of HRC and has also scored a 100% on HRC’s Equality Index for 6 consecutive years.  *Blue Cross/Blue Shield sponsors the HRC Equality Gala in North Carolina.  *Whirlpool’s  Mark McLane is currently the Director of Global Diversity of Whirlpool is on the HRC Business Council and Whirlpool also scored a perfect 100% on HRC’s Equality Index

In less than 10 minutes I found out that almost half the companies involved in backing Tennessee’s LGBT hate law SB 632/HB 600 are sponsors of, and have connections to the Human Rights Campaign.   THIS is the real reason HRC is giving them a pass and has sent out press releases with enough “spin” to make a whirling dervish nauseous to cover for the companies asses that are involved.

Obviously money and sponsorship to keep their Gala’s rolling, their 8 million dollar headquarters all nice and shiny, and Joe Solmonese’s 350k a year salary intact is more important than standing up, putting the blame where it should lay and the LGBT Community’s Equality.

I’m not really a religious man to say the least, but there is a passage from the Bible that rings true.

No man can serve God and Money.  And obviously in the HRC’s case, the HRC cannot serve Equality and Money. The HRC should be ashamed.  And we should be ashamed to have them as “our leaders”

A time for a change has come. 

Video – GLAAD Media Award Nominee Miller Brewing Company Airs Homophobic Commercial.

GLAAD has nominated  the Miller Brewing Company for a Media Advertising Award this year for its Miller Lite brand making the case once again that there is no reason for GLAAD to exist and they are woefully out of touch, off base, and in it for the money. 

If not how could they nominate Miller for an award while the company is responsible for this commercial.

GLAAD you are an embarrassment.

Joe Solmonese and The Human Rights Campaign Send A Letter To Obama Asking Foa A "Stop-Loss Executive Order" To Stop Discharges Under DADT A Year Late and 7.9 Million Dollars In Revenue Short

As reported this morning the HRC is facing an almost 20 percent loss in donations from the LGBT Community in 2010  which in most par due to the horrible handling of LGBT \righst issues including ENDA and of course DADT.

Today Joe Solmonese wrote a heartfelt rambling letter to President Obama finally after over a year and a half of asskissing,cocktail parties and  listening and drooling over the Obama Administration’s lies and unkept  promises.  NOW the HRC FINALLY asks Obama to “issue a stop-loss order suspending enforcement of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

This is one of the first letters they should have put on Obama’s desk. And, even if 2009 was all about finances and health care, then they should have pushed him to put it firmly on his 2010 agenda last year.  The HRC had a responsibility to the LGBT Community to stand up and be strong from the start and not stare with stars in their eyes at being invited to the White House for cocktails.

 THIS is just further proof of the HRC’s ineptness and just how useles and removed from the REAL LGBT community that they are.

You can read Solomeses’ rambling letter to Obama after the jump.  Which is actually kind of sad and pathetic because no matter how strong “Little Joe” tries to come on in the letter.  He still sounds like a simpering, fawning fool.
Dear Mr. President:

Years from now, students of the movement for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality (LGBT) will no doubt see this fall as a pivotal period in the history of our struggle for fundamental fairness. In January, we were all inspired by your State of the Union pledge to end our nation’s discriminatory ban on open service by gays and lesbians. Equally inspiring was the testimony in support of repealing the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law by the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. We have come so far, but the only true measure of success is whether the thousands of brave gay and lesbian Americans who are serving their country, and the many more who want to serve their country, can do so openly and honestly. We have not yet met that goal, and without your leadership and unparalleled efforts, this historic opportunity to remove a stain of discrimination from our nation will pass all of us by.

Last week, lawyers for your administration asked for an emergency stay from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, seeking to end a worldwide injunction of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law while they work to overturn a federal judge’s conclusion that this law – one that you have called discriminatory and contrary to our national security on many occasions – offends the protections of our Constitution. I continue to struggle with how your administration can defend a law you oppose, and how it could be even remotely constitutional for a statute to single out one group of brave Americans, because of who they are and who they love, and order them serve in silence and deception. How can our government have a duty to defend a statute that is clearly so contrary to our Constitution’s guarantee of equality for all?

The Ninth Circuit’s decision to stay Judge Phillips’s decision further frustrates repeal advocates and puts a bright spotlight on you to reconcile this endless legal wrangling with your public promise to end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” While we continue to call on your Administration not to appeal, if the Justice Department does insist on defending this discriminatory law, I strongly urge you to instruct government lawyers to inform the appellate court that the Executive Branch believes that the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law is unconstitutional. I agree with the esteemed lawyer and former head of the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice, Walter Dellinger, that such a move would send the Ninth Circuit a critically important message.

