Breaking: HRC President Joe Solmonese Reportedly To Resign

[FreeState]

http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/breaking-hrc-president-joe-solmonese-reportedly-to-resign/news/2011/08/26/25948

Good HRC needs to be reworked and cleansed from the top down.

The President of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Joe Solmonese, will resign in an official announcement next Tuesday, and serve through the end of the year, according to an exclusive report from well-​known blogger Pam Spalding of Pam’s House Blend. Spalding’s report, based on “a trusted source in a position to know the details,” adds that Solmonese’s “departure also signals, according to our source, the beginning of a larger staff shake-​up in the HRC. The Blend can also report that a replacement executive director has been identified — it will be someone who is not currently on the HRC’s staff, but is currently a paid consultant that has worked with the civil rights group for some time.”

Spalding notes five serious issues some in the LGBT community have voiced in recent years, including HRC’s relationship with the trans community, its lack of diversity on many fronts, and the “tense and guarded relationship” Solmonese and HRC in general has had with grassroots organizations and with the media, especially LGBT bloggers.

Since 2005, Solmonese has served as President of HRC, America’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization whose website states it “represents a force of more than one million members and supporters nationwide.”

The 46-​year old Massachusetts native was Chief Executive Officer of EMILY’s List, before coming to HRC.

[Firebrand Gary]

1. Joe Solmonese has done an incredible job at HRC. Period.

[Firebrand Gary]

2. Additionally, Pam Spalding is the reason we did not pick up the NC senate seat.

[FreeState]

4. Thats one powerful blogger - maybe she should sell her powers n/t

[Firebrand Gary]

5. She done some good work as well, however

The war she mounted on Cal Cunningham was powerful, it tipped the scales and awarded Elaine Marshall the nomination. Elaine had ZERO traction from the very get go. Pam does have a ton of power, she is the reason Elaine got the nomination. I leave it to NC Democrats to decide if they feel Elaine was the best choice in 2010?

[dsc]

6. that is nothing short of absurd

Honestly given how horrid the election cycle was for us in 2010 (we lost the general assembly in a tidal wave) I doubt we would have won no matter what, but the behavior of the DC based DSCC surely didn't help. Once their candidate lost the first election by a large margin he should have withdrawn instead of insisting on a run off. Instead, he ran in the run off and drained all of Marshall's money. At the very least the DSCC should have replaced the money they forced her to spend.

[closeupready]

7. Utter silliness.

:rofl:

[enlightenment]

3. My son recently went to work for

Stonewall Housing, and when I asked him if it was part of the Stonewall organization, he said not really. When I asked why, he explained (long-winded); the conversation then led to a broader discussion of Stonewall (the organization) and their official and unofficial perspective on the trans community. It's not very inclusive (son didn't say it quite like that . . .)

Given that this is one of the largest LGBT organizations in the UK, it appears that the issue of trans-inclusiveness is particularly problematic for groups that have a strong political arm.

I have been trying to understand why - could someone enlighten me?

[joeybee12]

8. I think the HRC is pretty much out of touch with the people it supposedly represents...

Which is the case of many national orgs...go the cocktail parties and all is well...they seem to exist only to make sure they keep on existing...besides, they are way too easy on Obama.

[Name removed]

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