As regular readers of this blog know, the religious right hate groups are growing more and more brazen every day in their all out battle to cut the legs out from under the gay community and the Democratic party.
They are now attacking each and every company that simply offers benefits for its gay employees. From Microsoft to Ford to Harris Bank and Kraft in Chicago, the anti-gay religious right hate groups have decided to attack us from all sides, and they won't stop until we're dead, perhaps quite literally.
Well, it's time we cut the legs out from under them.
No political consulting firm should be making money off of the left while helping far-right hate groups attack gays and other minorities. Last week we told you about Convio, a firm providing online advocacy services to anti-gay religious right hate groups trying to pass the federal anti-gay constitutional amendment, while they provided services to Howard Dean's presidential campaign, among other Democrats. Folks, understandably, flipped out, especially since Convio has a (quite laudable) pledge on its Web site not to work for clients who promote prejudice and hate.
I think it's time we asked other service providers, starting with political service providers (consultants, online advocacy tool providers, etc.) to make the same pledge.
At the very least in the political realm NO ONE should be providing advocacy services to leftie advocacy groups and rightie advocacy groups at the same time. I personally wouldn't trust anyone who was powering, say, the Children's Defense Fund's campaigns to help America's poor kids and the American Family Association's campaigns to destroy glbt Americans. But alas, it happens. And we're going to tell you with whom.
So, if the AFA wants to go after Ford, then we'll go after the folks who are making it possible for the religious right to attack us and demean us, take away our children and throw us in jail. They can work with us, or they can work with hate groups. It's their choice. The religious right dropped a nuclear bomb on us with the effort to amend the US Constitution. They now have the nuclear war they wanted.
WHY DOES CAPITOL ADVANTAGE HELP LOU SHELDON?
First up: Capitol Advantage. They're a very nice firm, I worked with them years ago for a mutual (liberal) client, and they work with lots of liberal groups. I just found out this week that they also empower the Rev. Lou Sheldon and the Traditional Values Coalition to attack gays. That might have been okay - and I say "might" - years ago (and I'm not convinced of that, even), but now that the religious right hate groups have evolved into, well, hate groups, it's no longer acceptable.
This is the age of the Federal Marriage Amendment - the Gay Bashing Amendment - to the US Constitution. It's the age in which the religious right wants to relegate us forever to second-hand citizen status. It's no longer okay for our allies to use the services of people who hold Lou Sheldon's hand while he launches his bigoted, hateful attacks on GLBT Americans and our allies.
Did you know that Lou Sheldon's Web site has a special section devoted to "Homosexual Child Molesters"? Nice. Are these really the kind of organizations that Capitol Advantage should be helping, then they turn around and want clients all across the spectrum of the left?
WHY DO THEY HELP FOCUS ON THE FAMILY?
What other anti-gay religious right hate groups does Capitol Advantage help destroy our lives? None of than Focus on the Family, one of the other top 5 anti-gay religious right hate groups. Focus on the Family thinks it's "a myth" that "homosexuals are normal, healthy, everyday people." They think gays are diseased and less psychologically healthy than the rest of society. And lesbian relationships are "life threatening." Isn't that special?
WHY DO THEY HELP THE AMERICAN FAMILY ASSOCIATION?
Need I even explain who these people are? Oh, but let me anyway. The AFA says gays have a "tragic lifestyle." That "homosexual activists" want to "take over the nation." And how about this fundraising letter from Don Wildmon, the head of the AFA:
"For the sake of our children and society, we must OPPOSE the spread of homosexual activity! Just as we must oppose murder, stealing, and adultery! Since homosexuals cannot reproduce, the only way for them to 'breed' is to RECRUIT! And who are their targets for recruitment? Children!" (Source: PFAW)
WHY DO LIBERAL ADVOCACY GROUPS USE THESE COMPANIES?
It's time for firms that provide these kind of services to take the non-discrimination pledge and then dump any hate clients they have. Otherwise, no self-respecting progressive organization or politician should work with them in the future.
