Over four years ago, the United States Congress took up legislation, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act or ENDA, that banned employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. But near the end of the session, some legislators balked at the gender identity provision. The lead organization that was shepherding it through Congress, the Human Rights Campaign, therefore agreed to strip the gender identity protections. The dismay and outrage throughout the community was immediate. Within a year, over 350 local, state, and national organizations banded together to denounce the move and call for a United ENDA. For months, local activists and elected officials protested HRC dinners across the country, and in July 2008, an LGBT labor group, San Francisco Pride at Work, organized one of the largest boycotts/protests ever assembled outside an HRC function. Dozens of local organizations and elected officials endorsed the boycott, including the San Francisco Labor Council and the San Francisco Democratic Party; no elected officials in San Francisco attended the dinner. Even the mayor of Los Angeles, the scheduled speaker, wouldn't cross a Labor Council-endorsed picket line. Hundreds of activists picketed in front of the dinner, and after the dinner started, they filled the streets dancing, in what was called the "Left-Out Party." After the HRC dinner, then-Supervisor Bevan Dufty welcomed the picketers into his home and even fed them.
One local LGBT Democratic club published an open letter that stated:
"Unfortunately, last fall HRC betrayed its own legacy and values, and betrayed the LGBT community, when the organization's leadership reversed its long-standing commitment to inclusive legislation, suddenly advocating passage of a federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act that, for sake of expediency, deliberately excluded gender identity and expression protections. This cynical move left millions of Americans vulnerable to gender discrimination in employment, and implied that, while discrimination based on sexual orientation was unacceptable, bias and intolerance based on gender identity or expression were negotiable. Even worse, HRC's leadership made its decision in secret, breaching its collaboration with every other national LGBT organization."
Needless to say, the relationship between HRC and the transgender community and its allies was frayed.
Fast-forward four years. Now, we find that the Advocate has run a story detailing several potential candidates the powers that be at HRC might be considering to replace the current president, Joe Solmonese, who is departing the organization in March and who this week was named one of 35 national co-chairs for President Barack Obama's re-election. Although the list is comprised of worthy candidates, most are gay white men and there are two white women. What struck me most profoundly, however, was that there was not one person of color or one transgender person listed. Arguably, the article may not be a complete reflection of which candidates HRC may be considering, but it says a lot that the list as it stands reflects the seeming assumption that there are no people of color or transgender leaders whatsoever that HRC views as qualified to lead. It's not the first time, and I'm sorry to say it won't be the last time, that we are left out of the party.
For the sake of argument, I will give HRC the benefit of the doubt as to whether this list is an accurate picture of which candidates it is considering. I hope that board members are evaluating a person of color or a transgender person among their selection of potential candidates, and that the board has decided to prioritize hiring someone who will address the needs of the these communities. Given what HRC did around ENDA, it is high time that it begin addressing the long process of rebuilding the relationship between themselves and the transgender community.
I have spoken to some members of the transgender community who have asked: "Why bother?" In response, I say there is a genuine need and a real opportunity for change. HRC is an enormous organization with a multitude of resources. There will always be the potential for HRC to be representative of us all. On a local level, there is one example, the San Francisco Trans March, that I think shows promise and would be a great road map for HRC. For years, many transgender women of color had felt alienated by the march's lack of inclusion of their perspectives, issues, needs, and priorities. Over the years, there were transgender women of color involved in organizing the Trans March. Yet the needs of these women were never at the core of this work and most felt like their participation was just token flag waving. Then, a few years ago, a concerted effort was made by transgender people of color to make the march more relevant to their community; consequently, significant changes have been made. According to the organizers, there was no magic bullet: The process of real inclusion is an ongoing effort. But they feel that showing people that their needs are essential to the success of endeavor has begun to have an impact, and trust is beginning to build.
As for HRC, many transgender people I have spoken to have said that they believe that the organization would only support the transgender community if it could do so at no political or financial cost to itself. This statement is telling on many levels, and particularly shows the deep feeling of mistrust that most community members have. Some said that the best strategy is just to ignore HRC and put energy into other organizations that have showed genuine support and respect for us. Those are all reasonable strategies, and I won't deny that we need a more than healthy dose of caution in our dealings, but I remain hopeful that HRC will see that real leadership "is the most important element for change, and that includes fostering workplaces that have an inclusive culture and that enhance cross-cultural awareness and skills through communication, training, and education. This is the starting point for any meaningful change in creating fair workplaces."
I would hope that HRC agrees with that statement, particularly since it is drawn from its own website.
When parts of the LGBT community fall short, time and again, we need to speak that truth and make concrete demands for change. And we will watch closely to see if HRC steps up �" or stumbles. Either way, it will be another snapshot in time to see its true colors. HRC has a window of opportunity to either take a healing step forward or make a damaging rift more permanent.
Gabriel Haaland is a queer labor activist who was one of the lead organizers of the HRC dinner boycott/Left Out Party, and serves on the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee.