<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[The Dish]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[http://dish.andrewsullivan.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[Andrew Sullivan]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://dish.andrewsullivan.com/author/sullydish/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[The Worthlessness of&nbsp;HRC]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[
<p>The Human Rights Campaign is the premier gay lobby group in the country. I try to temper my criticisms because there are good people there who do important work. But having been in the fight for marriage equality for almost twenty years now, I can honestly say they&#8217;ve barely been detectable in the battle. They don&#8217;t seem to be getting much better. Their main message against the Federal Marriage Amendment, or whatever the far right is now calling it, is that it&#8217;s a &quot;distraction&quot; from more important issues. Chris Crain nails it <a href="http://www.washblade.com/2006/5-19/view/editorial/crain.cfm">here</a>:</p>
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<p>Rather than actually defend gay families and make the case for gay marriage, HRC is stuck in a three-year strategy of arguing that the American people don&#8217;t ‚Äî and shouldn&#8217;t! ‚Äî care about marriage equality for gay couples.<br />&quot;Voters want candidates focused on soaring gas prices, a health care crisis and national security,&quot; [HRC executive director Joe] Solmonese says in the release, &quot;not putting discrimination in the United States Constitution.&quot;<br />What sort of gay rights strategy is it, when the attention of Americans is focused on our issues, to argue that our rights aren&#8217;t important, and refuse to engage our opponents in the debate over our equality?</p>
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<p>Amen, brother. Even now, HRC is still carrying water for the Democrats &#8211; some of whom, like Russ Feingold, seem to have more conviction on the matter than HRC does. Why do they exist? And why should any gay person care?</p>
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