Internal Report: Major Diversity, Organizational Problems At Human Rights Campaign

[+ ArVaGuy]

As gays, we are quick to call out hypocritical behavior in others, especially if they are politicians or religious leaders who do not agree with Gay Rights. The zeal to which some in our community celebrate the downfall of those we do not like is, imho, a major character flaw.

 

How often do we hold our own community leaders to account in the Gay Rights movement? Seldom, if at all, has been my experience in the 25 plus years I've lived in DC and been out of the closet. My early years living in DC pretty much burned me out on the so called "Gay leadership." There's a lot more window dressing than substance coming from the groups that advocate for our rights that many refuse to admit.

 

Case in point, the Human Rights Campaign. "America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve LGBT equality." Appalling, that is the word that comes to mind after reading this Buzz Feed article about the Human Rights Campaign. Disappointing is the second, followed by not surprised based on experience. Here's the link: http://www.buzzfeed.com/chrisgeidner/internal-report-major-diversity-organizational-problems-at-h?utm_term=4ldqpia#.doo5ZbP1e

 

Following an internal investigation by a third party, HRC is described as "white men's club" with "major diversity and organizational problems." I'd always heard of issues at HRC and many other Gay Rights groups over the years, but not to the level outlined by Buzz Feed. Among issues cited by the Pipeline Project are the following:

 

“Leadership culture is experienced as homogenous — gay, white, male,” the report stated. “Exclusion was broad-based and hit all identity groups within HRC. A judgmental working environment, particularly concerning women and feminine-identified individuals, was highlighted in survey responses.”

 

“Disparate treatment toward women and those with ‘soft skills’ was frequently cited by staff — both men and women — and there is a sense that if you operate outside of that orientation, you will not be successful at HRC.”

 

“Younger staff in particular are exploited and not rewarded financially.” Another said, “Straight women and lesbians get sexist treatment from gay men at HRC.”

 

"There is visible misogyny (cutting women off, only addressing other white men)."

 

"We are supposed to be fighting for people who are being discriminated against and marginalized, however we at HRC are discriminating against people and marginalizing people in the workplace."

 

"Trans* staff are frequently tokenized – asked to be part of a group, comment on an issue, or educate other staff because of their identity and not because it’s part of their job. There’s a fine balance between never being asked and feeling relied up on to be the trans* voice."

 

"Trans* people don’t feel safe to come out at HRC. People work for years at HRC before coming out as trans."

 

"Trans* people are frequently mis-gendered with the wrong pronouns, after repeated corrections. Pronoun use is not emphasized enough in introductions at HRC. People “stare blankly at you when you bring this up.” There needs to be a much stronger emphasis on gender pronoun usage and its importance."

 

If the above examples involved a major corporation or conservative organization, I would not be too surprised. But when the alleged largest organization fighting for LGBT equality engages in practices better suited to a private club full of racist bigotry I'm disgusted. That the Gay Community is kept in the dark about these things by mainstream and gay media is criminal. That many LGBT people blindly follow these "leaders" is an absolute absurdity. I could only imagine what would happen if the co-founder of a conservative advocacy group, as well as being a major Republican fundraiser, was alleged to have had sex with a fifteen year old and been arrested. The outcry would be deafening. In the case of HRC, there's little to no coverage of the issue in the media.

 

I encourage those so inclined to read the PDFs attached to the Buzz Feed article. There's even more shocking details about the Gay White Males Club otherwise called the Human Rights Campaign.

[McLeanspider]

It doesn't surprise me at all...

[+ quoththeraven]

I'm not surprised either. It's for reasons like this that my daughter, who used to identify as pansexual and now considers herself asexual and aromantic (that is, not interested in sexual or romantic relationships), doesn't want to have anything to do with organizations dominated by white gay men. She thinks they're hidebound and not progressive enough, especially on gender/trans issues.

[+ Charlie]

I have been involved with gay rights organizations since long before Stonewall, and there is nothing here that surprises me. With rare exceptions, the "inclusive" organizations have usually been founded by gay white men, run by gay white men, with a focus on the values and concerns of middle-class gay white men. But that is generally true of American organizational patterns, whether one looks at political parties, corporations, or religion. It is baked into our cultural DNA.

[+ quoththeraven]

I have been involved with gay rights organizations since long before Stonewall, and there is nothing here that surprises me. With rare exceptions, the "inclusive" organizations have usually been founded by gay white men, run by gay white men, with a focus on the values and concerns of middle-class gay white men. But that is generally true of American organizational patterns, whether one looks at political parties, corporations, or religion. It is baked into our cultural DNA.

 

Which is why self-examination and reports like this are useful. In thirty or fifty years, organizations that haven't kept up with demographic and social changes will fall by the wayside. See my remarks above about my twentysomething daughter for whom the Caitlyn Jenner story is probably ho-hum. She's more in the agender/genderqueer/who the fuck cares about gender camp. In this case, I don't know who's a bigger influence: her on me or me on her.

[MsGuy]

What Charlie said.

 

Somebody a lot smarter than I once observed that gays are the only minority who grow up as family members of the majority.

 

That's a pretty powerful insight, or so I think. Explains a lot about who and how we are.

 

Most middle-class gay white men have been white and middle-class guys for a lot longer than they have been self aware as gay.

[rvwnsd]

Not at all surprising. I've attended some of their functions and they pretty much skewed white male. Also, not sure what exactly they have accomplished. They didn't do much to help the fight against Prop 8 in CA or against similar measures in other states.

