TransGriot Note: The Phyllabuster I received on Sunday
After a night's sleep and looking at the photos that I sent you (separately and in two packages so as not to overload some of your older model computers), and after reading many responses from some of you, I need to put forth this question:
Has National HRC become the BULLY of the previously united LGBT community?
Is National HRC now to be called the B-HRC?
Consider: Why did National HRC call the Houston Police about a political protest from GLBT "family" folks?
Now, National HRC will tell you it is their standard policy to notify police in the event of a protest threat.
Yes, I can understand that some so-called religious groups and social bigots have been problematic in the past. Right on, if dealing with skinheads or the Klan or a Neo-nazi group. Absolutely! Good policy in those situations
But we are "family."
Or at least we were "family."
We were a united GLBT community family until National HRC divided us last fall over an ENDA bill that would never be signed by Bush and that would protect only those GLBs who expressed gender in a socially accepted manner. Who don't break the sex-stereotype mold.
What did National HRC expect?
Violence?
Anything other than possibly some political high-jinx that hotel security could have easily handled?
WE WERE NO PHYSICAL THREAT AND NATIONAL HRC KNEW IT!
In the history of protesting National HRC fundraisers that began in 1995 over transgenders then being deliberately omitted from the ENDA of that decade (and as we learned, that omission was at the direction and insistence of the National HRC), has there been even one instance of a GLBT "family" protester pushing or shoving or otherwise harming an HRC fundraiser guest or forcing literature or a lapel sticker onto a HRC fundraiser guest who made it plain they did not want any?
Rack my brain (someone may know of an instance), I know of no such instance in our 12 year struggle with National HRC over the full inclusion of "sexual orientation or gender identity or expression" in the ENDA bill.
We were there last night in Houston, to let HRC attendees know that transgenders and gender variant GLBs had been abandoned by National HRC and that we wanted to speak with and educate HRC attendees as to the issues.
We were there TO EDUCATE with lapel stickers to give to supporters of a Unified ENDA who were in attendance and to generate discussion.
The community's Bully -- National HRC -- sicced the cops on us.
Why?
Not because we were a physical threat, but to intimidate our allies and to diminish our protesting ranks.
I hope the Houston Police Department sends National HRC a bill since National HRC clearly set of a false alarm.
An alarm no less false than if they had deliberately set off a fire alarm which would have brought trained fire personnel and expensive fire equipment to fight a non-existent blaze.
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And so my friends in New Orleans and in Phoenix and in other cities who are about to deal with the National Bully HRC -- or should we all begin to write, the B-HRC -- be of good cheer.
The B-HRC will alert the police in your city of your "family" protest.
But the B-HRC will not tell the police that it will be peaceful and of their own making.
The police will show up in riot gear with barricades and horse mounted officers.
If your city's police are professional, you should have no problem.
During our entire outside protesting event last night alongside the Houston Police, only twice did HPD officers get a bit verbally testy. In both cases when I reported those HPD officers to their OIC (Officer In Charge), the HPD OIC quickly jerked those errant police officers back into compliance with the law. No one was injured. No one was arrested.
It is all a B-HRC contrived intimidation gambit at taxpayer expense to keep the B-HRC cash-cow alive.
So protest.
Carry your signs.
Be festive.
Ask to enter and distribute literature or lapel stickers.
Take pictures and video record things.
Write it up and tell the story of what B-HRC did in your town.
Submit a Freedom of Information Request to your city controller or auditor or treasurer to get the official taxpayer price tag for the B-HRC false alarm and send that information out as well.
Finally -- Please pass this on.
