To Give or Not To Give to the "Not-So-Bad-Guys"

The line has been drawn in the sand.

For months now, the growing discontent between the DNC/Obama Administration and the LGBT population has been boiling, and not so much under the surface. But with America Blog's announcement on Monday of the "Don't Ask, Don't Give" DNC donation boycott, the tension has erupted.

Though many have already decided not to give to the DNC, and big names demonstrated their annoyance by declining to attend the DNC LGBT fundraising dinner after the infamous DOMA brief from the DOJ comparing same-sex relationships to incest, this is the first organized action where people will sign their names and pledge not to give.

But for how long?

We are asking voters to pledge to withhold contributions to the Democratic National Committee, Organizing for America, and the Obama campaign until the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is passed, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) is repealed, and the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is repealed -– all of which President Obama repeatedly promised to do if elected.

And why now?

Joe Sudbay and John Aravosis give a long list of reasons to do this now, some of which I agree with, some I don't. But a majority is undeniable fact and reading the list sure stokes the embers of anger I've been feeling for some time.

I believe the tipping point came when Obama refused to acknowledged the ballot initiatives in Maine and Washington and the controversy that erupted when the DNC sent a pre-election email out to supporters telling them to support Democratic candidates, but failed to mention the LGBT issues. Even worse, the email went to Mainers urging them to go to New Jersey to help incumbent Gov. Corzine keep his office. (He didn't.) The email did not urge Mainers to vote NO on Question 1 nor to volunteer for the campaign.

So who's behind this boycott, or a more accurate word, "pause"?

Joe and I are launching today a donor boycott of the DNC. The boycott is cosponsored by Daily Kos, Jane Hamsher of FireDogLake, Dan Savage, Michelangelo Signorile, David Mixner, Paul Sousa (Founder of Equal Rep in Boston), Pam Spaulding, Robin Tyler (ED of the Equality Campaign, Inc.), Bil Browning for the Bilerico Project, Andy Towle and Michael Goff of Towle Road, and soon others.

It’s really more of a “pause,” than a boycott. Boycotts sounds so final, and angry. Whereas this campaign is temporary, and is only meant to help some friends – President Obama and the Democratic party – who have lost their way. We are hopeful that via this campaign, our friends will keep their promises.

News of the pause has burned up the internet since the announcement yesterday and already many more are joining up.

Long-time activist David Mixner, who originally made the call for the National Equality March, said on his blog today, "How many times has the LGBT civil rights movement been told over and over and over again to wait until after the next set of elections? Do they really believe we are that dumb? That we don't realize that politics and elections change can change the political complexion of a nation overnight? We know that in the near future we will not see a time again when we will have sixty Democratic senators and a comfortable margin in the House. What makes our Democratic leaders think it will be better in 2011? Won't we be told then to wait until after President Obama is re-elected?"

"This craziness has to stop and it has to stop now," Mixner continued. "This is not about politics, it is about freedom and justice."

Emmy Ruby-Sachs wrote on the Huffington Post:

...for gay voters, the two party system is particularly offensive. Republicans are outwardly horrible on gay issues and the bulk of the gay vote will, automatically, go to Democratic candidates. There are no alternative candidates ready to take a stand for equality and thus, there are no consequences for Democrats when they fail to promote the equal rights agenda.

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It's a scary thought: taking dollars away from the not-so-bad guys only helps the really bad guys on election day. But the boycott has its timing right and that might make all the difference in this fight: there is still an opportunity for the Democratic Party to take concrete strides towards eliminating the legal discrimination against LGBT Americans before the campaign dollars really matter. If they show progress, the boycott (or the "pause" in fundraising as AMERICAblog calls it) will end.

I think the freeze in fundraising is a great idea. I also think the problem with the gay rights agenda in Congress has more to do with the political system than the particularly spineless nature of most Democratic representatives.

