Equality Ohio gives Amy Acton a B after calling trans women men. HRC endorses multiple Democratic candidates who have taken major anti-trans votes. EITM investigates.
A vote is one thing. In a democracy one sometimes has to vote for people who have said pretty abhorrent things, because the other candidate is worse. Not voting is also a vote.
But public endorsements are entirely different. The HRC, et al., are under no obligation to endorse *anyone*. That should be earned, and if the candidate hasn't earned it: no endorsement. Otherwise that's a good reason to not endorse the endorser.
These organizations can quietly (behind the "official notice" scene) work for the lesser of two evils. But this just makes their endorsements worthless.
Good point! We’re faced with an authoritarian takeover. It may be that every vote matters. But organizations have power to persuade the candidates to do right by us. Instead, they’re being complicit with moving the Overton Window away from trans-inclusion and into the realm of persecution.
If this isn't a sign that trans people have little to no political power then I don't know what is. How can we have political power when we can't even get equality organizations to mount a full throated defense?
Seems this could be a useful counter point when arguing with bigots who seem to think that trans people are everywhere and driving all of this "identity politics".
The saddest part to me, all these democrats who keep insisting that we should stop the anti-trans campaign to focus on "kitchen table issues" or what ever don't also include a fight to reverse the anti-trans laws. They'd rather just abandon trans folks completely and call that a pro-trans position because at least things aren't getting worse.
I hate hearing that phrase- "kitchen table issues"- as though having to contend with the government waging war on your identity 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 an issue that hits you right where you live? Equality 𝘪𝘴 a "kitchen table issue" when you're living on the underside of society's boot. Anyone using that phrase as shorthand for not standing up to bigots is doing their work for them, and whenever I hear it, I hear the person uttering it telling me "you don't matter."
Oh my gosh, for real. For me it's when people use the phrase "cultural issues" to talk about us. It's so dismissive of our lives, it's almost a misgendering. It's a signal that we are not to be taken seriously as people. We're a "cultural issue", like how Star Wars Episode IX was a cultural issue, like how Girls Gone Wild was a cultural issue. Fluff. Discardable. Not real in a way that matters materially.
YES—the other one I feel like I'm hearing constantly now (and from supposed blue voters 😒) is "purity tests" of our politicians/other Democratic voters/etc. as though someone being for or against our basic human rights is simply icing on a cake. As though we have it made and are just being picky about little specks of dust on our royal robes or smudges on our luxury cars instead of, y'know, desperately clawing our way through endless campaigns of dehumanization, erasure, and eradication for even the tiniest crumbs of support or acknowledgment from people who claim to be our allies. 😣 The increasingly normalized use of "transgender" as a noun grates on my nerves, too... I can never *not* hear that in any way but derisive.
You are absolutely correct, Celeste; trans people have no political power. Zero-Zip-Nada!
And it is ridiculous to think or say that we do. There are both organic and inorganic reasons for this. It’s not complicated. We are by far the smallest segment under the LGBT umbrella, upon whom we rely most for our own safety. Next up the ladder is the Medical and Scientific Community which should be taking serious steps to protect us by researching, studying and supporting our rights to exist as human beings. The Democratic Party which is infinitesimally larger than the LGBT umbrella, is next. They should protect our rights as citizens in our Republic. Lastly, the general public and its consensus is by far the largest and broadest community that we need to convince that we need to be valued as members of society. And unfortunately, we have failed as a community to convince the general public of our value. So when downward pressure comes in the form of the highly organized and deeply well-funded campaign of the Radical Right Wingnut Network to erase us from public life comes, the proverbial 💩flows downhill towards us. Sorry to be so blunt.
Not only are we small — we are diffuse. We are not an ethnic or religious group; our heritage is not passed down hereditarily. Instead we emerge organically in random homes distributed around the world.
Some minority groups are able to gather in jurisdictions in large enough numbers to form a majority there. That forms a base of power, at least some square footage on this Earth where they cannot be ignored.
We will never have that. We will never have a country, a state, a city, or even a neighborhood that's our turf. We always have to rely on people who are not trans for our rights to be respected.
I'm not sure where I am going with this. Just sucks.
You are correct, Evelyn; and our heterogeneous nature makes it even harder to organize. It’s like “herding cats”; as I was told by the Director of Transgender Outreach at our large local LGBT Center when I offered myself as an ally back in 2016 right after 45 was elected and panic was setting in. I presented in male mode. I was told politely to forget it because I hadn’t transitioned and therefore wouldn’t have any credibility in the community. I don’t think too much has changed over the last decade in the attitudes and actions of the community.
