Gay
leaders
who
were
not
a
part
of
a
unity
statement
released
on
Thursday
by
major
gay
rights
groups
criticized
the
collaborative
document,
noting
that
marriage
equality
was
featured
last
on
the
agenda's
priority
list.
One
gay
rights
leader
went
further
and
said
the
statement
appeared
to
be
political
cover
for
criticism
the
Human
Rights
Campaign
received
last
month
for
what
appeared
to
be
a
retreat
from
marriage
equality
and
support
for
President
Bush's
efforts
to
privatize
social
security.
Joan
Garry,
executive
director
of
the
Gay
&
Lesbian
Alliance
Against
Defamation,
dubbed
the
official
document,
"Civil
Rights,
Community,
Movement,"
a
"state
of
the
union"
for
the
gay
rights
movement,
noting
that
22
leaders
from
major
gay
rights
groups
worked
to
shape
the
statement.
During
a
conference
call
with
reporters
on
Wednesday,
Garry
said
the
statement
was
designed
to
quell
pessimism
over
what
some
say
was
a
disappointing
2004
election
and
to
show
unity
within
the
gay
rights
movement.
The
statement
articulates
the
future
goals
of
the
signatory
groups
and
reiterates
that
there
will
be
no
retreat
from
seeking
full
marriage
equality.
"We
felt
it
was
very
important
to
send
a
strong
message
of
unity
and
shared
purpose
to
remind
the
LGBT
community
and
our
straight
allies
that
there
is
an
orchestra
of
organizations
working
on
their
behalf
and
to
motivate
more
people
to
play
a
role
in
this
movement,"
Garry
said.
Garry
said
of
all
the
groups
asked
to
sign
the
statement,
no
one
refused.
Yet
Rick
Garcia,
executive
director
of
Equality
Illinois,
said
his
initial
impression
of
the
statement
suggests
national
gay
groups
were
banding
together
to
protect
HRC
from
suggestions
last
December
that
the
group
was
seeking
to
soft-peddle
the
issue
of
marriage
equality
after
the
abrupt
departure
of
executive
director,
Cheryl
Jacques,
a
strong
proponent
of
marriage
rights.
The
national
gay
group
also
came
under
criticism
in
December
for
suggesting
it
might
support
efforts
to
privatize
social
security,
so
long
as
gay
couples
were
entitled
to
benefits.
"That's
what
I
think
it
is,"
said
Garcia,
flush
from
success
in
the
Illinois
state
legislature,
which
this
week
passed
a
bill
banning
discrimination
against
gays
in
the
workplace,
real
estate
transactions
and
access
to
financial
credit
and
public
accommodations.
"I
will
tell
you,
as
someone
on
the
statewide
level
of
the
movement,
I
don't
care
what
those
national
leaders
have
to
say
about
anything.
Most
of
them
are
out
of
touch,"
he
said.
"We
are
going
to
continue
with
our
hard
work.
Gay
and
lesbian
Illinoisans
will
set
the
agenda.
I
don't
care
what
HRC's
decision
is
for
our
community."
Winnie
Stachelberg,
political
director
of
the
Human
Rights
Campaign,
did
not
return
a
Blade
phone
call
by
press
time.
Patrick
Guerriero,
executive
director
of
the
Log
Cabin
Republicans,
said
during
Wednesday's
phone
call
that
release
of
the
statement
at
this
time
"is
to
send
a
message
to
the
gay
and
lesbian
community,
to
the
generous
people
who
have
donated
to
national
and
state
organizations
and
to
the
broader
American
family,
that
we
speak
in
one
voice,
that
we
share
a
common
vision."
While
all
of
the
leaders
agreed
that
there
would
be
no
retreat
from
the
marriage
issue,
marriage
equality
was
the
last
item
of
eight
joint
goals
featured
on
the
statement's
priority
list.
Robin
Tyler,
a
longtime
activist
from
California
who
heads
DontAmend.com,
a
national
grassroots
organization
focused
on
marriage
equality,
said
she
was
greatly
disturbed
to
learn
that
marriage
equality
is
not
listed
higher.
"The
fact
that
they
would
accept
it
listed
being
at
the
bottom
of
the
page
makes
me
wonder
if
this
issue
will
now
be
placed
for
many
of
these
organizations
on
the
bottom
of
their
list,"
Tyler
said.
"Even
though
we
know
every
other
issue
they
list
is
important,
recognizing
our
relationships
through
marriage
equality
is
the
Trojan
Horse
in
which
all
of
the
other
issues
can
ride.
The
grassroots
people
—
who
have
struggled
so
valiantly
—
will
not
allow
any
back
fighting
by
any
LGBT
organization
or
individual
in
commitment
to
this
issue."
Tyler
said
that
when
she
was
organizing
the
Millennium
March
on
Washington
in
1998
and
'99,
she
and
other
organizers
put
out
a
list
of
issues
for
gay
activists
to
vote
on
to
determine
what
were
the
top
issues
individuals
would
like
to
see
gay
rights
groups
address.
Tyler
said
out
of
the
17,000
who
voted
in
the
non-scientific
poll,
the
right
to
marry
was
the
No.
3
on
the
list,
receiving
64
percent
support.
Stachelberg,
speaking
before
other
gay
activists
criticized
HRC,
urged
skeptics
not
to
read
too
much
into
the
order
of
priorities,
noting
that
marriage
will
continue
to
be
a
top
priority.
"I
think
this
is
a
list
that
we
put
together
and
the
drafters
set
an
order
that
in
no
way
suggests
the
priority,"
Stachelberg
said.
"Marriage
and
securing
marriage
equality
will
continue
to
be
a
top
priority
not
only
for
the
Human
Rights
Campaign
but
for
all
of
us
together.
We
are
absolutely
committed
to
that
goal."
Matt
Foreman,
executive
director
of
the
Task
Force,
said
the
document
was
clear
that
there
will
be
no
retreat
from
gay
marriage,
adding
that
one
could
say
by
placing
marriage
last
on
the
priority
list,
it
was
being
given
special
emphasis.
"Our
movement
does
have
many
goals
and
many
objectives
and
we
all
need
to
remember
as
we're
caught
up
in
the
marriage
moment
and
the
marriage
fights
all
across
the
country
that
...
