HRC Update

The Human Rights Campaign, the money-bags gay group, was recently touting the imminence of various pieces of pro-gay legislation. We were told that the strategy of de facto merging with the DNC would mean a whole bunch of progress on a federal level: a hate crimes bill and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act were now just around the corner. Well, as usual, when the rubber hits the road, HRC fails again. The latest hate crimes push has just failed, and HRC is promised a vote "this year". Nada on ENDA, or Don't Ask, Don't Tell," or the HIV immigration ban, or Uniting American Families Act. Chris Crain has the latest:

It all boils down to this: Democrats have controlled Congress for six months now, and no gay rights bill has made it to their priority list for passage. Now, according to HRC, all we've got is a "commitment" for a vote on hate crimes "this year." Even if that happens, that still leaves ENDA, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and a half-dozen other gay rights bills languishing in Congress.

And when "this year" is over, and maybe hate crimes at best will have gotten a vote, we already know what we'll be told because we've heard it so many times before: 2008 is an election year, and gay rights is too hot a potato to touch right now.

But keep sending them your money.