Back2Stonewall:
NGLTF's Rea Carey Must Resign
My blogging pal Will Kohl over at Back2Stonewall wrote quite an angry essay yesterday, so full of piss and vinegar I heard echoes of my criticisms against Gay Inc and NGLTF. This org escapes scrutiny because so many of us are focused with its bigger, more wealthy, more inept sibling the Human Rights Campaign. NGLTF should be put under the community watchdogs' magnifying glass. And Carey should be on an unemployment office line, waiting for her number to be called.
Other than the neutralizing annual Creating Change (ka-ching) gab-fest, occasionally send out releases and attend receptions and movie nights at the Obama White House, what do NGLTF and Carey do for the movement? (Cue the chirping crickets.)
Before we get to Will's piece, lemme point out the the oh-so-NOT-progressive NGLTF is lousy with fiscal transparency. Their About Us page shares no IRS 990 filings and not a single annual report. At least the crappier HRC, after my public berating, now makes available its latest 990s. Carey might follow HRC's example on this.
The image above is from NGLTF's latest IRS 990, which I pried loose from them in May, and it shows that Carey earned $217,000 last year. What a waste of good gay dollars.
I am cross-posting Will's essay with his permission and praise him for doing his part to hold Carey accountable:
This was forwarded today from Rea Carey of the Executive Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force about last nights mid-election results. You remember Rea and the NGLTF. They hold those nifty conferences to raise money that do jackshit and Rea visits the White House and also has "movie nights" with the President in the name of advancing LGBT Rights, and issues press release while collecting a nice paycheck but in reality does ABSOLUTELY FUCKING NOTHING!
Here's what Rea has to say about last night:
"We'll cut to the chase: The shift in the balance of power will very likely slow advancement of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights legislation in Congress. Does this mean a blockade on LGBT rights? Not if we can help it. [...]
"No matter what the political breakdown is in Washington, the Task Force will continue to identify and work with all fair-minded members of Congress who are willing to support and defend equality for LGBT people. Through our New Beginning Initiative, we will continue to push for the administration and its agencies to make tangible changes that benefit lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and our families — changes that can be done without Congress. [...]"
Oh blah, blah, blah, fucking blah.
I would REALLY like to know what tangible changes can be done without Congress? I'd also like to know what, if anything the NLGTF and Rea Carey have substantially done? I mean reallywhat can they claim that REALLY made a difference in our lives.. They exist? They hold conferences, banquets, and represent us. But WHAT THE FUCK have you done other than bow to the DNC and applaud and be grateful for crumbs?!
Now you all may wonder where this anger comes from? Well I'll tell you. For the past two years Rea and NGLTF, Joe Solmonese, and HRC, and others have wasted and squandered what little time that we had to get LGBT rights initiatives pushed and THEY WASTED IT. They swilled cocktails, hung out at the White House and were nothing more then lemmings to the DNC. Time after time countless people, LGBT bloggers, and political reporters warned them that the window was small and they didn't push. And now. NOW after last nights elections, when we have to face that the reality is unless the DADT repeal gets passed in the lame duck session we can look at very little to no LGBT rights advances over the past few years. This BITCH has the nerve to send out a Press Release touting the Task Force and what it can do when it didn't do anything when it had an actual chance?
If Rea Carey and Joe Solmonese had any decency or any conscience for what they cost the LGBT community over the opportunity they wasted over the past two years they would resign. That's the Press release we need to see from you Rea. Your resignation. Because yes the Democrats lost a lot of power last night. But after the past few years it's become clear that we've never had any thanks to you and Gay Inc being so inept.
It's time for you all to go and resign in the shame that you should for the wasted time, broken promises, and just plain bullshit you shovel. The LGBT Community would be much better off with new leaders to take your place.
I wish Will hadn't called Carey a bitch, but it how he feels about her, and as deplorable as name-calling is, this entire piece by Will should be a wake-up to NGLTF and the rest of us: No More Gay Inc Business as Usual!
Bullshit. A word discourages you from doing the right thing? Look Miss Hall Monitor get over yourself. Not everyone is an ideological or professional activist. Folks are allowed to get angry, and with that folks accept their flaws that they have battled for years will show. I hate pc hall monitors. They are as dangerous to the cause as republicans.
ReplyDeleteSeconded on the "bitch." You don't need to employ misogyny when you call someone out.