Even more surprising, the HRC, which is usually not for rocking the boat especially when it comes to the Democrats, has given "tacit endorsement" says David Dayen at Fire Dog Lake.

Asking them what they thought of the pause, HRC responded to Dayen, "Individual donors should always make their own careful assessments of how to spend limited political contributions. We all need to focus on the legislative priorities identified by AmericaBlog and with whatever tactic individuals decide to employ, the ultimate objective needs to be securing the votes we need to move our legislative agenda forward."

So if you want to put some good ol' grassroots pressure on the Democrats, go sign the pledge "Don't Ask, Don't Give."

Protector of 'Traditional Marriage' and Supporter of Prop 8, Doug Manchester Left Wife, Faces Divorce

Hotelier Doug Manchester, whose Manchester Hyatt in San Diego is under boycott for his contribution of $125,000 to Prop 8's signature campaign, which ultimately led to its success, is divorcing his wife of 43 years.

At the time of his donation, he told the New York Times that his reason was because of his “Catholic faith and longtime affiliation with the Catholic Church,” which prefers marriage to be between a man and a woman. He should probably ask what the church thinks of his divorce.

The San Diego City Beat reports:

On Oct. 9, 2008, Manchester ended 43 years, eight months and nine days of marriage to Elizabeth Manchester by moving out of their La Jolla abode. The couple spent the next several months trying to reach a quiet settlement on how best to distribute millions of dollars in cash and other assets. In July, those talks totally broke down, and Doug started playing financial hardball with Elizabeth, allegedly draining the couple’s shared accounts and stealing her mail. On Aug. 6, Elizabeth filed a petition for redress in family court.

No "quiet settlement" now. This bitter divorce is getting worse, with accusations of signature fraud, mail stealing and hiding assets.

Doug wrote an email to Elizabeth, which the petition for divorce cites, saying he “wish[es] to pursue all rights to protect all of [his] separate property and wish[es] also to litigate vigorously any and all spousal support.” (Brackets quoted from the petition).

Hypocrisy knows no bounds.

The Manchesters will next meet in court on Sept. 17, 2009.

UPDATE: DNC LGBT Fundraiser Attendees Cancel in Response to DOJ DOMA Brief, Calls For Protests

UPDATE: HRC, former top Clinton aide Richard Socaride and Empire State Agenda head Alan Van Cappelle have all pulled out of the fundraiser.
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A Democratic National Committee fundraiser organized to bring in donations from the LGBT population, is facing calls of boycott in response to the Obama Administration's lack of support for LGBT rights, and specifically its hurtful and discriminatory brief filed by the Department of Justice in defense of DOMA.

Already activist David Mixner and well-known blogger Andy Towle of Towleroad have canceled their attendance.

"I will not attend a fundraiser for the National Democratic Party in Washington next week when the current administration is responsible for these kind of actions, " Mixner wrote. "How will they ever take us seriously if we keep forking out money while they harm us. For now on, my money is going to battles within the community such as the fight in Maine or the March on Washington! I am so tired of being told by Democratic operatives to 'suck it up' because so many other profound issues are at stake."

Andy Towle told Politico, "I've had concerns about the lack of movement from the administration on LGBT issues for some time now but I wasn't comfortable attending after that DOMA brief came out."

Dan Savage on the SLOG has eloquently titled his rant, "Democrats To Gay Americans: Fuck You. Now Write Us a Check."

This wouldn't be the first DNC fundraiser to face protests and calls for boycott. In May, protesters gathered outside a Beverly Hills fundraiser where President Obama spoke. The demonstration at the time was in reaction to Obama's refusal to use his presidential power of stop-loss to keep LGBT service men and women from being discharged from the armed forces under Don't Ask Don't Tell.

But this is the 10th Annual LGBT Leadership Council Dinner, a fundraiser extending a grasping hand for LGBT dollars.

According to Ben Smith at Politico, "Organizers, I'm told, are scrambling to get visible White House action on gay issues in advance of the June 25 dinner to prevent it from becoming a protest stage."

With the recent DOJ brief defending DOMA using discriminatory, Bush-era arguments, such as comparing same-sex marriage to incestuous relationships, the LGBT population is growing even more and more impatient and angry, and many are offended at the thought of donating shortly after being slapped in the face by the Democrats. Yet it does have its defenders.

Pam's House Blend has given a call to action to contact Reps. Barney Frank, Tammy Baldwin and Jared Polis and ask them why they're still attending.

Rep. Barney Frank:
2252 Rayburn Building
Washington, DC 20515
tel: (202) 225-5931
fax: (202) 225-0182

Rep. Tammy Baldwin
2446 Rayburn Building
Washington DC 20515
(202) 225-6942 Fax
(202) 225-2906
Email Form

Rep. Jared Polis
Washington, DC Office
501 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515
p. 202.225.2161
f. 202.226.7840

What's annoying to me are comments such as this being made on Politico:

"I'm all for gay rights but come on, with health care, two wars and an economy that is fubar don't we have more important things to worry about right now?"

So health care has nothing to do with marriage? Aren't there insurance benefits bestowed on married couples and their children when one of them has a employer provided health insurance? And if they're unemployed, wouldn't a public policy be helpful? As for the wars, don't they even know what DADT is even about? And the economy - do LGBT families not matter in this economy? The tax breaks afforded married heterosexual couples could be very useful for LGBT families during this time of need.

All these issues are related! But we're again being sidelined as if our issues are separate and unto themselves. Are we not citizens of this country, facing the same crisis issues as everyone else? Are we not entitled to receive the benefits that our fellow citizens receive? Don't we have the right to defend our country in wars, fighting alongside our fellow soldiers?

So don't we have the right to close our wallets and NOT donate our hard earned cash to a political party that keeps dangling the carrot in front of our noses only to tear it away and run for cover when they must actual stand behind their promises to us?

This isn't the first time this has happened. But I'll be damned if I can't do anything to make it the last time. My wallet is closed.

A Facebook Group, "Democratic Party Boycott Until DOMA or DADT Are Repealed" has formed.

Manchester Hyatt Caving in to Boycott?

"Papa Doug" Doug Manchester, chairman of Manchester Financial Group and owner of the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego and the San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina, among other properties, donated $125,000 to support the signature drive that got Prop 8 on the ballot. As a result, Californians Against Hate has staged a successful boycott along with Cleve Jones and the Courage Campaign.

Kelly Cummerford, director of sales for Manchester Grand Hyatt, and who himself is gay, was met with boos and hisses as he went up to announce at Friday's International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association convention in Toronto, that Manchester was donating $25,000 directly to LGBT civil rights groups and another $100,000 in hotel credits for LGBT fund-raising events.

Howard Bragman, the openly gay public relations/crisis management veteran who was hired by former Grey's Anatomy star Isaiah Washington after reportedly directing an antigay slur at costar T.R. Knight, told The Advocate that "Mr. Manchester’s beliefs were clearly misconstrued. He did give $125,000 to Yes on 8 and he is opposed to the concept of religious gay marriage. However, he is in no way homophobic and is 100% in favor of gay people having every legal right that straight people have. This is an attempt to clarify his position."

Fred Karger of Californians Against Hate dismissed this statement.

"It’s an insult to the gay and lesbian community and our labor allies that he is attempting after 10 months to go around us and buy his way out of this boycott," Karger related to the Advocate. "Manchester told [Cummerford] that he had lost $7 million due to this boycott. If that is the number he admits to, then I assume it is a lot higher. Our boycott has been very effective. For example, the latest blow is the National Trial Lawyers Association, who just announced that they were moving their convention of 2,000 lawyers not only from Manchester's hotel but from San Diego entirely. Their event is in July and they are moving to San Francisco, so at great expense to them, in order to show solidarity."

Though the money was offered to the HRC, they declined to accept it.

