Andrew Sullivan: Joe Solmonese Must Resign

UPDATED

Speaking from the Equality to End HIV/AIDS Rally and Vigil which was held on Saturday evening at the Ellipse in front of the White House, Andrew Sullivan calls for Joe Solmonese, the President of the Human Rights Campaign, to resign.

Says Sullivan of HRC's leadership: "They are so out of touch. They are so out of touch with the young generation. They are so out of touch with what America actually is and could be. They are full of fear and self-loathing, and we have to stand up to them."

And here's something of a companion piece to the video.

UPDATE: Today, Sullivan posts some thoughts after reflecting a bit. "I was wrong to personalize this, but at some point the anger needs to be expressed. I'm not a politician and this video helps explain why. I should have let myself cool down before gabbing in front of a camera."

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Locals Assault Gay Man Outside A-House Bar in Provincetown

Andrew Sullivan reports on this hate crime:

"I was shocked tonight to bump into a new friend, Mark, hobbling down the street. I was about to make a joke as I rode up behind him on my bike and then saw his face. It was a blur of blood and bruises. Friday night, he was leaving the Atlantic House - an historic gay pub in Ptown - when a group of three local kids hiding in an alley-way to target gays threw a bottle at his face and called him a faggot. He threw the bottle back and then they set upon him. He's not a slight guy, he's strong and built and bearded. But he was clearly reeling from the assault and will return to the hospital tomorrow. The cops apparently responded heroically and after a chase captured the assailants."

Anyone who has lived or visited Ptown knows what a facade of safety this town provides with its high population gays and lesbians. Some gay bashings occur here due to outsiders such as the attack on two lesbians back in May by a man from Winthrop, Massachusetts. Having lived year-round in Ptown I always had the feeling that the locals were fairly accepting of the unusual hybrid of sexualities and ethnicities that are the town's make-up. But I suppose there are isolated pockets of hate everywhere.

There is a July 31 hearing for Eric Patten of Winthrop in the May assault case.

Stonewall Democrats Drop Support of DNC LGBT Fundraiser-- Andrew Sullivan Calls for End to Donations

Stonewall Democrats, the largest grassroots network of LGBT activists in the nation, has publicly dropped its support of the Democratic Party's LGBT fundraiser scheduled for next week. The Stonewall Democrats join a growing list of high-profile individuals who have decided not to support the event in anger over the Department of Justice's disturbing defense of DOMA brief.

The Stonewall Democrats have an additional complaint however. They say that while the Democratic Party has offered them financial support in the past, they were unexpectedly cut off from funding this year.

Wrote the board members to DNC finance director Tom Petrillo:

"[W]e are incredibly disappointed that the DNC has made a decision to withhold any financial support to National Stonewall Democrats this year but is in turn asking us to help raise money for the DNC in a difficult financial environment. The DNC has historically supported National Stonewall through sponsorship of the annual Capitol Champions event. This year, we did not receive any support. The DNC has traditionally provided materials for the many Pride parades and festivals around the country to help educate the LGBT community about why the Democratic Party is the Party for full LGBT equality. This year we were informed that we would not be receiving any materials or support for producing materials for the various nationwide Pride activities. These decisions were very disappointing."

Ben Smith has more of the emails at Politico.

Andrew Sullivan has called for an end to donations to the Democratic Party until action is taken on issues of importance to the LGBT community.

Writes Sullivan: "We need actions to highlight the administration's betrayals, postponements and boilerplate. We need to start confronting the president at his events. We need civil disobedience. We need to tell him we do not want another fricking speech where he tells us he is a fierce advocate for our rights, when that is quite plainly at this point not true. We will not tolerate another Clinton. No invites to these people for dinners or fundraisers. No cheering him at events while he does nothing to follow up on his explicit promises. Of course these things can be done. If anyone high up in the Obama administration or the Pelosi-Reid Congress gave a damn, much would have been done."

UPDATE: Former co-chair of the Obama LGBT Leadership Council Stampp Corbin has dropped out of the fundraiser as well. His post.

Previously...
Democratic Party LGBT Fundraiser Tainted by DOMA Brief [tr]
Two More Drop Out of LGBT DNC Fundraiser Over DOMA Brief [tr]

Andrew Sullivan and Anderson Cooper on Cheney, Obama, and Gays

Andrew Sullivan talked with Anderson Cooper last night about Dick Cheney's statement on same-sex marriage, President Obama's LGBT Pride proclamation, and wondered why "Obama is ducking the core civil rights movement of our time."

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

President Obama's Failing Grade on Gay Rights

Dan Savage appeared on MSNBC yesterday and told Andrea Mitchell he'd give Obama an "F" on gay rights nearly four months into his first term.

And who wouldn't agree?

Andrew Sullivan also wrote up a scathing piece yesterday:

"I have a sickeningly familiar feeling in my stomach, and the feeling deepens with every interaction with the Obama team on these issues. They want them to go away. They want us to go away. Here we are, in the summer of 2009, with gay servicemembers still being fired for the fact of their orientation. Here we are, with marriage rights spreading through the country and world and a president who cannot bring himself even to acknowledge these breakthroughs in civil rights, and having no plan in any distant future to do anything about it at a federal level. Here I am, facing a looming deadline to be forced to leave my American husband for good, and relocate abroad because the HIV travel and immigration ban remains in force and I have slowly run out of options (unlike most non-Americans with HIV who have no options at all). And what is Obama doing about any of these things? What is he even intending at some point to do about these things? So far as I can read the administration, the answer is: nada."

Watch the MSNBC clip, AFTER THE JUMP...

Outrage B-Roll: Who Has Better Sex? Democrats or Republicans?

Outrage filmmakers just released this B-roll from the film in which they ask many of their interview subjects, "Who has better sex, Democrats or Republicans?"

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

Previously...
Closeted Gay Politicians Hung Out to Dry in Outrage [tr]