Last week was the kind of week that doesn't come around often. But when it does, it's a game-changer. In the space of eight hours the Obama administration announced that it would no longer defend the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act" in court, calling it unconstitutional; the Maryland Senate advanced a bill that would allow gay couples to marry (with the measure now awaiting House action); and Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed that state's recently passed civil union bill into law.
We've had a number of such moments in recent years: when Lawrence v. Texas struck down all sodomy laws in 2003; celebrating the first legal marriages of gay and lesbian couples in Massachusetts in 2004; passage of an LGBT-inclusive federal hate crime law in 2009; and the Don't Ask, Don't Tell repeal vote last year. All these pivotal moments were laid on a foundation of decades of hard work and are a reminder that steady efforts yield progress. We need strong movement organizations to be there, year in and year out, building, sustaining and sometimes reigniting momentum in the pursuit of equal treatment for all Americans.
Yet make no mistake: these are challenging times for LGBT organizations. Today the Movement Advancement Project (MAP) is releasing the results of an in-depth analysis of the financial health of 39 leading organizations in the national LGBT advocacy movement (representing 69 percent of the budgets of all LGBT social advocacy groups). The "2010 LGBT Movement Report," shows that these organizations reported a 20 percent revenue decline from 2008 ($202.7 million) to 2009 ($161.3 million), and further reductions of another 18 percent in their 2010 budgets ($135.4 million).
Yet the economic downturn has not stopped these organizations from advancing equality for LGBT people, or from continuing to show strong signs of financial health and operating efficiency. Despite the challenging fundraising climate, only 12 percent of all combined revenue was spent on fundraising, exceeding the standards of charity watchdogs such as the American Institute of Philanthropy and the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance. While some groups had to scale back programs and take other steps to reduce expenses, the result is financial and operational stability. LGBT movement groups have adequate cash reserves, sufficient funds to cover their current expense obligations, and solid net assets, which suggest institutional durability. Their financial health remains strong.
Given the opportunities and challenges of this movement moment, however, these groups' financial health and base of support could be--and need to be--stronger. MAP analysis shows that fewer than 4 percent of all LGBT adults in the U.S. are donating $35 or more to these organizations. At the same time, just the top 10 anti-LGBT organizations--groups like Focus on the Family, Family Research Council, American Family Association and the National Organization for Marriage--spent $333.1 million in 2009. That amounts to twice the 2009 expenses of all 39 participating LGBT organizations combined ($165.6 million).
And anti-LGBT activists are not slowing down. For example, they are trying to eliminate marriage for same-sex couples in Iowa, New Hampshire and Washington, D.C., and they're trying to pass or introduce anti-marriage amendments in Indiana, and North Carolina. As has been the case following every significant advance the LGBT movement has made, anti-LGBT organizations are responding aggressively to reverse our progress.
In the face of opponents' threats, we will need to sustain and defend the progress, not only of the past week, but of the past few years. In addition to the federal hate crime law and in-progress repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, LGBT advocates have recently secured marriage in Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont and Washington, D.C.; civil unions or domestic partnerships in Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, Oregon and Washington State; LGBT-inclusive anti-bullying laws in Illinois, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey and New York; and a growing number of federal administrative successes.
It can be easy to take these successes and the organizations and advocates who helped make them happen, for granted--particularly when recent headlines seem so hopeful. But with falling LGBT organizational revenue and renewed opponent activity, this would be a mistake.
Given the tiny portion of LGBT adults who give $35 or more to a national LGBT organization, it's worth asking: What could we achieve if 25 percent of LGBT adults gave? Or 50 percent? Or if each LGBT person who gives convinced a straight ally to do the same?
There are over 550 LGBT non-profits nationwide including the 39 organizations listed in the MAP report. No matter what a person's interest--local, state, federal; advocacy, litigation, public education, services, arts and culture--there is a group doing essential work in that field.
Amid the current fiscal challenges, the ability of LGBT movement organizations to seize emerging opportunities and defend hard-won progress is critical. How far and fast our movement can go in the months and years to come depends not just on the legal, political and cultural climate, but also on the resources we can bring to the table and the willingness of the LGBT community and its allies to support this work.
Jay Michaelson: Who Are the Real Sodomites?
When was the last time HRC or GLAAD held an event in the much maligned fly-over states where most of us live?