"In either case it's a divide-and-conquer attempt," Karger said. He added, "It is a step but this is not the way a boycott is ended. And though we would be happy to sit down with him at anytime to discuss this, until then our boycott will continue with more resolve."

Read related Unite the Fight piece by Boo Jarchow, reporter for The Advocate and SheWired.com: "LGBT Rights Activists Demand an End to 'Hyatt Hypocrisy.'"

Read Fred Karger's full statement at MikeTidmus.com.

UPDATE: Cleve Jones, Courage Campaign's Rick Jacobs, to Join Protest Urging President Clinton to Honor Boycott at Manchester Hyatt

UPDATE: Clinton's Chief-of-Staff has responded to the protests surrounding Clinton's speech at the Manchester Grand Hyatt. Here's a portion:

"[Clinton] was in no way involved in choosing the venue nor was he aware of the controversy related to it until we received your letter last week. As you know, President Clinton shares many of your concerns and wishes this event could have taken place elsewhere. Upon receiving you letter, we made several attempts to change the venue. Unfortunately, the hosting organization responded that they were unable to do so, and President Clinton believes he should honor his contractual obligation. President Clinton has a long-standing record of support for the LGBT community. He strongly opposed Proposition 8, speaking out against it, and recording calls to California voters urging them to defeat it. He still opposes it and hopes it can be reversed."

For the full text, go to Towleroad.

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WHAT: Urging President Clinton to respect the boycott of the Manchester Hyatt, longtime gay-rights activist Cleve Jones, featured in the film "Milk," and Courage Campaign founder and chair Rick Jacobs will join a protest rally outside the hotel.

The Courage Campaign today launched an online petition here.

WHO: Cleve Jones, UNITE HERE, longtime activist, Founder of NAMES Project/AIDS Memorial Quilt, featured in film "MILK",Rick Jacobs, Founder and Chair, Courage Campaign

WHERE:
Manchester Grand Hyatt
1 Market Place
San Diego, CA 92101
Map

WHEN:
Sunday, February 15, 2009
11:00 a.m. (Clinton is scheduled to speak at 12:30 p.m.)

BACKGROUND:

President Clinton is scheduled to give a paid speech this Sunday at the Manchester Hyatt in San Diego to the annual convention of the International Franchise Association. To give this speech, President Clinton will have to violate a union boycott and labor dispute -- the workers at the hotel lack job security and the housekeepers face onerous workloads.

But that's not all. President Clinton will also be offending supporters of marriage equality. Doug Manchester, the owner of the hotel, contributed $125,000 in early seed money to the Proposition 8 campaign.

Jones and Jacobs earlier signed an open letter to Clinton requesting he reconsider his speaking engagement at the hotel.

"It is ironic that, by showing up at the Manchester Hyatt on Sunday, President Clinton will provide comfort to Ken Starr and the Prop 8 Legal Defense Fund, who are now trying to defend the constitutionality of Prop 8 before the state Supreme Court," said Rick Jacobs, upon learning Clinton intends to speak at the hotel on Sunday. "Doug Manchester's significant $125,000 contribution to the "Yes on 8" campaign helped pass Prop 8 -- money that made Starr's case possible."

American Family Assocation Boycotting, But Says We Can't

The American Family Association, whose name let's you know it's a US organization, is still obsessing over what they call the homosexual agenda and are now targeting their homophobia at the UK and Pespi's ad that's playing only there.

UK Pepsi Ad:



The AFA is now organizing a boycott against Pepsi (and many other gay friendly companies - more on that below). This is the same organization closely tied to Protect Marriage.com, who led the Yes on 8 Campaign and gave them over half a million dollars to fight gay marriage in California.