When HRC has the chance to support a progressive who supports trans rights like Peggy Flanagan they instead choose to get behind a centrist like Angie Craig. They are comfortable with anti trans centrists as long as marriage equality is safe. I ended my donation to HRC last month
I haven't trusted the so-called "Human Rights" Campaign since the fall of 2007 (a couple months before my own little epiphany) when I read that Barney Frank, in an effort to get an ENDA through Congress, lopped transpeople off the bill, and got the blessing of the "HR"C. Names and faces change, but every time I see the so-called "HR"C speaking about trans rights, trying to pink-blue-and-whitewash its rep, I keep waiting for something like this on the other end. And here you go. 🤬🏳️⚧️🇺🇸
Erin, thank you for bringing this to our attention, and thank you for all of your political reporting. I have been wary of the HRC for some time, even delaying renewing my membership with them this year. This is the final straw. I will not give them any money this year, and I will write to them citing my reason why, with this article as a reference.
Exactly, Marie Véronique. I'll post my comment beneath yours because I think it fits well.
Reading Erin's article I thought, Where do they get their money? A quick search shows revenue, expenses, and key employee and officer compensation by year.
It feels to me like they're ,just running a business and it seems like they make their decisions based on that, not about "Human Rights" or more basically, *human beings*. Like us. The top three officers were paid (from contributors' money) a combined salary of 1,462,601 dollars in 2025. Oh, sorry. That's "compensation." "Other" income brings in another 119 ,766 dollars. Three people.
It makes me feel like they're just running a business. A very profitable business. I don't use foul language any more, but it comes to mind.
Interesting. That link indicates that these people fly first class on the donor dime. I guess their asses are too delicate for the budget-fare seats to which my ass is acclimated. Must be nice,
You are absolutely correct in your assessment. These large orgs are often just businesses - existing to exist, looking busy to keep donations rolling in.
What trans people learned back in the late 1990's is that HRC starts paying some attention when you call them on their BS - especially by protesting their fundraising dinners. Donors work hard for their money, and they don't want to give it to some organization that doesn't support the people they're supposed to support.
We are all facing terrible choices in the upcoming elections. And I hate the part where we have to choose the lesser of the two or multiple evils. We have to make a choice because our lives depend on it and we can still acknowledge that the choice we select is far from perfect.
I would rather see anti-trans Democrats lose every race than have a Democratic congress that does nothing for us except forestall the next assault on our rights by 24-48 months.
Let me tell everyone here a story about HRC. You can research what I say if you doubt my words. My brother a gay man that served on the board of HRC 2004 - 2006. My brothers name is Jaime M Rook. He resigned in protest in 2006 in reaction to the crap that was constantly hurled toward the trans community in board meetings. What his fellow board members didn't know is that he had a trans sister who was a board member on the Shell diversity group SEAShell. He told me of how they talked and joked about the trans community. They were never going to give us a seat at the table. They had no intention of including us in anything. They talked and said horrible things about us and the lesbian community. They didn't give a damn about us and still don't. They only appear to include us or make some kind of public statement when it is forced upon them. The trans community was nothing to them and they only paid us lip service for appearance sake. The trans community was a pain in their ass as far as they were concerned. My brother is a California man. We were both born and raised in Texas in the greater Houston area. I still live in the Greater Houston Area. I stayed here because I had a very good job with Shell Oil. I retired after 30 + years in 2019. I tell you all this because I served on the board of SEAShell. The Diversity group representing north American GLBTQ employees. Support Equality Awareness within the Shell US companies. I served on this board for 12 years and guided Shell through my own transition in 1999. They claimed that no one had ever transitioned in the work place as I was doing. I literally wrote the guidelines and procedures for my own transition and all employees in North America that came after me. Back on subject. I clearly had influence in the company. I went to many HRC events every year including the national dinner in DC. I even accepted an award from HRC at an awards ceremony in DC for equality within the corporation for our innovative and inclusive company guidelines towards trans and gay people. I was heavy into HRC attending HRC dinners in Houston and DC at the national level. I gave them lots of my money. Was a member for years. All this time believing that HRC was in full support of us. What a fool I was. My brother abruptly resigned as he could no longer support their idea of taking us along for inclusion when they never intended to in the first place. He was extremely disenchanted with the entire organization because of the way they talked and joked about trans people in board meetings and behind closed doors. They found