The civil rights movement took the battle to the segregated south. Our rights movement seems to want to take it to a cocktail party hosted by celebrities. So until I see HRC working in Little Rock, Birmingham or Nashville, I don't feel any obligation to give them money.
However, I donate to local charities which are working right here in Louisiana.
The homophobes in America are becoming older and older and their numbers smaller, because the bigoted generation is dying off. Clearly, young people are "getting" it and I have hopes that when younger generations are the majority in this country, discrimination against gay people will be nearly a thing of the past.
Let's stop comparing ourselves to other countries when it comes to advancing our rights. We need to focus on the goals and find any way possible to get there. Europe is not the progressive mecca that everyone would like to believe. I lived there for many years. I KNOW!
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HRC was raking in around $50 million dollars a year for over a decade and were never able to get ENDA passed. They spoke out against filing the court cases against Prop 8 and DOMA that are now making their way through the courts, and in the last few years attempted to give cover for non-action by the Democrats by supporting the White house when they said there would be no movement on don't Ask repeal. Additionally, their head, put out a memo telling LGBT's that everybody should be quiet for eight years until Obama was out of office and his results could be looked at.
Donations to HRC dropped, Get Equal sprang up, Congress was pressured with protests, and in spite of White house reluctance, a DADT repeal was brought up. Obama did not make one phone call in support of it. It failed, then the election came and left wing Dems stayed home. The dems got hurt in the election and SUDDENLY, during the lame duck session a DADT repeal get passed. This time Obama called senators to lobby for it.
It isn't donations to the national gay organizations, who are staffed by party shills, that got progress. It was grass roots activism tied together by a loosly organized umbrella that got work done.
The long-overdue directive came from President Barack Obama, who is slowly changing his position on the constitutionality of gay marriage.
However, in an interview on Sunday night, Speaker Boehner was asked if the Republican leadership in Congress would consider hiring a special counsel to defend DOMA, as was recommended by the vehemently anti-gay former Sen. Rick Santorum. Boehner responded, "It's an option being considered," and added that he would likely have a decision on how to proceed "by the end of the week."
I just signed a petition telling Speaker Boehner not to waste taxpayer dollars defending the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act.
Can you sign the petition too? Click below to take action.
http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/boehner_doma/?r_by=17352-3074172-2r40Vux&rc=paste1
You are COMPLETELY 100% incorrect.
Holder IS ENFORCING DOMA.
At HRC, they have favored the personal interests of Joe Solmonese and his nearly $400,000 a year salary. Rather than holding the WH accountable, Solmonese spent time at the WH trying to get himself a job in the administration.
This kind of behavior and the "fundraisers" that GLAAD puts on that cost as much as they receive in donations have got to stop. Maybe the best thing would be for these groups to disband and make room for new groups who are focused on LGBT rights.
Imagine, if the 50 million dollars HRC brought in every year for over a decade had been donated to groups that really wanted movement, what could have happened!
Lets call out what needs to be called out----Fair and Reasoned Arguments and Position.
Thanks--I needed that!
Generally, we've created a movement impervious to change, antithetical to democracy and the ideals of transparency and accountability. 10 donors in each group are calling the shots, completely insulated from public view - who are they?
We need an independent Movement Oversight Committee to dig deep into how our groups operate and how decisions that affect 25 million of us are made by self-appointed perpetuating boards - and donors - with no elections and no public participation. (The NAACP by contrast is democratically run I hear).
We need an analysis of the relationship of these major donors to the Democratic National Committee, and the conflicts of interest inherent in any partisan set-up. How is it for example that we continue to stand down at each election, and never protest or push the Democrats - or "allies" - to demand our equality.
As it stands, we have NOT A SINGLE federal non-discrimination protection for SO or GI violating every international law norm, approx. 44 states with laws or Constitutional amendments against marriage equality, 40 states without school protections, and 29 states w/out even job protections!?!
Clearly to win equality, we'll need to join forces and create a national coalition, with an open process to determine strategy, hire real campaign experts, the best media talent, etc. But coalitions undermine backroom control...
So Major Donors: Tell us: Where is our coalition? And who are you?
1-one would make it legal to discriminate against gays for jobs, shopping, rentals etc...if you say it is against your religion.
2- the other would forbid country recorders from issuing marrige certificates to same sex couples and a clause in the bill says the courts can not review this law. there is a little known section in our constitution allowing for that