Petrelis Files

Solmonese Speaks at Sundance;
Bowling for Equality

(At a January 24 panel in Park City, Utah, HRC's executive director talks to a crowd of movie fans. Photo credit: Getty Images.)

The top honcho at the Human Rights Campaign, Joe Solmonese, was unable to attend Rep. Tammy Baldwin's congressional hearing on Friday regarding the Anti-Homosexuality Bill pending in Uganda's Parliament. He was also not present at a protest in December at Uganda's embassy in Washington. Solmonese is not known for engaging in grassroots political activities.

But he sure has time and interest in attending glamorous entertainment functions. Remember how he skipped traveling to New Hampshire in January 2008 during the all-important presidential primary, and instead jetted out to Hollywood for the premiere of the new season of the "The L-Word"?

This past weekend, Solmonese made sure to get his butt to the Sundance film festival and appear on a panel. I guess efforts to repeal Don't Ask/Don't Tell and enact the Employment Non-Discrimination Act are progressing nicely, and there isn't a damn thing for Solmonese and HRC to do on DADT and ENDA in Washington. Snark, snark.

I read today over at AmericaBlog that Senate leaders have not kept a promise to gays to hold hearings on DADT. No need for Solmonese to stick around DC this weekend, or perhaps the early part of this week, and deal with moving a gay agenda forward in Congress and with the Obama administration. The leader of America's largest gay political advocacy org is more interested hitting the red carpets of Sundance.

Before we gays expend significant energy criticizing politicians in Washington screwing us yet again, let's remember the obscenely lame leadership coming from Solmonese and HRC.

By the way, HRC's support committee in San Diego is organizing for their second annual bowling for equality event. Click here for more info, and here is the image for this HRC action.