Boycott HRC for Honoring Goldman Sachs
As the largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans, the Human Rights
Campaign represents a force of more than one million members and
supporters nationwide — all committed to making HRC’s vision a reality.
HRC is NOT a non profit – and in recent years, I believe, their dinners are all about who throws them the most money. For lobbying. Allegedly.
Now, with this announcement of HRC honoring Goldman Sachs, this publisher, WILL NO LONGER SUPPORT HRC.
Queer/LGBTIQA2Z Occupy Wall Street, a caucus of the NYC based Occupy
Wall Street movement, announced today that it will protest a Human
Rights Campaign (HRC) Gala honoring Goldman Sachs on Saturday February
4, 2012 at the Waldorf Astoria.
In contrast to the $650 a plate Gala, the Queer/LGBTIQA2Z Caucus will
host a “Guerrilla Potluck” on the sidewalk outside of the prestigious
hotel at 50th Street & Park Avenue from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The Queer Caucus: 1. Condemns HRC for honoring Goldman Sachs, 2.
Calls upon HRC to adopt a strategy of Full Equality by 2014, and 3.
Demands that HRC create a transparent process that includes the
grassroots.
1. The Queer Caucus condemns HRC’s decision to honor Goldman Sachs in a
time of financial collapse caused by their own unethical business practices
and greed, and deplores the use of our cause and suffering for
corporate public relations. HRC honoring Goldman Sachs at this time
reveals all one needs to know about the corporate LGBT lobby, and its
disconnect from the 99% and the LGBT people it purports to represent.
2. The Queer Caucus calls upon HRC to embrace the grassroots demand for
Full Federal Equality by 2014 – the 50th Anniversary of the 1964 Civil
Rights Act.
After 60 years of struggle, there is still not a single federal
non-discrimination law protecting LGBT Americans from discrimination.
More incredibly, HRC, the corporate entity that controls our strategy,
is not even seeking equal protection for our community.
To address this, the Queer Caucus calls on HRC to take The Pledge for
Full LGBT Equality to seek and secure full non-discrimination
protections based on sexual orientation and gender identify for all
people.
The right to be protected from discrimination secures a core liberty
interest. And it is the duty of government to protect LGBT Americans
from the harm caused by discrimination as a matter of public welfare,
law and conscience, as it has for decades for all other oppressed
groups.
As HRC restrains the demand for equality, discrimination takes its
insidious toll on LGBT Americans who suffer vast psychological harm
rejected by their families and society, driven to suicide at 5 times the
heterosexual norm by tormenting, minority stress afflictions, and lost
hope.
A whopping 40% of homeless youth identity as LGBT, 66% of Transgender
people have been fired or not hired for a job, 60% of our youth are
taunted and feel unsafe at school, and LGBT people are 6x more likely to
have multiple mental stress disorders due to societal discrimination.
“Homo/transphobia in America is a public health and economic emergency
for our community” said Michael Tikile, an occupier and Duke University
graduate. “We are not safe in school, work or housing. How are we
supposed to live, pursue happiness or achieve economic equality?”
3. The Queer Caucus also demand that HRC open the process with transparency and grassroots inclusion.
Currently, HRC operates under a closed, hierarchical system, controlled
by a financial elite, insulated from grassroots input. Likewise, in
Congress, Democrat House members Barney Frank, Jared Polis and Tammy
Baldwin, keep the grassroots out of the conversation, protecting the DNC
strategy from movement agitation and impact.
With this structure in place, queer occupiers know that only a handful
of privileged voices are setting the national queer agenda and strategy,
defining what “LGBT equality” means and who our friends are.
For example, HRC’s key sponsors includes a long list of big businesses
that contributed to recent economic and environmental distress,
including Citi Bank, Bank of America, Chevron, BP, Shell, Morgan
Stanley, MetLife, Deloitte, Lexus, Prudential, and Ernst & Young. This is BS. HRC should not be taking corporate blood money.
“With all of these companies, you’d expect the power to be on our side!
But instead, our community is simply a tool and pawn in the political
system” said Tanya Walker, an original occupier and tireless transgender
activist.
Simply put, the Queer Caucus demands equal non-discrimination
protections under the 1964 Civil Rights Act because equality is the only
true antidote to LGBT abuse – like it has proven to be for race, sex,
national origin, religion, age and disability – long protected from
discrimination by law.
“Equality and non-discrimination are universal values that define basic
human dignity” said Todd (Tif) Fernandez, a human rights lawyer and
grassroots activist. “It is our civic duty as Americans to protect and
respect the LGBT community immediately.”
Please Take the Pledge for Full LGBT Equality (by 2014) (http://bit.ly/the2014pledge).
Join the Guerrilla Potluck (http://on.fb.me/
Join Queer/LGBTIQA2Z OWS Caucus organizing, Sundays at 1pm, 60 Wall Street or on FB http://on.fb.me/QueerOWS.
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