The Board of Directors of Garden State Equality, New Jersey's largest LGBT advocacy group, has voted to end the organization's giving to political parties, it reports:

Sending a bold signal that no political party should take the support of the LGBT community and its allies for granted, Garden State Equality’s Board of Directors has unanimously approved a new provision for the organization’s bylaws that immediately precludes Garden State Equality from giving financial contributions to political parties and their affiliated committees. Under the new policy, Garden State Equality will make financial contributions only to individual candidates and to non-party organizations that further equality for the LGBT community.

The bylaws provision asks Garden State Equality members, who make their own decisions as to individual political contributions, to refrain from contributing to parties and their affiliated committees.

“No political party has a record good enough on LGBT civil rights that it can rightfully claim to be entitled to our money on a party-wide basis,” said Steven Goldstein, chair of Garden State Equality. “No longer will we let any political party take our money and volunteers with one hand, and slap us in the face with the other when we seek full equality.”

"Our Board of Directors felt so strongly about adopting this new policy," Goldstein said, "that it unanimously decided to include it in the organization's bylaws."

Garden State Equality has 65,000 members.

The full text of its new bylaws provision, AFTER THE JUMP...

GARDEN STATE EQUALITY NEW BYLAWS PROVISION

Garden State Equality finds that financial contributions to political parties and their affiliated committees directly or indirectly support candidates who oppose full equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, including marriage equality. That runs counter to our organization's mission.

Be it resolved that Garden State Equality shall no longer make financial contributions to political parties and their affiliated committees. Henceforth, Garden State Equality shall only make financial contributions to individual candidates for public office, or to entities independent of political parties which further equality for the LGBT community through their choice of candidates or issues to support or oppose.

With this resolution, Garden State Equality sends two unmistakable signals to our political parties: That none should take the support of the LGBT community and its allies for granted, and that none should write off the potential to earn the support of the LGBT community and its allies.

Though Garden State Equality's members make their own decisions as to individual political contributions, we urge our members to contribute solely to individual candidates for public office, or to entities independent of political parties which further equality for the LGBT community through their choice of candidates or issues to support or oppose; and not to political parties or their affiliated committees.