[+ ArVaGuy]

Not at all surprising. I've attended some of their functions and they pretty much skewed white male. Also, not sure what exactly they have accomplished. They didn't do much to help the fight against Prop 8 in CA or against similar measures in other states.

 

Several years ago I attended the HRC annual dinner held here in DC as the guest of a major hotel company. President Obama was the keynote and Cindy Lauper was the entertainment. It was a grand event with major DC political figures and corporations in attendance. No expense was spared that's for sure. After all, HRC has a reputation for throwing some kick ass A-list events. That was certainly the case here, I learned from a vendor at the event, who also contracts for me, that the screen on the stage that evening cost $95k alone.

[rvwnsd]

Several years ago I attended the HRC annual dinner held here in DC as the guest of a major hotel company. President Obama was the keynote and Cindy Lauper was the entertainment. It was a grand event with major DC political figures and corporations in attendance. No expense was spared that's for sure. After all, HRC has a reputation for throwing some kick ass A-list events. That was certainly the case here, I learned from a vendor at the event, who also contracts for me, that the screen on the stage that evening cost $95k alone.

 

Raising awareness is expensive.

[rguer]

It'll be more interesting if these civil rights leaders of the supposed gay agenda didn't limit themselves to the concerns of only white masculine urban gay male with executive skills

 

Well, you know what Willie Sutton said.

[+ Topseed]

I was a Federal Club level contributor to HRC. Past tense. HRC is a group of rich white men who throw expensive parties to convince each other how "cutting edge" they are. Nothing could be farther from the truth. If it was up to HRC, gay marriage would be nowhere close to where it is now. I gave up on HRC a long, long time ago.

[+ Cash4Trash]

And they have a history of trying to take credit for the work of others.

[curiousnomore]

Whether the group in question is: a religion, a political party, a labor union, a special interest group. The leadership has one objective: to stay in power. If they ask for your allegiance, AND your money, be careful. If you believe in the cause, follow your conscience.

[rvwnsd]

...HRC is a group of rich white men who throw expensive parties to convince each other how "cutting edge" they are. Nothing could be farther from the truth....

 

A few years ago I had a couple of dates with a guy who portrayed himself as being very "involved" with the local LGBT center. I happen to volunteer there as a group facilitator. His "involvement" was to attend their annual gala. He asked me one day why I didn't support them in the same manner he does. I explained that giving a fairly substantial amount of money (which my employer matched dollar for dollar) and two hours per week of my time was more impactful than attending a lavish party. He didn't get it.

 

Note: After re-reading my post, I realized it implied the local LGBT center is as ineffective as the HRC. That could not be farther from the truth. It actually spends an above-average amount on programs that benefit the LGBT community in San Diego.

[+ ArVaGuy]

HRC has a bad habit of playing fast and loose with its membership numbers. The group claims to be the largest LGBT lobbying organization. But HRC counts anyone who ever gave a dollar or even an email address as an active member. This is not a standard practice in the nonprofit sector.

[+ Charlie]

Let's be honest: organizing to achieve a clear (and often rigidly conceived) goal is something that middle-class white men do very well. Women and minorities in America usually end up imitating those men's thinking and methods to be successful. HRC operates like most other issues-oriented organizations, and all of them try hard to present themselves as purer in spirit and operation than they probably are. Their main function is lobbying the powers that be, and the elements of successful deal-making are generally offensive to idealists when they are revealed. Call me a cynic, but I would expect to find similar disheartening facts about most major issues organizations.

 

The first gay rights rights organization I was involved with, in the pre-Stonewall era, was founded by a white lesbian couple, but included gay men as well. One of those men decided to take over the organization to push a more radical agenda than the women were comfortable with (BTW, I agreed with his agenda--I thought the women's approach was too accommodationist). After his coup, all the women soon dropped out, except for one attractive young academic. Naturally, the men elected her vice-president; she had no influence within the organization, but she was often used as the face of the organization, to further the illusion that it was an inclusive LG group (no Bs or Ts, however). It's a pattern I have seen again and again in the various gay organizations I have belonged to or supported over the last half century, including AIDS organizations. One demographic group always dominates, and it is almost always middle-class white men. The "membership" may include many minorities, but most of the organizations are no more functionally integrated than American public schools.

 

Palm Springs promotes itself as a wonderfully diverse, progressive community in which everyone is welcomed and integrated as an equal, and it certainly is true as official policy. However, the official and unofficial power structure of the town is made up entirely of Anglo men--gay and straight--plus a single Anglo woman--lesbian--city council member. Yet, 90% of the students in the Palm Springs public school system have Hispanic last names. Their families must be somewhere in town, but they are not represented in the visible structure of the community. This seems to me to be emblematic of how organization really works in America. Whether it is how organization should work is another question.

[+ quoththeraven]

Are there any national organizations worth contributing to, or is it better to contribute to and volunteer for local LGBTQIA organizations? I'm thinking of inclusivity, organization prowess, and fiscal efficiency of the type that organizations like Charity Navigator try to measure.

 

I'm not sure how much of the problem is due to the feeling that various subgroups have competing or opposed interests or the mostly unconscious but nevertheless effective operation of white male privilege, but from my perspective it's a big deal. I also get hacked off my groups that think there's one right way to be anything, including gay. Gah.