out that he had a trans sister and he let them have both barrels so to speak when he walked out of his last board meeting. He resigned in protest of the hate and cruelty tossed around between board members about trans people. The trans community was the brunt of many jokes with them. We were those guys who liked to play dressup never taking us seriously. Yes they found out the hard way Jaime had a trans sister whom he supported 100%. From his experience and sharing inside information with me I learned exactly what those white elite gay boy's thought of us. It wasn't very nice. To tie it all together I pulled out of everything HRC. They pursued me for years afterwards because of my position in Shell. Shell was big money and now they were losing support because of what I had learned and they discovered I was in a position to influence funding. They figured out that I was a board members sister. OOPS. They didn't see that coming. So to finish up HRC has had a long history of throwing us under the bus for many years. The more things change the more they stay the same. It's nothing for them to endorse and support Democrats that have voted against us and supported anti trans legislation. They probably slap each other on the back and laugh at us. I'm convinced HRC with its well off white boy board will never change. If anyone reading this who is an HRC member and giving them money please understand this. If you're a trans person or support the trans community understand we don't mean a goddamned thing to HRC and never will. You make up your own mind if you want to continue to be a member of the the good ole boy's club who only watch out for their own but will gladly take your money and laugh all the way to the bank. My brother and I have seen HRC from the inside and what a pos organization they are and will always be. They don't care about us and never will. Don't be fooled by HRC and their marketing schemes. Some things never change. They pay us lip service and pretend to care about us but behind closed doors it's a completely different reality. And on that I'm ending my little story of HRC. Just know they have never cared about us and never will. Take care and stay safe out there!
It was the same in the 90's. They were very hostile to us behind closed doors, while acting like allies to our faces. And when I say they were hostile behind closed doors, I mean they would lobby lawmakers, urging them to glad-hand us to our faces while opposing our inclusion in any protective legislation. Even worse, they cozied up to our national organizations so that they could sabotage our lobbying efforts by "pre-lobbying" lawmakers. By "pre-lobbying," I mean blanketing Capitol Hill with lobbying visits just prior to ours, poisoning the waters for our lobbyists, telling lawmakers to smile and act friendly to the weirdos who will be visiting, but ignore their pleadings, because HRC and Barney Frank were the ones to consult with regard to trans issues.
The only way to break out of that was to let HRC think we didn't know this was happening and to feed false information to them about when we intended to lobby. We had to burn our preeminent national trans rights organization, which had become irreparably compromised, and found a new organization to replace it. At the same time, we had to hit them where it mattered to them - revealing to their contributors how they had been sabotaging our civil rights struggle behind closed doors. It turns out that most people don't approve of such slimy and underhanded behavior, and they tend not to pull out their checkbooks to support it. We had to force them to stop attacking us with a lot of heavy public pressure - protests and such.
So, you're absolutely right. HRC has no respect for us as a community in need of advocacy. They only have respect for us as frenemies who will raise holy hell if they step out of line. They still exploit our community's struggles for their fundraising, but they know we can dry up that revenue stream in a heartbeat if they cross us.
This has always been our relationship with the HRC.
It’s very simple. If they do not support transgender people, you don’t support their candidacy. The other option is to throw us under the bus. If they do that, they are not pro equality. They are transphobic hate groups. The end.
The HRC is actively harmful to trans people in its diversion of resources if for no other reason. Seems like Equality Ohio is as well. We cannot hold our noses and vote for those Dems. Just look at labour in the UK. The sad reality is that by abandoning trans people they've given up any meaningful seat at the table. They have sacrificed us and gained nothing.
If there any ideas of how to message Equality Ohio (and other advocacy groups) more effectively please share. I sent the following to EO today:
Good afternoon,
I am writing to express my deep disappointment in the recent decision by Equality Ohio to award Amy Acton a grade of B despite her insulting remarks about transgender Ohioans and refusal to even clarify them, much less retract them.
I wonder whose equality your organization represents. If any of us are treated as unequal then we all suffer. What am I supposed to tell my trans son when he asks why Equality Ohio thinks misgendering transgender Ohioans deserves a “passing”’grade.
If you think there is too much at stake not to support imperfect candidates, think again. We have seen candidates win in other states without resorting to the demonization which Acton has exhibited. We have seen Seth Moulton lose a primary because he said things just as egregious as Acton.