Furthermore, the litigation strategy challenging “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is made all the more critical by the challenges a legislative repeal has faced in Congress. While the House approved repeal by a wide margin, the Senate’s first and second attempts to move forward on the critical Defense Authorization bill were stymied by Republican obstructionists looking to score political points before the midterm elections. There is still an opportunity for the Senate to send the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to your desk in the lame duck session, but it will not happen if you do not put the full weight of the Office of the President of the United States behind it. Republican opponents would rather see the Defense Authorization and everything in it – military pay raises, critical armor and equipment for our troops, health coverage for their families on the home front – fail than let gays and lesbians serve their country openly. This is an outrageous insult to our troops, to their Commander-in-Chief, and to the Defense Department charged with their operations and their care. You and Secretary Gates must be full partners in making clear to Senators that it is doubly unacceptable to hold hostage the needs of every soldier, sailor, airman and Marine in a desperate attempt to preserve a law that flies in the face of the American ideals they sacrifice to protect every day.

It is because “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is contrary to our core values as a nation that it must end. And we must have a durable solution – legislative repeal or a solid judicial decision. But if those fail, you must not allow another day to go by in which a brave gay or lesbian service member is discharged based simply on sexual orientation. HRC has urged your administration, privately and publicly, for more than a year to use every tool at your disposal as Chief Executive to at least significantly reduce discharges, if not end them entirely. More can be done in this regard.

You can and should issue a stop-loss order suspending enforcement of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” This discriminatory law has already deprived our military thousands of service members, many with critical skills in fighting terrorism. You have acknowledged that it harms our national security. If we fail to achieve legislative repeal this year, and if you will not abandon the defense of this discriminatory law in court, then it is imperative that you use your clear authority as President to end the discharges. Anything less is unacceptable.

We have fought long and hard to get this close to ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” We pledge to continue that fight, every step of the way, until this unjust law is gone for good. Future generations will look back at this moment – we must not let it become a setback in the long march toward full equality, but instead make it the turning point it is poised to become.

Sincerely,
Joe Solmonese

2010 GLAAD Media Awards – Another Gay Organization, Another Glitzy Party For The Gay Elite

The GLAAD Media Awards which salute fair, accurate and inclusive representation of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives in the media was held Saturday night in a glitzy and expensive ceremony at the Hyatt Regency. (Your donation dollars at work!) Winners – chosen from 152 nominees in 32 categories – were awarded at a March ceremony in New York, while the remainder will be presented at a San Francisco ceremony in June.Last nights ceremony spotlighted the “major” catagories.

Glee won “Best Comedy” and “Glee” creator Ryan Murphy told the audience that next season “Kurt” (Chris Colfer) would have a boyfriend and they would be school prom kings. (OMG, SPOILER MUCH MURPHY?!) Colfer who is is gay; along with lesbian actress Jane Lynch were both on hand.

Other winners included Logo’s “RuPaul’s Drag Race” for outstanding reality program and “A Single Man” for outstanding wide release film. “A Single Man” director Tom Ford wasn’t on hand to receive his trophy. His partner Richard Buckley accepted the award on Ford’s behalf because the filmmaker was stranded in London thanks to the volcanic cloud of ash.

Constance McMillen, the lesbian Mississippi teenager who challenged her school district’s ban of same-sex prom dates, presented comedian-actress Wanda Sykes with the Stephen F. Kolzak Award, which is given by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation to an openly gay member of the entertainment community for their work toward eliminating homophobia.

“I’m willing to give this award to you,” Sykes teased McMillen, “but I’m not gonna do it. It means a lot to me.”

Also openly lesbian Iron Chef” Cat Cora presented actress-director Drew Barrymore with the Vanguard Award, which honors efforts to increase visibility and understanding of the gay community.  “The thing that means the most to me about an evening like this, and why I want to fight and be outspoken about this is because there are so many people who are in desperate need of families,” Barrymore said.

Adam Lambert, the glam-rocking “American Idol” runner-up who raised eyebrows with his racy performance at last year’s American Music Awards, capped off the ceremony hosted by transgender actress Candis Cayne and gay actor Wilson Cruz with a performance of his tunes “Music Again” and “Fever.” He ended by pleading for diversity within the gay community.  (Perhaps Adam should have pleaded for diversity within the human race.)

Another party for the elite held with your donations.

Fucking beautiful.

The NGLTF Conference! – Creating Change? Or Creating A Soiree’?

Creating Change, the annual conference from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, kicks off today in Dallas.
So for $350 + Hotel + Meals + Airfare some two thousand LGBT activists, Will be liestening to Dan Choi speak and going to some workshops before they bum rush the stage to see dance troop Vogue Evolution perform, clamoring for the gift bags stuffed with samples from the conference’s sponsor Wet Lube, do some shopping fro various vendors and attend all the evening events.  (aka Parties)

THIS is how Gay Inc. works.

The NGLTF makes a lot of money with this conference, but we don’t get anything except Rea carey issuing some statements throughout the year.

What a joke.

Even the trailer is lame.