Petrelis Files

What Good Came from 
HRC's 'End the Lies' Site?

Among the pretty, shiny baubles the Human Rights Campaign has used in recent years to divert gay eyes away from their failed legislative and political initiatives, and give the appearance of putting activist anger to good use, was the End the Lies web site. Honestly, I forgot all about until I saw a reference about it yesterday.

End the Lies was launched in March 2009, and mainstream gay bloggers such as Pam Spaulding, Jeremy Hooper and Joe Jervis, and the Change.org and AKA William sites, were a few places on the web where much praise was heaped on HRC for creating the site.

I can understand how some folks cling to the incredibly naive belief that HRC is genuinely about pushing gay liberation or fundamental protections for us at the federal level, and they hold out hope that HRC is responding to grassroots calls for them to transform into a fierce advocacy org.

But more than a year-and-a-half later, I would appreciate hearing from HRC and all those who saluted the End the Lies campaign, about what good came of it. Did the rightwingers curb their hatred, lose funding, express remorse over their homophobia, or anything of true significance develop from the campaign?

As far as I can see, HRC achieved short-term positive coverage from a few bloggers and sites, received a few kudos from donors for the effort, many messages from gays were posted at the End the Lies site, no change occurred with our adversaries, and everyone went on to the next bright, shiny HRC ornament.

I guess the End the Lies was a success because this autumn, HRC pulled the same diversionary trick, er, launched another such site, NOM Exposed. If there were hard questions asking why such an effort was needed, while HRC was giving the Democrats a free pass in the November elections, I missed them.

Between End the Lies and NOM Exposed, they haven't done much of substance to advance the HRC agenda, and they sure as heck had zero impact on retaining three Iowa Supreme Court justices who voted for gay marriage, and lost their seats on the bench earlier this month.

What useless bauble of a web site will HRC next spring on the community, under the guise of activism?