What's extremely hypocritical is that the Protect Marriage people recently sued the state of California because of its campaign donor full disclosure law which makes it mandatory that donors' information for any campaign be made public. The reason why they sued? Because they said they were being harassed for their "support of traditional marriage," and by harassed they mainly meant that their businesses were being "boycotted." (Thankfully the state disregarded their complaint and said the LGBT had a right to boycott and was protected under free speech.) To put it simply, the AFA thinks it's swell for them to boycott, but that it's completely wrong for us to do so, going as far as suing a state to stop us. Didn't Jesus say something about hypocrisy? Mark 7:6 - “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.’”

The LGBT community must, at all costs, protect our allies from such hypocrisy. PepsiCo has been a staunch ally for LGBT people, donating $500,000 to the Human Rights Campaign and another $500,000 to Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). After the AFA threatened to boycott them if they didn't stop supporting the LGBT, PepsiCo flatly told them, in other nicer words, to shut up.

To thank PepsiCo for its support, contact them at (914) 253-2000 or email. And be sure to keep buying their products.

Another company on the AFA's target list is Campbell's Soup. And why? Because the company issued a print ad for one of its soups portraying two mothers and their son. Even though they felt pressure of a boycott from the AFA, Campbell's refused to stop running the ad.

More...

To show your support of Campbell's Soup, contact them through their website.

Unfortunately, there are companies buckling under the AFA's scrutiny and scorn. One in particular is McDonalds. After joining the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, they received scorn for "supporting the gay agenda" and, naturally, the AFA boycotted. As a result, McDonald's Vice President Richard Ellis resigned from the NGLCC, appeasing the right-wing organization and ending the boycott.

This decision is in direction contradiction to the company's core values. Here's an excerpt:

McDonald's Values

We are committed to our people
We provide opportunity, nurture talent, develop leaders and reward achievement. We believe that a team of well-trained individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences, working together in an environment that fosters respect and drives high levels of engagement, is essential to our continued success.

We give back to our communities
We take seriously the responsibilities that come with being a leader. We help our customers build better communities, support Ronald McDonald House Charities, and leverage our size, scope and resources to help make the world a better place.

We strive continually to improve
We are a learning organization that aims to anticipate and respond to changing customer, employee and system needs through constant evolution and innovation.

McDonald's Employment Experience
Support for fundamental human rights for all people is part of our global Standards of Business Conduct. We comply with all employment laws in every market where we operate, and we will not employ underage children or forced laborers. We respect the right of employees to associate or not to associate with any group, as permitted by, and in accordance with, applicable laws and regulations.

Respect - Create a diverse and inclusive culture where everyone feels valued and respected.

Contact McDonalds and show your disapproval of their joining in on the hypocrisy. And until they change, don't buy any of their products. FYI: McDonald's no longer owns Chipotle Mexican Grill, having sold its shares in 2006.

The El Coyote Showdown - My Blog Report

UPDATE: Marjorie Christofferson, of the El Coyote, has tendered her resignation, and as of Saturday evening, was no longer employed as manager of the restaurant nor on its board of directors. She turned her resignation into her mother, Grace Salisbury, whose sister-in-law founded El Coyote in 1931.

Today's open brunch at the El Coyote (see post), hosted by Marjorie Christofferson, co-owner of the famous restaurant and popular hang out of the gay community, was intended for Marjorie to have a civil, open discussion with the gay community. She wanted to explain how she ended up donating to the Yes on 8 campaign, but many of the restaurant's gay regulars who attended and make up a majority of the establishment's patrons, vocally expressed their betrayal.

More...

To put Marjorie's appearance in context, the meeting opened with one of the managers pleading with the group to realize that the restaurant is a separate entity than Marjorie, that is does NOT support Prop 8 and that it's more than 89 employees, several who are gay, have families that depend on their patronage. He mentioned that he has received three days of nasty phone calls, at work and at home, and he wanted to reiterate that Marjorie's personal decision did not reflect the restaurant's nor his.

The group immediately voiced its objection. One shouted, "She took our money and used it against us." And though they recognized the 89 employees and their families, "What about the 18,000 gay families disrupted by Prop 8?"

