'We Represent All LGBT Californians'
There may be a new A-gay at the helm of Equality California, but the same old arrogant attitude of the organization and last executive director rage on. From today's Bay Area Reporter:
"We represent all LGBT Californians, whether they donate to us or not," [EQCA ED Roland] Palencia said during an interview with the Bay Area Reporter. "I talk to everyone that wants to talk to me." ...
My email invitation to the town hall meeting where the gay community was allowed to vote on permitting EQCA to speak for every one of us must have been sent to the wrong addy. When did we all get a say about EQCA being the entire community's rep? Of course, we didn't, just as we don't see them holding regular public forums.
Recall EQCA's board failed to organize any open sessions about the ED position before Palencia was hired, the board was influenced by ex-member and AT&T lobbyist Troop Coronado for years more than the average gay person, and the board includes Stuart Milk of Wilton Manors, Florida, the gay opportunist nephew of Harvey Milk.
EQCA does not represent me, and quite a few other LGBT people in California. We have major issues with the group and the elitists running it, not to mention how their agenda is not addressing the Social Security and Medi-Cal cuts low income gay Californians are grappling with.
Over at Box Turtle Bulletin, I made EQCA critic Timothy Kincaid aware of the BAR piece. He penned the excellent "Good-bye, Equality California" column that I encourage everyone to read. Here's his reaction to today's article:
What I learned from that puff piece is that Palencia is not yet sure what to do about Prop 8, if there “any gaps of inequality” that address the gay community, or how to get input from living breathing gay people, but he is sure that we need to focus on issues such as health care disparities and address systemic issues of racial justice.
Oh, and that LGBT issues are not in isolation, so EQCA will belong to every community.
While is is glowing and free of criticism, I doubt that BAR did EQCA any favors by what they did say.
It would be so much better for Palencia to show some smarts and say they represent the interests primarily of Democratic gays and many Californians. No fool thinks EQCA genuinely can even begin to speak on behalf of each gay citizen of the Golden State.
(Photo: Palencia, left, at a recent San Francisco cocktail reception in his honor. Credit: Lydia Gonzalez.)
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