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In an email to the DNC, Bastian said he was boycotting "because of the remarks on DOMA" - having found the filing "offensive." "I will continue to support certain congressmen, congresswomen and senators whom I believe will continue to fight for our rights, but I don't think blanket donations to the Democratic Party right now are justified, at least not in my book," Bastian told the Washington Blade. By June 17, major donors such as businessman Bruce Bastian decided to boycott the DNC event. Hurt, disillusioned, betrayed - the LGBT community turned its aggrieved eyes to the next, closest target - the LGBT Leadership Council's fundraiser for the DNC. He didn't and the event was minimized to within an inch of mattering. That betrayal - coupled with the very public but ultimately ineffectual pleadings by West Point graduate and Arab linguist Lt Dan Choi to not be discharged and the White House's inept response - created an online groundswell of deeply pained protest.Įveryone held their breath to see if Obama would say something during an Oval Office ceremony when signing the memorandum to extend limited benefits to partners of federal employees. The mainstream media took notice.īy the end of day one after the DOMA filing, it didn't really matter what legal analysis was correct: much of the LGBT community and many straight allies felt the Obama administration's cold dead-fish slap across the face. The blogosphere lit up with Americablog's John Aravosis leading the way - though other bloggers, such as Chris Geidner at Law Dork, 2.0, challenged some of Aravosis' conclusions. The "fierce advocate" meme took off - including my own piece for The Bilerico Project asking Obama to give us a liaison to be a fierce advocate for us since he was failing at the job.Īnd then came what many felt was the push under the bus: late in the afternoon of June 11, the Department of Justice - under renown civil rights leader and now Attorney General Eric Holder - filed a stunning brief supporting the Defense of Marriage Act which Obama had promised to repeal in full. Richard Socarides kicked it up a notch with his May 2 op-ed in the Washington Post calling out Obama on his promise to be a "fierce advocate of equality for gay and lesbian Americans." To resurrect that old 1984 Hart-Mondale political joke, Socarides was asking, "Where's the beef?" It took more drama than expected, for instance, for the House to pass an inclusive hate crimes bill on day 100. The DNC's openly gay Treasurer Andy Tobias and DNC LGBT Leadership Council's Finance Director Thomas Petrillo sent out invitations in April and early May as soon as Vice President Biden was confirmed as the keynote speaker.īut as the media started ticking off Obama's accomplishments in his first 100 days - the LGBT community started grousing over why the president - still in hot water over Rick Warren - and the Democratically-controlled Congress had not yet moved on any of the promised LGBT equal rights legislation. The fundraiser wasn't originally controversial. He let me know that "everyone's on board" - and by everyone, he meant DNC Chair Tim Kaine and DNC Treasurer Andy Tobias - with him trying to explain the DNC's side of the story about what turned into a very controversial LGBT fundraiser. With that comes a kind of sophisticated humility: arrogance is uncool and impedes growth, communication and real partnership.īut knowing Gifford didn't mean I was going to get more out of him for the record than he was willing to give. He and Bernard have a reputation for a dedication to progressive causes and only working for pro-LGBT candidates. Knowing the pair from their work in LA, I asked Gifford how it feels to be an inside-the-Beltway LGBT "power couple." He chuckled with bemusement.
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In January 2008, the LA Weekly dubbed the duo " Obama's Gay Gold Mine." They suspended their Los Angeles-based consulting firm B+G Associates when Bernard was named White House liaison to the National Endowment for the Humanities and Gifford was named Director of Finance for the DNC. Gifford and his life and business partner, Jeremy Bernard, were early and significant fundraisers for Illinois Sen. Or at least that's the tally the DNC is expecting by mid-July when all the checks have been counted, DNC Finance Director Rufus Gifford told me over the July 4th holiday. The Advocate's Kerry Eleveld was right: the Democratic National Committee did make a million dollars off that controversial LGBT Leadership Council fundraiser on June 25. Rzeczy i chciałbym zaoferować jako rada ludziom oznacza zwykle zrezygnować z a mentalności że w tym momencie i spłać później. Dzięki za sugestii dotyczących naprawy kredytu na temat tego konkretnego sieci -teren.