This is not a time for timidity and cowardice. You are rewarding bad behavior instead of pursuing your mission. If you don’t hold weak Democrats accountable and withhold your support when they spit on you, I question whether you have much of a mission at all.
Frankly you're way too polite, and you have left out essential four-letter words that would help clarify your message.
Seriously, what they need to hear is our anger. As an old-timer who fought this same battle decades ago, I can tell you that the ONLY thing they pay attention to is anything that makes them look bad. And a community of trans people up in arms because Equality Ohio threw them under the bus makes them look really bad. The best thing we can do is to protest them at every event where they appear, until we manage to get their attention and get them to start doing better. Polite words and patient discussions will never get them there.
Also, it would be useful to inform them of our protest plans. They will negotiate in exchange for our not dragging them through mud.
I’ve been in corporate America too long and have learned to weigh my written words carefully lest they come back to me. FWIW, calling someone a coward is an extremely severe insult coming from me. Would it be enhanced by calling them f***ing cowards? Maybe.
I do think I’ll be looking to see if and where Equality Ohio meets. That’s a sound course of action.
Meeting people where they are? So trans people should go down the dem platform, find issues that don’t impact us as much, and meet rightwingers in the middle on them? Gotcha!
So, am I like hallucinating? HRC is pretty good with Acton? What kind of shit revolution are they on board for, I'm all in, let Ramaswamy defeat her, she deserves it, it's too bad for the state but they'll survive, with a better Democrat next time. Trans rights are human rights just as women's rights are, just as gay rights are, non-white rights, etc. Egalitarianism or nothing.
What is so frustrating is that every turn presents a step backward. Instead of being able to focus on the problematic politicians, energy and time has to now be spent holding the advocates accountable.
One of the more frustrating things I’ve encountered as I familiarize myself with this work is how unsupportive many gay and lesbian Americans are. It reminds me of the homophobia of so many in the Black family I married into. Oppression is no guarantee that you will stand up for other oppressed people or won’t oppress them yourself. The irrationality feels bottomless at times.
Even in Blue California, EQCA endorsed Xavier Becerra in the primary despite his ambiguous statements about trans girls in sports, while Tom Steyer was appearing at events with AB Hernandez and being unequivocal in his support. Will we have another mess in California for an Equality org to clean up if Becerra tacks to the right in the general?
Well, at least they are bothering generally to say they are bothered by it.
I feel there should be at least as much effort towards moving people where they ought to be, as meeting then where they are . . . if they are so little as in the ballpark. A buzzsaw of unrelenting counterfacts and opposition for who isn't.
---> He then pointed to other statements Acton had made that the organization considers supportive, such as that she “will always stand up for Ohioans, including the LGBT community,” and that “as governor, she is committed to standing up to discrimination and ensuring all Ohioans receive equal protection under the law.”
Oh, well, this is the same thing my Republican representative tells me. He says he is committed to equal rights for all people and affirms the rights and dignity of all LGBTQ people - or some such rubbish - and then he votes 100% against us all. Moreover, he doesn't make the transphobic statements that Acton makes, so I guess "Equality" Ohio should give him at least a "B," huh.
As far as HRC saying these lawmakers need time to be educated: BULLCRAP! This is the same line they were giving us 30 years ago when they were telling lawmakers they represented us and were lobbying AGAINST our inclusion in the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and the Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Our activists have worn ruts in their floors educating them. These lawmakers all know better. They go into office, are educated, and often will still go to their retirements not having supported us except with hollow words.
You know who does need educating? HRC and Equality Ohio and whatever other LGBTQ organizations are willing to throw us under the bus. Because apparently they don't remember that far back. We need to put them on notice now that if they don't take their mission seriously, that we will be protesting them at the next Pride events. I can see protest signs with a bus emblazoned with "HRC, Equality Virginia, DNC" and an arrow pointing down that says "Trans under the bus!" Just my 2c.
A vote is one thing. In a democracy one sometimes has to vote for people who have said pretty abhorrent things, because the other candidate is worse. Not voting is also a vote.
But public endorsements are entirely different. The HRC, et al., are under no obligation to endorse *anyone*. That should be earned, and if the candidate hasn't earned it: no endorsement. Otherwise that's a good reason to not endorse the endorser.