ReplyDeleteThis blog post has to be the biggest example of someone with a hidden agenda and lack of knowledge I've ever read.
ReplyDeleteNGLTF happens to be one of the most effective LGBT nonprofits in the country. For transparency, I am not a board member or otherwise affiliated. With an open mind you should actually talk to them about their work. On a national basis they are the only LGBT org doing true grassroots organizing.
Funny how much you hate HRC for taking credit for everything (and I agree with you about them) but because NGLTF doesn't tout everything they do on a website or in relentless e-appeals for money, you think you know the full spectrum of their work. I do know. I do see everyday what they do.
Perhaps time would be better spent attacking our real enemies at NOM and other type places.
Lastly, no nonprofit needs to post their 990's on their websites. None of the ones I work with do because we all have to post them in several public places that are not our own websites. Go visit guidestar and charitynavigator and do some homework before attacking people doing good work.
hey devo pro, you're putting me to sleep with the propaganda. funny how you say NGLTF is so effective and omit a single significant thing they did last year, or last two years. if you got proof they accomplished something for us with rea carey's many visits to the white house, do lemme know, ok?
ReplyDeletealso, neither will kohl, whose piece i have cross posted, nor i have a hidden agenda. it is very clear. NO MORE GAY INC BIZ AS USUAL. get used to it.
Another man calling a woman a bitch when he doesn't like what she is doing/saying. We have to be better than that. It stops me cold. Puts a lump in my throat. Sickens me. It also makes me take everything he says and throw it out the window (even when ticked/hurt, I know that is a bad idea). I don't trust that he gives a damn about civil rights if he trashes women like this. Not a shred.
ReplyDeleteBitch was a bad choice of words and I apologize. I was so angry and galled at the Press Release.
ReplyDeleteVery bad on my part. I do apologize for that.
And as for DevoPro. No hiden agenda. It's simply this. We have blamed the Dems for the past 2 years for lack of movement and Gay Inc gets off the hook for thier lousy job in creating a push and then goes on like nothing happened. That is not right.
If HRC and NGLTF were publically owned companies both Solmonese, Carey andmost of their respective boards would have been fired for the horrible jobs they have done and what they have caused us because of it.
They should not be able to go back to as business as usual. Because thier busines as usual.
And as for my "agenda" My agenda is EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL. And as proven over the past few years Carey, Solmonese, and Gay Inc. are not helping
As someone who has worked extensively with the Task Force in a variety of different ways for the past four years, I agreed with almost everything that was said. It is a top-down organization where people are rarely held accountable. While I do agree that their organizing department can be effective if employed properly, a lot of the organization is "fluff" and should be be revamped since it consumes so many of our fund raising dollars.
ReplyDeleteCalling Rea a "bitch" was out of line but this is pretty spot on.
Will- you should have been "busted" for "Bitch" and your referring to your being caught as such makes your apology look insincere. As if it would have been ok had you not been "busted." Another man trying to get his without really believing in equality. I hope we can all be better than you have shown here.
ReplyDeleteDevoPro's comment (even w/ hyperbole removed) suggests much of the current, sad, misguided thinking of mainstream Gay, Inc.-affiliated advisers, donors & leadership. To even insinuate PUBLIC (as in 501c3 status) non-profits don't "need" to make financial info (whether annual reports, 990s, whatever) available to the largest audience is both foolish and potentially (investigation / audit by IRS-worthy) dangerous to the orgs themselves. Let's hope more skilled and regulation-abiding heads are in charge of the checkbooks and vision statements, too. Transparency is mandated, and it's kinda shocking to even have to say so!
ReplyDeletePLEASE take one word focus on it and forget the rest. It's OBVIOUS that it was not used as a slam as her about being a woman. If it was Joe Solmonese and I was angry I would have called him a bitch too. So now no man can say the word bitch or bitchy without being a mysogynist? C'mon. What does that make a woman who calls someone a prick? Or a dick? Can we put the UBER PC aside. I was angryu and I called her that, and as I said I would have called a man the same thing in my anger, BECAUSE THEY BLEW THE ONLY OPPURTUNITY WE HAD FOR THE PAST 2 YEARS AND WIL NOT SEE ANOTHERFOR A VERY LONG TIME. And to boot made almost a half a mil, never apologized for fucking up, and now makes believe that they didn;t screw up. What should I call her? CRIMINAL perhaps?
ReplyDelete