January 25, 2016 6:54 AM

Another Great Moment in Nonprofit Political Hamhandedness

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), one of the largest organizations fighting for LGBT equality, announced their endorsement for Hillary Clinton (also HRC) early Tuesday morning. It didn’t take long for commenters on social media to voice their disappointment with the organization - some saying they are pulling contributions. You may remember a few weeks back that Planned Parenthood endorsed Clinton and were met with the similar disappointment and scorn - with many reporting they were pulling contributions. Outraged LGBT activists are arguing that Clinton is the wrong choice for a number of reasons: Clinton only recently changed her position on marriage equality in 2013. In 2004, she gave a speech on the sanctity of marriage, saying it’s a “…sacred bond between a man and a woman.” The Clintons supported two pieces of anti-gay legislation: DOMA (The Defense of Marriage Act) and “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.”

Being involved in politics- even tangentially- often means arriving equipped with a thick skin and the ability and willingness to suffer the slings and arrows of…perhaps not outrageous fortune, but certainly those who views differ from yours. This is particularly true for nonprofit organizations, who generally live and die based on the goodwill and largesse of those who support and finance their mission.

There are many things that can happen when an organization delves into the political realm…and few of them are good. If you harken back to the controversy when the Susan G. Komen decided to withhold funds from Planned Parenthood and accept funds from the gun industry, you’ll recall what a colossal embarrassment it was for an organization dedicated to fighting breast cancer, a laudable cause if ever there was one. The controversy revealed Komen to be an organization that had lost its way and strayed from its mission. Instead of focusing exclusively on the battle against breast cancer, Komen had become overtly ideological, immoral, inefficient, and top-heavy.

Four years later, I still refuse to donate to Komen. I’m happy to donate to other groups dedicated to fighting breast cancer, but I will not fund groups led by Right-wing zealots willing to play politics with the health of women. While I understand that local and state Komen organizations do good work and make a difference despite the corruption of the national organization, my donations will go elsewhere.

In the case of the Human Rights Campaign’s endorsement of Hillary Clinton, I’m disturbed but not particularly surprised. Sec. Clinton isn’t a bad choice based on her current stance on marriage equality and LGBT rights, but she’s by no means the best choice…and that concerns me.

To say that Sec. Clinton is a latecomer to the equality party would be something of an understatement. Support for equal rights has been a hallmark of Sen. Sanders’ career in public service. Yet HRC has chosen to endorse Sec. Clinton, of whom it could be argued that the timing of her “conversion” to support LGBT right was born of political expedience.

Members are also arguing that her rival Bernie Sanders has been a supporter of gay rights since the 1970s. He marched in the first gay pride parade when he was Mayor of Burlington, Vermont and has been a consistent supporter of the LGBT community throughout his entire career.

One recurring comment that popped up: What does Hillary Clinton and Human Rights Campaign have in common - Goldman Sachs.

HRC has chosen to reward the “inevitable” Democratic nominee, perhaps in the hope of getting a seat at the table if/when she takes the oath of office next January. That the country’s largest and best-funded LGBT rights organization would choose to ignore a public servant whose commitment to equality dates back FOUR decades is…curious.

How could HRC NOT endorse Sen. Sanders, whose voting record on LGBT issues they’ve given a lifetime perfect score? What else could Sen. Sanders have done to demonstrate his commitment to equality? What could be more worthy of an endorsement than a 100% score…by HRC’s own criteria?

Whether or not the “HRC for HRC” endorsement has anything to do with their common connection to Goldman Sachs is a question worthy of investigation. HRC certainly wouldn’t be the first organization to sell their soul and/or corrupt their values in exchange for financial reward. That may or may not be the case, but HRC supporters are asking the question, and it deserves to be addressed.

As for me, I’m still sorting out my feelings. This is by no means equivalent to the Komen debacle, in which an organization founded to support victims of breast cancer evolved into a corrupt, top-heavy, deeply partisan organization that strayed from its mission. HRC’s choice to endorse Clinton isn’t a bad choice- far from it- but it’s certainly not the best and most obvious choice. I’ve been a supporter of HRC for years, and that’s not going to change. I’m using my forum to register my dismay with their choice of Democratic candidate, in the hope that there will be a change of heart.

IF HRC declines to endorse Sen. Sanders, the organization should at the very least wait until the Democratic nominee is chosen before throwing their weight behind them. All they’ve done in this case is to alienate a significant segment of their committed supporters- a move which certainly isn’t going to do their bottom line any favors.

HRC needs to be big enough to own up to their mistake. Do the right thing, accept responsibility, and endorse the Democratic nominee once it’s clear who it will be. Endorsing Sec. Clinton now was a mistake, endorsing the wrong candidate at the wrong time and for the wrong reasons.

If nothing else, HRC needs to listen to their members…unless they have no problem with them withholding donations in protest.

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on January 25, 2016 6:54 AM.

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