These organizations can quietly (behind the "official notice" scene) work for the lesser of two evils. But this just makes their endorsements worthless.
Good point! We’re faced with an authoritarian takeover. It may be that every vote matters. But organizations have power to persuade the candidates to do right by us. Instead, they’re being complicit with moving the Overton Window away from trans-inclusion and into the realm of persecution.
As an 84 year old gay man I am appalled by HRC. I have been disappointed by them for a long time. I'm ashamed of them.
If this isn't a sign that trans people have little to no political power then I don't know what is. How can we have political power when we can't even get equality organizations to mount a full throated defense?
Seems this could be a useful counter point when arguing with bigots who seem to think that trans people are everywhere and driving all of this "identity politics".
The saddest part to me, all these democrats who keep insisting that we should stop the anti-trans campaign to focus on "kitchen table issues" or what ever don't also include a fight to reverse the anti-trans laws. They'd rather just abandon trans folks completely and call that a pro-trans position because at least things aren't getting worse.
I hate hearing that phrase- "kitchen table issues"- as though having to contend with the government waging war on your identity 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 an issue that hits you right where you live? Equality 𝘪𝘴 a "kitchen table issue" when you're living on the underside of society's boot. Anyone using that phrase as shorthand for not standing up to bigots is doing their work for them, and whenever I hear it, I hear the person uttering it telling me "you don't matter."
Oh my gosh, for real. For me it's when people use the phrase "cultural issues" to talk about us. It's so dismissive of our lives, it's almost a misgendering. It's a signal that we are not to be taken seriously as people. We're a "cultural issue", like how Star Wars Episode IX was a cultural issue, like how Girls Gone Wild was a cultural issue. Fluff. Discardable. Not real in a way that matters materially.
YES—the other one I feel like I'm hearing constantly now (and from supposed blue voters 😒) is "purity tests" of our politicians/other Democratic voters/etc. as though someone being for or against our basic human rights is simply icing on a cake. As though we have it made and are just being picky about little specks of dust on our royal robes or smudges on our luxury cars instead of, y'know, desperately clawing our way through endless campaigns of dehumanization, erasure, and eradication for even the tiniest crumbs of support or acknowledgment from people who claim to be our allies. 😣 The increasingly normalized use of "transgender" as a noun grates on my nerves, too... I can never *not* hear that in any way but derisive.
I no longer have a kitchen table. I had to sell it before I fled the country for my safety. Now I live in an apartment that has no room for a table.
I guess that means I don't have any kitchen table issues.
You are absolutely correct, Celeste; trans people have no political power. Zero-Zip-Nada!
And it is ridiculous to think or say that we do. There are both organic and inorganic reasons for this. It’s not complicated. We are by far the smallest segment under the LGBT umbrella, upon whom we rely most for our own safety. Next up the ladder is the Medical and Scientific Community which should be taking serious steps to protect us by researching, studying and supporting our rights to exist as human beings. The Democratic Party which is infinitesimally larger than the LGBT umbrella, is next. They should protect our rights as citizens in our Republic. Lastly, the general public and its consensus is by far the largest and broadest community that we need to convince that we need to be valued as members of society. And unfortunately, we have failed as a community to convince the general public of our value. So when downward pressure comes in the form of the highly organized and deeply well-funded campaign of the Radical Right Wingnut Network to erase us from public life comes, the proverbial 💩flows downhill towards us. Sorry to be so blunt.
Not only are we small — we are diffuse. We are not an ethnic or religious group; our heritage is not passed down hereditarily. Instead we emerge organically in random homes distributed around the world.
Some minority groups are able to gather in jurisdictions in large enough numbers to form a majority there. That forms a base of power, at least some square footage on this Earth where they cannot be ignored.
We will never have that. We will never have a country, a state, a city, or even a neighborhood that's our turf. We always have to rely on people who are not trans for our rights to be respected.
I'm not sure where I am going with this. Just sucks.
You are correct, Evelyn; and our heterogeneous nature makes it even harder to organize. It’s like “herding cats”; as I was told by the Director of Transgender Outreach at our large local LGBT Center when I offered myself as an ally back in 2016 right after 45 was elected and panic was setting in. I presented in male mode. I was told politely to forget it because I hadn’t transitioned and therefore wouldn’t have any credibility in the community. I don’t think too much has changed over the last decade in the attitudes and actions of the community.
...because we obviously don't have kitchen tables at home.