Bill Schoeppner, General Manager, informed that the restaurant itself intended to donate to both LAMDA and the Gay & Lesbian Social Center, and though this received applause, it was quickly pointed out that this wouldn't undo the harm of what Marjorie's personal donation had caused.

I don't believe this miasma was what they were hoping to bring Marjorie into, but they couldn't delay much longer. Marjorie, normally healthy and smiling, was overwhelmed with nerves. The past few days seems to have been torture, for she appeared frail and near hyperventilation, requiring the assistance of her two daughters to enter the room. After drinking some water, she apologized for needing to read from a prepared speech.

Marjorie began saying how "emotionally taken with all this," she has been, "sick at heart if I offended anyone in the gay community." Her voice shaking, she continued to say that the gay community was a "treasure to me and has been throughout my whole life." However, she went on to say that not everyone agrees with each others viewpoints, especially her own, even within her own restaurant.

Marjorie continued to defend the employees of her restaurant, begging the community to not take its anger out on them, for their livelihood depended on their patronage. It was she who donated, not them. "I've been a part of the Mormon church all my life. I responded to their request. It was a personal donation."

She went on to say that her aunt, Blanch March, founded the El Coyote to "create a caring atmosphere" for its patrons. Early on, before it was even well-known, she was aware of the "challenge and plight of gay individuals and always responded with love and empathy." El Coyote was to be a "healing place."

At this point, I noticed one of the employees, sharply dressed in a button down and tie, began to cry. His name is Alberto and has been waiting tables at El Coyote for over twenty years. As a gay employee, he feels a lot of confliction. "I feel bad. I'm with the gay community. But I'm a homeowner and I don't want to lose my job." When I asked about Marjorie, he told how she donated $2,000 for the AIDSWalk and went on to say, "I think she made a mistake, but she has apologized."

Yet the group never heard an apology from Marjorie before being walked out by her daughters, hardly fielding any questions. They said all they heard was an explanation. And it appears that wasn't enough.

Rocio, a waitress, tried to appease the group with tears in her eyes, saying when she started working at El Coyotoe years ago, it was "where I first saw so may gay people. They were nice." She believes she was led there by God, because just a few months later, her brother came out to her and working at the restaurant made all the difference in her response to his coming out.

Though the attendees expressed a lot of empathy towards the employees, they felt what Marjorie had done couldn't be changed. Or ignored.

Regan DuCasse stood up and spoke to the group. "As the only black person in the room, I feel betrayed." She said, just as Marjorie had always come up to them at their tables while they ate, smiling and asking how they were, many white people had smiled and treated her well only later to stab her in the back. She feels what Marjorie has done is just another betrayal. This last sentiment applied to what the whole group felt at that moment.

"Marjorie was in and out," Regan continued, referring to Marjorie's quick departure after her speech. "Her actions were cowardly. She didn't want to face the serious damage" she helped create.

So will there be a boycott? Though a consensus wasn't officially reached, one of the vociferous attendees was already out in front of the restaurant, holding up a sign and chanting the sins of Marjorie Christofferson, and in effect, El Coyote, for all on Beverly Blvd. to hear. And with the KTLA cameras recording it all nearby, it looks like all of Los Angeles is going to hear, too.

What are your thoughts? Should there be a boycott? Let's discuss.

Boycott El Pollo Loco?

Well, not all, just those owned by the WKS Restaurant Corporation, in turn owned by Roland Spongberg, who donated to Yes on Prop 8.

That is so Queer . . . has done a great job on reporting which ones Mr. Sponberg owns.

So do we boycott all of them? No. Just These

Here's proof he donated $6,000. Secretary of State's List of Prop 8 Donors

Thanks, Faith, founder of That's So Queer, for your great reporting!

Looks like an El Coyote protest

shutupiknow blog

Thursday, November 13th @ 7:00pm
El Coyote Cafe
7312 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036