Gina

(See spaceykate’s original post here.)

My own feelings about the Human Rights Campaign live somewhere between squick and rage, honestly. Put jokingly, this largely has to do with my having the memory of an elephant and my Moon in Scorpio. I remember things, and I hella hold grudges. ;)

Put more seriously: As an activist, I have been working with people and communities and organizations that have had horrific interactions with the HRC since about 1996.

I still remember (and I will never fucking forget) when Elizabeth Birch (who was the Executive Director of the HRC in 1998) referred to Carmen Vasquez as:
1) “you and your kind,” and
2) “a maggot in a barrel of rice”
in an OPEN LETTER. This is pretty well-documented and public. (I have print-outs of both Vasquez and Birch’s letters in a box in my parents’ basement, actually. I should probably dig them up.)

Birch did this because Vasquez dared to bring up:
1) race and racism in the LGBT community in general, and
2) the intense racism in the HRC’s choice to back Al D’Amato’s* candidacy in New York.

And, just, like, C’MON. For a middle-class white woman to refer to a working-class Latina activist as “a maggot,” as “you and your people,” just… It is all, simply put, fucking UGLY.

I was 15 at the time that I was watching this from the queer organizing sidelines. I saw it for the racist bullshit that it was. I was also working with a lot of older queer activists who really knew what they were doing, and who schooled me well. And I remember, very clearly, just having this moment of “God. No. No. No, this is not right. No, this is not about the larger queer community. No, this is not about supporting the people who need it the most. No, I can never support anything this organization does. At least not unless they make some serious amends to the communities they’ve hurt.”

And that hasn’t happened. So.

*More info here, especially: “HRC’s endorsement of New York Republican Al D’Amato in his 1998 campaign for re-election to the U.S. Senate brought more criticism. HRC defended the endorsement because of D’Amato’s support for ENDA and repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. However, many liberal LGBT leaders did not welcome D’Amato’s many conservative stances, including his opposition to affirmative action and abortion rights.[53]”

spaceykate:

So in case you didn’t know, those red equal signs everyone’s posting on Facebook are a modified version of the Human Rights Campaign’s logo. Keep in mind:

A) Yesterday HRC had a trans flag removed from the demonstration outside the courthouse, in keeping with their longstanding policy of always being afraid someone will find out what the T in LGBT stands for.

B) Today HRC asked a speaker from United We Dream’s Queer Undocumented Immigrant Project to not mention that he was undocumented — because heaven forfend anyone realize that immigration rights issues touch our community too! (English captions for the video available here courtesy of Sprinkles McGillicuddy)

C) When this got started, HRC actually publicly opposed filing lawsuits against Prop 8 specifically because they didn’t want the issue to go before the Supreme Court — but now that it’s there and signs are promising, they’re quite eager to take the credit, of course.

Listen, if marriage is really your thing and you want to say so in a public way, go for it! Personally, I think marriage is overrated as an issue, but we can agree to disagree and discuss it further from there.

But please: inform yourself about who you’re supporting before you decide on how to do so. HRC actually has a long, awful history with practically everyone except their wealthy donors; they’re just good at marketing themselves. Don’t be fooled.

DANG, man! I am brainstorming places to take an awesome visiting friend to dinner tonight, and in my search, I found out that Mom Is Cooking CLOSED. :( Say it ain’t so, Mom!

This place was the sit-down divey Mexican joint of my childhood. It was not quite in the Ingleside/Lakeview, but it was close by (they were sort of on the border between the Excelsior/Crocker Amazon). Me and my mom and my dad went there a lot when I was a kid, and then as I got older I’d go there with my friends on my own. I’d often take friends who were visiting from Lands Without Mexican Food there. Whenever I’d come back from months on the east coast, Mom’s was one of my first destinations.

The service was T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E, but they had the best nopales boquitas I have ever eaten in my entire life, and “Mom” was a total sweetheart. Also, service is not the point of a place like Mom Is Cooking: the point is sitting around with your friends, eating good food and talking for hours. Who cares if it’s slow.

I am probably way too bummed out about this. :(

Both the Creating Change Transfeminism Workshop & the Sex Worker Caucus are still going on as planned, WOO! They are both happening today, check the CC 2011 website for details as to where. Tranfeminism is being co-facilitated by Rachel Katharine Zall & Danielle Askini (thank you for stepping in for me, Danielle! you rock!!!). I actually don’t wanna say who’s leading the Sex Worker Caucus yet, as I’m not sure if he is out about doing sex work in all areas of his life. But trust me, you are in good hands!

And I’m slowly but surely recovering from this bug. Staying home has been hard, but it was absolutely the right decision in terms of my health. Hopefully I’ll see you in 2012, CC.

Also: If you are local to the Bay Area, GO TO NUDE AID TODAY to support the amazing & uber-important Center for Sex & Culture! I would totally go (hell, I’d be there modelling!) if I wasn’t preciously guarding my health. But my hot & awesome friends & colleagues in art & porn Sadie Lune & Jiz Lee (link is porn) will be there. Experiencing the two of them in a room together is well worth the price of a ticket. :)

I’m announcing this way late in the game, but: The very awesome Rachel Katharine Zall & I are leading a Transfeminism Workshop at Creating Change in Minneapolis on Feb 5th, and then I’m leading the Sex Worker Caucus solo, also on Feb 5th. Will you be at Creating Change? Come hang out with us! :)