Petrelis Files

Ex-Supe Daly's Bar Promotes
the Human Rights Campaign?

(Center section of mural awning over Buck's Tavern. Credit: Petrelis Files.)

Buck's Tavern on Market Street near Gough was purchased by Chris Daly, the former District 6 member of the Board of Supervisors where he relished his straight, bad-boy of privilege reputation, as he promoted a progressive agenda. Since being termed out in January, he's been running this bar, which also serves as a gathering spot for many gay, straight and in-between progressives.

The awning that previously featured the venue's name was recently painted over with a mural, and in the middle of it is the Human Rights Campaign's equality logo. Ugh. Guess Daly never got the memo that HRC = Worst. Gay. Group. Ever.

Maybe Daly forgot HRC's annual San Francisco dinner was picketed in 2008 by dozens of transgender people and their allies, all because of their betrayal of transgenders over the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

There's also the longstanding problem of HRC being subservient to the Democratic Party at the expense of the gays, inability to effect federal protections for the community while sucking up more than a billion dollars in its thirty-years of existence, failure to democratically engage the grassroots, closed-door board meetings, excessive executive salaries, endless high-priced galas drawing money from local areas only to be wasted in DC, the howls of protest when HRC took over the lease of Harvey Milk's old camera store, and lots of other serious problems.

The one thing HRC is excellent at is marketing its useless merchandise, clothing and housewares slapped with the blue-and-gold equal symbol logo. Nice of Daly to further HRC's brand.

Daly's ideological opposite, Sup. Scott Wiener from the Castro district, was a member of HRC's board of directors for a decade. In the run-up to last year's November election when Wiener was running for that seat, he was given an award and allowed to address the wealthy donors in attendance from the stage (pictured). Yes, HRC did a lot to put Wiener in office where part of his agenda is undoing the good work Daly accomplished on the board.

Wiener should be happy with Daly showcasing his home organization's logo on a prime spot on Market Street.

What the hell was Daly thinking when the mural creator suggested including the execrable HRC corporate logo, and he agreed to the idea?