The List:
Who Wants HRC's Solmonese to Resign?
[UPDATE: Go here to see the revised list, now at 55 names.]
I looked around the web today for a listing of all the folks who've called for Joe Solmonese to step down as executive director of the Human Rights Campaign, for various and sundry reasons, and could find no such listing. Let's get one started, small as it may be at this point, just to keep track of the names of gays and others who want Solmonese to go.
The folks on the list have their own motivations for wanting Solmonese's resignation, and some also recognize it will take much more than him leaving for HRC to genuinely evolve and improve.
My personal view is that the top slate of HRC executives and the board of directors need to also step down. Heck, why stop there, I really want the group to just disband and stop its damage to the gay community. Their building can be used to house convicted lobbyists and other white-collar criminals.
If you know of others who've called for Solmonese to leave HRC, send me the URL to where that info is posted. Or if you want to add your name to this list, lemme know, and be sure to include your city or state.
The list of who's publicly called for Solmonese to resign:
Andres Almeida: Co-founder, godlovespoetry.com
Ethan August: Gay comedian, Palo Alto
Paul Barwick: Plaintiff, 1971 gay marriage lawsuit, SF
Dustin Lance Black: Liberal writer, Los Angeles
B. Daniel Blatt: Conservative pundit, California
Paul Brown: Gay businessman, San Francisco
J. Bulsara: Mansfield, OH
Denise Eaker-Hoover: Community builder, Missouri
Maria F.: Verona, Italy
J. Todd Fernandez: Gay activist, New York City
Paulo Sant-Filh: New York, NY
Echo G.: Ashland, OH
Rick Garcia: Equality Illinois, Chicago
Chase Gentry: Old Hickory, TN
Clifford Gooden: Davenport, IA
Stephen Greene: Ellerbe, NC
Jeri Hughes: Transsexual woman, DC
Marc Forrest Kaplan: Activist, North Carolina
M. Vernon Hunt: Reverend/activist/writer, Ohio
Cia Jackson: Aurora, CO
Alex Jory: Valley Village, CA
C.D. Kirven: Activist and writer, Texas
Melissa Kleckner: Writer & straight-ally, New Jersey
Susannah Kegler: San Pedro, CA
Will Kohl: Radical pundit, Ohio
Bridgette LaVictoire: Writer, LezGetReal, Vermont
Brian Martin: Tipton, IN
George Martin: Loule, Portugal
Tom Maxwell: Los Angeles, CA
Rory McCarron: Ashburn, VA
Melanie Nathan: LezGetReal blogger, California
Michael-in-Norfolk: Moderate writer, Virginia
Ingrid Peeters: Torremolinos, Spain
Justan Peterson: Activist, Utah
Michael Petrelis: Radical activist, San Francisco
Robbie at Malcontent: Liberal pundit
Charles Milne: Person w/HIV activist, Oregon & Utah
Chael Montgomery: Gay reblogger, Iowa
De Andre Nickens: Los Angeles, CA
David Phillips: 26 yrs out, 28 yrs w/HIV
Fritz Rathmann: Gay activist, Georgia
Katrina Rose: Attorney & blogger, ENDABlog
Allen Roskoff: Political advocate, New York City
Joelle Ruby Ryan: Transgender professor and writer
Gregg Simmons: Gay advocate, New York City
Pam Spaulding: Liberal writer, North Carolina
Cristi Sturgill: Mount Vernon, KY
Andrew Sullivan: Conservative blogger, DC
Josephine Marie Thane: Transgender woman, Georgia
Carlee Trent: Springfield, OH
David Waterson
Lynn Weaver: Livingston, MT
Nicole Weber: Pasadena, MD
Jennifer White: Community activist
Scott Wooledge: Clarknt67@Daily Kos, New York City
List in formation . . . and comments are welcomed!
26 comments:
Please add me to that list. I'm not a well known person, but I've publicly called for his resignation on Facebook and Twitter.
Justan Peterson---Activist, Utah
Thank you!
J. Todd Fernandez, Activist
Jeri Hughes - Transsexual woman, Washington DC
SSSLIMESE crosses the street if he sees me. he might be a liar, but he isn't stupid.
Please add me to the list. I too am not very well-known, but have called for his resignation through Social Media and emails to HRC.
Melissa Kleckner, Activist, Writer, Student, Straight-ally.
Gregg Simmons Gay Man 48 NY, NY
Under Joe Solmonese HRC has been relegated to a state of complete irrelevancy and ridicule. The Prop 8 and DADT appeals were entirely done by people outside of HRC. These brave individuals risked everything and were ridiculed and derided by HRC. Upon the successful results of the appeals HRC immediately climbed on the band wagon and their fund raising "twinks" on the streets of Manhattan were loudly proclaiming that it was due to the HRC's actions.
