HRC. They are such ****-ups!

Date: Wednesday, May 18, 2005 7:20 PM
From: Timothy ***
Subject: Membership letter from Joe Solmonese dated May 11, 2005
To: Steven Fisher

Dear Mr. Fisher,

I wrote to you last October to tell you that I had decided to
join HRC because of the Board's change of position regarding
version of ENDA that did not include gender identity.
Although I am a non-transgender young gay man, I had been
upset for years that HRC did not include my transgender
friends and loved ones as full members in a united struggle.

I just received a letter from Joe Solmonese asking me to renew
my membership. In it, Mr. Solmonese states that in traveling
the country, he has realized that "we are all connected by a
common thread---the simple belief that every American deserves
to be treated equally, regardless of sexual orientation." I
am deeply offended by the omission of gender identity-based
equality in this most visible statement of purpose, directed
to the organization's membership, by its new President.

The letter also lists four gay or lesbian individuals and one
heterosexual couple that he met in Middle America, but no
transgender people, to whom "your support matters." While it
is true that the letter mentions transgender people (along
with straight people) in a postscript acknowledging
"collective efforts," and the enclosed profile of eight HRC
staff members includes a staffer in your department who is
identified as transgender (and thanks HRC for "stepping up in
a big way on transgender issues"), I am disturbed that HRC's
leadership apparently do not feel that---given the
organization's checkered past on trans issues---they must go
out of their way to make sure trans people are visibly and
fully included.

If the wording of the letter is simply about pandering to
members who may be transphobic, then clearly HRC has not fully
adopted its new, more inclusive mission. If, on the other
hand, there was an oversight, then I presume that Mr.
Solmonese will issue a formal, public apology for the
non-inclusive wording of his statement regarding the "common
thread" by which "we are all connected." How else can he
possibly avoid giving the impression that HRC's change in
policy was simply window-dressing?

I look forward to hearing from you regarding this matter.


In struggle,
An angry 25-year-old member,
Timothy ***
Chicago, Illinois

* * * * *

Date: Thu, 19 May 2005 14:06:03 -0400
From: Steven Fisher
Subject: RE: Membership letter from Joe Solmonese dated May 11, 2005
To: Timothy ***

Hi Timothy -- Thank you so much for alerting me to this. We're looking
into this now. Please be assured that Joe and HRC are fully committed
to equality based on gender identity and the entire gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgender community. Someone from our membership team or
I will get back to you with more information. Once again, thank you
forwarding this to me. Steven