By CHRIS JOHNSON, Washington Blade
Jun 17 2009, 5:45 PM |
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Displeasure with the Obama administration's handling of LGBT issues is prompting some activists and donors to boycott an upcoming Democratic National Committee fundraiser.
The event, set for June 25, is sponsored by the DNC's LGBT Leadership Council and set to take place at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in D.C. The featured speaker is Vice President Joe Biden.
But several gay invitees to the event are pledging to boycott because of what they say is a lack of action from President Barack Obama on LGBT issues.
Many said they are particularly upset about the extent to which the U.S. Justice Department defended the Defense of Marriage Act last week in a motion to dismiss a federal lawsuit against the law.
Bruce Bastian, a gay businessman and prominent donor who lives in Utah and is on the list of special invitees, not only said he no longer plans to attend the fundraiser, but also that he no longer plans to donate to the Democratic Party as a whole.
"I will continue to support certain congressmen, congresswomen and senators whom I believe will continue to fight for our rights, but I don't think blanket donations to the Democratic Party right now are justified, at least not in my book," he said.
Bastian, a major donor to many LGBT groups, said he sent an e-mail to the DNC on Wednesday saying he wouldn't attend the event "because of the remarks on DOMA." He found the filing "very offensive."
"The administration has said they have to support the federal government's stance," he said. "But in the brief, they go way beyond where they need to go to just defend DOMA. They basically go to terminology and language that you would expect from the Bush administration, not the Obama administration."
Bastian said the brief was the "tipping point" for him in his perception for how the Democratic Party supports LGBT issues.
"The LGBT community raised a lot of money in support for Obama, and, I think he has to have the courage — well, not just him — but, I think the Democratic Party now has to have the courage to fight back, and when they do, they'll have my support," he said.
Bastian said he would change his mind on the donations and his attendance if there were action on passing hate crimes legislation in the Senate and movement to repeal DOMA and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
'Personally offended'
Marty Rouse, the Human Rights Campaign's national field director, also said he "will not be attending the fundraiser" because of the language that was used in the brief.
"I was, like many people, personally offended by the words used in the [Justice Department] brief to defend DOMA," he said. "And I just can't see right now attending a fundraiser for the DNC at this time."
Brad Luna, an HRC spokesperson, said Rouse was invited in a personal capacity and his decision to not attend doesn't represent the viewpoint of HRC.
Rouse noted that his son completed second grade this week and that the words in the brief "were so offensive" that he "couldn't imagine reading them to his son."
But Rouse said he would rethink his decision to not attend if Obama were to speak out in favor of repealing DOMA before the fundraiser.
"If the president were to call for a repeal of DOMA between now and [June 25], if he were to make a public statement — that would make me reconsider," Rouse said.
Andy Tobias, who's gay and treasurer of the DNC, said LGBT people are understandably frustrated, but urged them not to abandon the Democratic Party and Obama.
"I think that we should push the administration for our equality, and I think that at the same time we should support the administration," he said.
The Justice Department filing, Tobias said, was "completely indefensible," but he noted it was a "Department of Justice brief, and it's not the president's policy and not what the administration thinks about DOMA."
Tobias said supporters of LGBT causes should work toward building a "grassroots effort" throughout the nation "that is going to help the president move his agenda."
"For an awful lot of reasons, we want to see this administration succeed, in part because one of the things on [Obama's] agenda … is our agenda," he said. "Different people have different levels of faith in the sincerity of the commitment. My level of faith is high, and I hope that it proves to be justified."
Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), the longest-serving openly gay lawmaker in Congress and a featured guest at the DNC fundraiser, said he thinks boycotting the event is a "terrible idea" and he "absolutely" plans to attend the fundraiser.
"The notion that you abandon the Democrats because they are not better than the Republicans … is a mistake," he said.
Frank also said activists are wrong in attacking the Obama administration for the Justice Department brief defending the Defense of Marriage Act.
"I was critical of the language in the piece before I read it because I listened to what other people said," he said. "As I read it, I think they did a pretty good job — not perfect — of avoiding bad language."
Frank said the administration is required to defend the statute as the enforcer of the nation's laws.
"Liberals spend a lot of time attacking [former President George W.] Bush for picking and choosing which laws to obey," he said. "How do we now turn around and say that Obama should follow that example?"
Frank added that he "continue[s] to be disappointed" that many activists aren't giving lawmakers the help they need in passing bills. For example, he predicted that the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal will happen in the House, but said he doesn't know if there are 60 votes to prevent a filibuster in the Senate.
"Instead of boycotting the DNC, how many of these people have called their senators to get us a vote to end 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell?'" he said. "The answer is not nearly enough."
Not all the special gay invitees have said they plan to boycott. Brian Fricke, a gay Iraq war veteran and board member for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, said he was disappointed by the Justice Department brief, but still plans to attend the fundraiser.
Fricke said if Obama endorsed the filing, it would be "truly an egregious, two-faced, litigiously aggressive act against our community." Fricke also said that if Obama doesn't correct the Justice Department, then "there is no case" with which the president's actions could be defended.
"That being said, the DNC's LGBT Leadership Council is an excellent platform for our community," he said. "Withholding attendance or funding from it only damages the vehicle we use to lobby on our behalf. We must continue to demand equal rights under the law in full right now without burning the bridge that will lead us to a realized dream."
Other invited activists who have said they wouldn't attend the event are David Mixner, a gay Democratic activist; Alan Van Capelle, executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda; and Andy Towle, a gay blogger.
Another gay invitee, Richard Socarides, a New York attorney who was an adviser for President Clinton, also said he wouldn't be attending, but he told the Blade it was because of a prior commitment and not because he's boycotting the event.
"I'm not boycotting, but at the same time, I'm not able to attend," he said.
Still, he said he shares the frustration that many LGBT people feel about the administration's lack of action on LGBT issues, noting that he's written columns that are critical of the administration.
"I think people are concerned — rightly so — and one of the ways to express that concern appropriately is to … perhaps to decline to participate in party organizing or fundraising activities until those concerns can be addressed," he said.
Other activists from other major LGBT grou
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