Taking a moment to express annoyance at a long standing institution in the LGB community. I am leaving the T and Q out, because this organization has a terrible track record regarding Trans* and Queer identified people. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is launching this campaign stating We Can Change The South and asking for donations from Southerners to support their campaigns. Alright, you may not be aware that a large amount of financial support for national organizations like the HRC comes from the South. Has BEEN coming from the South. Yet most of their work is on the coasts and in the Northeastern US. Most of their work centers on the interests of white middle class gay men in those regions. Now that Southern LGBTQ issues are making national news, they want to jump in now. In late 2014. After elections. After the 6th Circuit Courts ruling to uphold gay marriage bans. After Southern LGBTQ people have been struggling for DECADES for even a semblance of equality. We have been donating our money to these sorts of groups for a long time and have seen a limited return. They cant jump on our bandwagon now to increase their donations when we have been giving for years with little or no interest from their national campaigns. They have treated us as fly-over states all this time and are likely to continue to do so. WE can change The South. LGBTQ people who LIVE in The South can and will CHANGE THE SOUTH. They do not know the unique struggles we have here. They do not live under the same oppressive laws and systems that we do. They have rarely been on the front lines here. They hardly even understand the unique struggles of Trans* and Queer people or LGB people of color in the areas that they have been working in. WE CAN CHANGE THE SOUTH by supporting our LOCAL LGBTQ organizations. So, if you feel compelled to give: give to organizations like Tennessee Equality Project, Tennessee Valley Pride, local chapters of PFLAG, Equality Everywhere, The Nooga Diversity Center, Spectrum at UTC, Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition, or any other LOCAL LGBTQ organization. THEY have been working to change The South for YEARS and will continue to do so. Carpetbaggers need not apply. They need to support and recognize what we have already built and are continuing to build. Stepping off my soapbox now. Im just really frustrated with HRCs double talk and frankly I dont trust them to do meaningful work in The South as far as I can throw a courthouse. They need to prove themselves to us. They owe us.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 15:16:25 +0000
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