Petrelis Files

NGLTF: Silence Best for Race Questions

During Black History Month?

Nearly two weeks ago, I posed a few questions to the communications director, Inga Sorensen, of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, related to my concerns over their ad campaign featuring only white people in ads for their Winter Party mega-fundraiser in Miami at the end of the month. The questions came up after my initial post about the supreme whiteness of the ad.

Here's what I asked the task force:

Is it racist to exclude black people from the ads? Given that it is Black History Month, could the task force have included blacks to sell tickets to the party? Does the task force have a duty to feature black gays in outreach media, including web ads?

After a few days, and no reply from Inga, I emailed her again, copying the note to her communications colleague Pedro Serrano, and the executive director, Rea Carey. Some phone messages were also left.

I eventually had a phone conversation with executive assistant Julie Childs, who assured me Rea was diligent about addressing bloggers' questions, that the development department was drafting a reply to me, and that a reply was in Rea's queue. Great promises, but not kept.

In her State of the Movement address at the Creating Change conference in Denver, Rea made some interesting remarks about racism and the gay community:

It is not politically correct to challenge racism.

Have we done enough as a community to deal with our own racism and to make sure that our movement is one that reflects the true diversity of LGBT people?
We sure haven't. ...

I have had enough. WE have had enough. ...

Totally fabulous words, but, they're hollow to my ears. I've had enough of NGLTF saying they're leading the community's discussion about racial issues, but when pressed to have a dialogue about their lack of diversity in their White Party ads, the organization's leaders and communications department go mute.

This is all probably not about black or white issues for the task force, but more a matter of raking in some green.

Hey, Rea, why not be really politically incorrect and tell me why your organization can't put black gays in your ads?