Joe knows that the HRC did nothing and should not benefit from appeals that he and HRC tried to stop.
Resign Joe, and take the entire board with you back into your well deserved obscurity.
I realize I didn't state where I am from: NJ.
Cathi Woodward, Activist, Colorado
Andres Almeida, Activist, Co-founder of www.godlovespoetry.com.
Marc Forrest Kaplan Activist
Charlotte, NC
Fritz Rathmann, Statesboro, Georgia
HRC has been useless for a long time, but under Solmonese's "leadership," it has hit rock bottom in relevancy.
Not just Joe, but every top officer and the board should also step down. It's time to put the organization into the hands of the real HRC: those volunteers who don't get invited to the cocktail parties and can't afford $1000 suits; the people who actually do the work.
Chael Montgomery, Reblogger, Waterloo IA
http://www.wechoosefreedom.net
Jennifer White - Community Member/Activist
It has become apparent that people who claim to be our allies and to fight for us, yet profit from our inequality, need to go. It is not in Joe's best interest to see full equality for LGBT people, which may play a huge roll in HRC's failure and apparent lack of real effort to bring about change that is desperately needed and long overdue.
David Phillips
26 yrs out, 28 yrs w/HIV
$0.00 to HRC ever
Paul Barwick - plaintiff, 1971 gay marriage lawsuit, San Francisco
It's time that the self proclaimed largest, richest GLBT rights organization in the country was led by people who spend more time worrying about what they can do for their queer brothers and sisters than about which designer suit to wear.
Fire Solmonese and the entire board of directors and get in some folks who would rather fight for our rights than attend cocktail parties.
Even if we believe that Joe has done good things for HRC and for the movement, the bottom line remains that despite being handed enormous resources of money, time, and political capital, Joe has largely been unable to deliver results at the Federal level. At almost every turn, he has allowed the bar to be lowered to try to achieve success, yet even this strategy of lowering expectations has failed as a strategy for equality. Even if we give him deference for being smart, dedicated, and well intentioned, the movement, and especially HRC, must regroup. It needs to look to new people, new ideas, and new strategies to make all LGBT people fully equal and achieve the full dignity we deserve. So yes, in my opinion, Joe Solomnese should offer his resignation, for the good of the movement.
Add me - though also add that I think his resignation/firing by itself would be yet another a rope-a-dope against the LGBT populace. The entire organization needs to be shut down; its assets liquidated and divided among state and local organizations.
HRC is the gay Whig Party of 2010; its time is over and it needs to disappear.
Katrina Rose, Attorney, Historian and Doctoral Candidate - primary blogger at ENDABlog (http://endablog.wordpress.com)
I would love to have my name added to the list.
Charles Milne, Activist 10+ years, Portland, OR and Salt Lake City, UT, HIV+ 2 years
HRC doesn't even represent the "T" part of "GLBT". Which annoys me the most.
Josephine Marie Thane, transgender woman, musician, and US Citizen, currently living in GA but moving soon.
He is a disgrace to the entire LGBT Community. Time for us as a community to pull a Donald Trump and say, in one united voice: You're Fired! Please add me to the list:
Dr. Joelle Ruby Ryan, Transgender Professor, Activist, and Writer
I'm one too, Joe must go,, if HRC is to survive
Dear Friends,
Thanks for adding your names to the list, and the comments too. Remember to leave me info on city and/or state in which you reside. Much appreciated. -michael
hi SNT,
please share your name and location with me. thanks.
It is time for Joe to go.
Rev. M. Vernon Hunt - Activist/writer, Ohio
Remember when the Republicans thought the world was going to end when Obama demanded that Rick Wagoner resign as CEO of GM? Well, look what happened. Things got a lot better.
We just canceled our $5,000 yearly membership of the Federal Club Council at HRC until he's replaced with someone who follows through on their promises. Joe is ineffectual and loves to be around power but has no power either on Capitol Hill or within the Whitehouse.
Add me to the list, but you all should not be deceived into thinking that the resignation of one man will solve the problem. HRC has been ineffective for most of its existence. Cheryl Jacques and Elizabeth Birch had no more success in accomplishing HRC's primary legislative goals. The problem is not Solomonese, but HRC's entire approach, which is to hire people who have no connections or influence with key Congressional players and who prioritize loyalty to the Democratic party over the HRC's legislative goals. To Anonymous above, take that $5,000 and send it to Maryland (the site of the next great Prop 8-style battle) or Hawaii. Don't waste it on HRC.
- David Waterson
Michael,
You may add me to the list. Also be aware that District seven's new sup Scott Weiner is a former board member of the HRC.
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