When HRC has the chance to support a progressive who supports trans rights like Peggy Flanagan they instead choose to get behind a centrist like Angie Craig. They are comfortable with anti trans centrists as long as marriage equality is safe. I ended my donation to HRC last month
There are other orgs like Lambda Legal and/or Trans Lifeline that would be happy to take your $.
I haven't trusted the so-called "Human Rights" Campaign since the fall of 2007 (a couple months before my own little epiphany) when I read that Barney Frank, in an effort to get an ENDA through Congress, lopped transpeople off the bill, and got the blessing of the "HR"C. Names and faces change, but every time I see the so-called "HR"C speaking about trans rights, trying to pink-blue-and-whitewash its rep, I keep waiting for something like this on the other end. And here you go. 🤬🏳️⚧️🇺🇸
Erin, thank you for bringing this to our attention, and thank you for all of your political reporting. I have been wary of the HRC for some time, even delaying renewing my membership with them this year. This is the final straw. I will not give them any money this year, and I will write to them citing my reason why, with this article as a reference.
Exactly, Marie Véronique. I'll post my comment beneath yours because I think it fits well.
Reading Erin's article I thought, Where do they get their money? A quick search shows revenue, expenses, and key employee and officer compensation by year.
https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/521243457
It feels to me like they're ,just running a business and it seems like they make their decisions based on that, not about "Human Rights" or more basically, *human beings*. Like us. The top three officers were paid (from contributors' money) a combined salary of 1,462,601 dollars in 2025. Oh, sorry. That's "compensation." "Other" income brings in another 119 ,766 dollars. Three people.
It makes me feel like they're just running a business. A very profitable business. I don't use foul language any more, but it comes to mind.
Interesting. That link indicates that these people fly first class on the donor dime. I guess their asses are too delicate for the budget-fare seats to which my ass is acclimated. Must be nice,
You are absolutely correct in your assessment. These large orgs are often just businesses - existing to exist, looking busy to keep donations rolling in.
What trans people learned back in the late 1990's is that HRC starts paying some attention when you call them on their BS - especially by protesting their fundraising dinners. Donors work hard for their money, and they don't want to give it to some organization that doesn't support the people they're supposed to support.
We are all facing terrible choices in the upcoming elections. And I hate the part where we have to choose the lesser of the two or multiple evils. We have to make a choice because our lives depend on it and we can still acknowledge that the choice we select is far from perfect.
I would rather see anti-trans Democrats lose every race than have a Democratic congress that does nothing for us except forestall the next assault on our rights by 24-48 months.
They won't even forestall it. But it will teach other Dems to follow suit.
They never do and they always have an excuse.
"Oh, it's the mid-terms, hold your nose and Vote Blue No Matter Who"
'You won the midterms'
"Yes, but there's a National Election coming up, so we need to hold the line..."
'Well, You're in the White House now'
"Once we secure the Second Term..."
Let me tell everyone here a story about HRC. You can research what I say if you doubt my words. My brother a gay man that served on the board of HRC 2004 - 2006. My brothers name is Jaime M Rook. He resigned in protest in 2006 in reaction to the crap that was constantly hurled toward the trans community in board meetings. What his fellow board members didn't know is that he had a trans sister who was a board member on the Shell diversity group SEAShell. He told me of how they talked and joked about the trans community. They were never going to give us a seat at the table. They had no intention of including us in anything. They talked and said horrible things about us and the lesbian community. They didn't give a damn about us and still don't. They only appear to include us or make some kind of public statement when it is forced upon them. The trans community was nothing to them and they only paid us lip service for appearance sake. The trans community was a pain in their ass as far as they were concerned. My brother is a California man. We were both born and raised in Texas in the greater Houston area. I still live in the Greater Houston Area. I stayed here because I had a very good job with Shell Oil. I retired after 30 + years in 2019. I tell you all this because I served on the board of SEAShell. The Diversity group representing north American GLBTQ employees. Support Equality Awareness within the Shell US companies. I served on this board for 12 years and guided Shell through my own transition in 1999. They claimed that no one had ever transitioned in the work place as I was doing. I literally wrote the guidelines and procedures for my own transition and all employees in North America that came after me. Back on subject. I clearly had influence in the company. I went to many HRC events every year including the national dinner in DC. I even accepted an award from HRC at an awards ceremony in DC for equality within the corporation for our innovative and inclusive company guidelines towards trans and gay people. I was heavy into HRC