Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Andrew Sullivan, going to town on the HRC

It isn't exactly a feud, but Andrew once again points out (quite accurately, IMO) the failings of the Human Rights Campaign. While Andrew is quite right that the HRC is simply an ineffective political organization (and, because of this, sucks up time and effort that could be put to use in other ways), Andrew seems to have fallen for some of the same shortcomings that all radicals do: He doesn't propose any alternative mechanism.

It would be one thing if there was a fledgling gay rights political organization that Andrew (and other HRC critics) are urging people to start getting behind. But that's not happening. So Andrew is essentially proposing a leadership vacuum in the hopes that from this vacuum an effective leadership will emerge (an argument that he is also proposing for the conservative movement in general, I should point out).

So my suggestion to Andrew is to help put into place the mechanism for a new political leadership first. Maybe that means a new organization entirely, or taking one already in place and promoting the hell out of it as the new leadership of these important civil rights. I realize that, despite his Catholicism, Andrew isn't ready to work within the HRC structure or try to reform it from within. But leaving gays without any real central political representation at this point is just silly, and is more a product of frustration with the HRC than any hope that having no centralized political voice is somehow going to advance the cause better.

In fact, a politically self-destructive gay rights movement, while mirroring the one the GOP is now undergoing, is far more likely to cause real damage to real people. So the approach needs to be much more positive. And I'm not seeing that from Andrew Sullivan.

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