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I first heard about this via Facebook from the National Equality March’s status update. It was followed by the question “Now will he accept Cleve’s invite to attend our rally or go play golf?”
Good question.
The HRC, as well known as it is, is not without its problems. I volunteered for the HRC’s National Dinner back in 2004 when I was in college and was shocked to find such a homogenous group working for the organization and attending the event. Not that there is anything wrong with wealthy, gay, white men, but for an organization claiming to represent lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights, I expected a more diverse crowd. Today I continue search for that diversity.
President Obama, who has still done so little for the GLBTQ community since stepping into office, does not make up for his lackluster efforts since his term started by speaking to a room full of people who paid $250+ per ticket.
Meanwhile, the grassroots march has been organized with people from across the country that national organizations (like the HRC) really only signed onto supporting and publicizing in the last month. They are still waiting to see if the President will show up and speak.
Can you imagine? What a mess if the President chooses to speak at the HRC’s dinner and not the March! Considering how many communities within the larger GLBTQ community have felt ignored by groups like the HRC, the President is not doing anyone any favors by choosing one, let’s be honest, more “elite” group over another.
And what’s worse…the HRC dinner is during the HIV/AIDS event that is being held in conjunction with the March. Ouch.
I get it, Mr. President. You like fancy dinners. You spoke at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s Gala ($500/ticket) and the Congressional Black Caucus’s Annual Legislative Conference Annual Awards Dinner ($750/ticket). But people who can afford those ticket prices were not the majority of people who elected you into office. When are you going to follow-up to your commitments made during the campaign and reach out to the rest of us?
My fall break is this weekend so I wanted to go home to DC and attend the march/rally but now it looks like I am going to be stuck here in Ithaca.