attending HRC dinners in Houston and DC at the national level. I gave them lots of my money. Was a member for years. All this time believing that HRC was in full support of us. What a fool I was. My brother abruptly resigned as he could no longer support their idea of taking us along for inclusion when they never intended to in the first place. He was extremely disenchanted with the entire organization because of the way they talked and joked about trans people in board meetings and behind closed doors. They found out that he had a trans sister and he let them have both barrels so to speak when he walked out of his last board meeting. He resigned in protest of the hate and cruelty tossed around between board members about trans people. The trans community was the brunt of many jokes with them. We were those guys who liked to play dressup never taking us seriously. Yes they found out the hard way Jaime had a trans sister whom he supported 100%. From his experience and sharing inside information with me I learned exactly what those white elite gay boy's thought of us. It wasn't very nice. To tie it all together I pulled out of everything HRC. They pursued me for years afterwards because of my position in Shell. Shell was big money and now they were losing support because of what I had learned and they discovered I was in a position to influence funding. They figured out that I was a board members sister. OOPS. They didn't see that coming. So to finish up HRC has had a long history of throwing us under the bus for many years. The more things change the more they stay the same. It's nothing for them to endorse and support Democrats that have voted against us and supported anti trans legislation. They probably slap each other on the back and laugh at us. I'm convinced HRC with its well off white boy board will never change. If anyone reading this who is an HRC member and giving them money please understand this. If you're a trans person or support the trans community understand we don't mean a goddamned thing to HRC and never will. You make up your own mind if you want to continue to be a member of the the good ole boy's club who only watch out for their own but will gladly take your money and laugh all the way to the bank. My brother and I have seen HRC from the inside and what a pos organization they are and will always be. They don't care about us and never will. Don't be fooled by HRC and their marketing schemes. Some things never change. They pay us lip service and pretend to care about us but behind closed doors it's a completely different reality. And on that I'm ending my little story of HRC. Just know they have never cared about us and never will. Take care and stay safe out there!
It was the same in the 90's. They were very hostile to us behind closed doors, while acting like allies to our faces. And when I say they were hostile behind closed doors, I mean they would lobby lawmakers, urging them to glad-hand us to our faces while opposing our inclusion in any protective legislation. Even worse, they cozied up to our national organizations so that they could sabotage our lobbying efforts by "pre-lobbying" lawmakers. By "pre-lobbying," I mean blanketing Capitol Hill with lobbying visits just prior to ours, poisoning the waters for our lobbyists, telling lawmakers to smile and act friendly to the weirdos who will be visiting, but ignore their pleadings, because HRC and Barney Frank were the ones to consult with regard to trans issues.
The only way to break out of that was to let HRC think we didn't know this was happening and to feed false information to them about when we intended to lobby. We had to burn our preeminent national trans rights organization, which had become irreparably compromised, and found a new organization to replace it. At the same time, we had to hit them where it mattered to them - revealing to their contributors how they had been sabotaging our civil rights struggle behind closed doors. It turns out that most people don't approve of such slimy and underhanded behavior, and they tend not to pull out their checkbooks to support it. We had to force them to stop attacking us with a lot of heavy public pressure - protests and such.
So, you're absolutely right. HRC has no respect for us as a community in need of advocacy. They only have respect for us as frenemies who will raise holy hell if they step out of line. They still exploit our community's struggles for their fundraising, but they know we can dry up that revenue stream in a heartbeat if they cross us.
This has always been our relationship with the HRC.
Heartbreaking 💔
That’s horrible.
It’s very simple. If they do not support transgender people, you don’t support their candidacy. The other option is to throw us under the bus. If they do that, they are not pro equality. They are transphobic hate groups. The end.
The HRC is actively harmful to trans people in its diversion of resources if for no other reason. Seems like Equality Ohio is as well. We cannot hold our noses and vote for those Dems. Just look at labour in the UK. The sad reality is that by abandoning trans people they've given up any meaningful seat at the table. They have sacrificed us and gained nothing.
If there any ideas of how to message Equality Ohio (and other advocacy groups) more effectively please share. I sent the following to EO today:
Good afternoon,
I am writing to express my deep disappointment in the recent decision by Equality Ohio to award Amy Acton a grade of B despite her insulting remarks about transgender Ohioans and refusal to even clarify them, much less retract them.
