In a stunning turn of events last weekend, Jarrett Barrios quit under pressure as president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. Barrios drew the ire of LGBT bloggers when several of them criticized the organization for writing a letter supporting telecom giant AT&T's proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile. In addition, Politico reported that AT&T had given $50,000 to GLAAD, as well as money to other nonprofits that also sent letters supporting the merger.
Bloggers were also outraged over Barrios's letter to the Federal Communications Commission that questioned the agency's net neutrality rules. Politico reported that Barrios's letter "appeared to mirror AT&T's talking points on the policy issue" and that he later "asked for that letter to be withdrawn from the public record and told the FCC it was submitted without his knowing or permission."
GLAAD board members haven't provided a lot of details about Barrios's sudden resignation. Co-Chair Roxanne Jones said that Barrios would "help us with the transition" and assist in finding a successor.
So here's a suggestion for the embattled GLAAD board: you don't need a successor, at least not a standalone chief executive. This could be a prime opportunity for the larger LGBT community to increase its clout nationally if the Human Rights Campaign takes over management of GLAAD as an HRC project.
Many community members have questioned the need for GLAAD in recent years, and it's worth considering that there might not be a need for a second, separate organization to monitor media outlets. GLAAD served its purpose when virtually all mainstream media outlets were hostile to the community and often provided slanted, biased, and inaccurate coverage of LGBTs. But that has changed significantly and now GLAAD is best known for its lavish media awards parties (more on those later).
There would be obvious savings in administrative overhead, office expenses, and other duplication. HRC's large headquarters building in Washington, D.C. might accommodate staffers to work on GLAAD programs. And while we're skeptical of the need for separate organizations, we do believe the community should have a media watchdog. GLAAD has achieved results by talking to leaders in the entertainment industry about various LGBT issues, and that work could easily continue under HRC's name.
But when it comes to calling out celebrities on their anti-gay rants, GLAAD is no longer alone, nor is it always able to respond quickly. When comedian Tracy Morgan recently let loose at a Nashville appearance and suggested he would stab his son to death if he was gay, it was LGBT bloggers who quickly called out the 30 Rock star. HRC issued a statement critical of Morgan at about the same time that GLAAD did; in fact, particularly in the last year, HRC has issued numerous statements in response to anti-gay tirades from celebs and athletes.
A GLAAD merger with HRC might put an end to GLAAD's Media Awards, which has devolved into a celebrity and mainstream media lovefest in recent years. There's something creepy (and unethical) about an organization presenting awards to outlets that they actively associate with and lobby. From television networks to newspapers, GLAAD's primary purpose is to foster an accurate representation of the LGBT community. It shouldn't then turn around and bestow awards on those companies for doing their jobs.
HRC's annual galas, held in several cities annually, including San Francisco, have attracted star power in recent years and that is probably adequate celebrity wattage.
GLAAD's budget is around $11 million. HRC's budget is in the neighborhood of $41 million. A combined organization would provide the LGBT community with a large national organization of about $50 million. That would help level the playing field when confronting anti-gay groups, some of which have millions of dollars.
In short, it seems like a win-win to us. The community would continue to have a voice in the entertainment industry along with HRC's legislative lobbying work at the national level and its election work at the state level.
Far from being a disaster, we view Barrios's impending departure as an opportunity for the LGBT community to flex its muscle and combine forces and resources. A merger should merit serious consideration by the boards of both of these LGBT organizations.