I wonder whose equality your organization represents. If any of us are treated as unequal then we all suffer. What am I supposed to tell my trans son when he asks why Equality Ohio thinks misgendering transgender Ohioans deserves a “passing”’grade.
If you think there is too much at stake not to support imperfect candidates, think again. We have seen candidates win in other states without resorting to the demonization which Acton has exhibited. We have seen Seth Moulton lose a primary because he said things just as egregious as Acton.
This is not a time for timidity and cowardice. You are rewarding bad behavior instead of pursuing your mission. If you don’t hold weak Democrats accountable and withhold your support when they spit on you, I question whether you have much of a mission at all.
Frankly you're way too polite, and you have left out essential four-letter words that would help clarify your message.
Seriously, what they need to hear is our anger. As an old-timer who fought this same battle decades ago, I can tell you that the ONLY thing they pay attention to is anything that makes them look bad. And a community of trans people up in arms because Equality Ohio threw them under the bus makes them look really bad. The best thing we can do is to protest them at every event where they appear, until we manage to get their attention and get them to start doing better. Polite words and patient discussions will never get them there.
Also, it would be useful to inform them of our protest plans. They will negotiate in exchange for our not dragging them through mud.
I’ve been in corporate America too long and have learned to weigh my written words carefully lest they come back to me. FWIW, calling someone a coward is an extremely severe insult coming from me. Would it be enhanced by calling them f***ing cowards? Maybe.
I do think I’ll be looking to see if and where Equality Ohio meets. That’s a sound course of action.
Might I suggest writing all state chapters of the Equality Federation? I'm slowly working my way through.
I think that's a fantastic idea!
Meeting people where they are? So trans people should go down the dem platform, find issues that don’t impact us as much, and meet rightwingers in the middle on them? Gotcha!
So, am I like hallucinating? HRC is pretty good with Acton? What kind of shit revolution are they on board for, I'm all in, let Ramaswamy defeat her, she deserves it, it's too bad for the state but they'll survive, with a better Democrat next time. Trans rights are human rights just as women's rights are, just as gay rights are, non-white rights, etc. Egalitarianism or nothing.
What is so frustrating is that every turn presents a step backward. Instead of being able to focus on the problematic politicians, energy and time has to now be spent holding the advocates accountable.
One of the more frustrating things I’ve encountered as I familiarize myself with this work is how unsupportive many gay and lesbian Americans are. It reminds me of the homophobia of so many in the Black family I married into. Oppression is no guarantee that you will stand up for other oppressed people or won’t oppress them yourself. The irrationality feels bottomless at times.
Even in Blue California, EQCA endorsed Xavier Becerra in the primary despite his ambiguous statements about trans girls in sports, while Tom Steyer was appearing at events with AB Hernandez and being unequivocal in his support. Will we have another mess in California for an Equality org to clean up if Becerra tacks to the right in the general?
Well, at least they are bothering generally to say they are bothered by it.
I feel there should be at least as much effort towards moving people where they ought to be, as meeting then where they are . . . if they are so little as in the ballpark. A buzzsaw of unrelenting counterfacts and opposition for who isn't.
Thank you Mrs. Reed.
---> He then pointed to other statements Acton had made that the organization considers supportive, such as that she “will always stand up for Ohioans, including the LGBT community,” and that “as governor, she is committed to standing up to discrimination and ensuring all Ohioans receive equal protection under the law.”
Oh, well, this is the same thing my Republican representative tells me. He says he is committed to equal rights for all people and affirms the rights and dignity of all LGBTQ people - or some such rubbish - and then he votes 100% against us all. Moreover, he doesn't make the transphobic statements that Acton makes, so I guess "Equality" Ohio should give him at least a "B," huh.
As far as HRC saying these lawmakers need time to be educated: BULLCRAP! This is the same line they were giving us 30 years ago when they were telling lawmakers they represented us and were lobbying AGAINST our inclusion in the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and the Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Our activists have worn ruts in their floors educating them. These lawmakers all know better. They go into office, are educated, and often will still go to their retirements not having supported us except with hollow words.
You know who does need educating? HRC and Equality Ohio and whatever other LGBTQ organizations are willing to throw us under the bus. Because apparently they don't remember that far back. We need to put them on notice now that if they don't take their mission seriously, that we will be protesting them at the next Pride events. I can see protest signs with a bus emblazoned with "HRC, Equality Virginia, DNC" and an arrow pointing down that says "Trans under the bus!" Just my 2c.