MAPping the Movement

MAP (the Movement Advancement Project) is releasing its 2010 National LGBT Movement Report. This report examines revenue and expenses, fundraising and fundraising efficiency, and other indicators of financial health for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) social justice advocacy organizations.

Surprisingly, less than four percent of all LGBT adults in the U.S. donated $35 or more to these LGBT organizations. While organizations are generally effective at retaining smaller donors (those giving $35 or more) year over year, the number of larger donors (those giving $1,000 or more) is dropping and not easily replaced.

The staffs of participating organizations are diverse, roughly mirroring the broader U.S. population: 32 percent identify as people of color (12 percent African American, 12 percent Latino/a, 7 percent Asian/Pacific Islander and 1 percent Native American or other). Also, 46 percent are women and 6 percent identify as transgender.

While movement organizations overall experienced significant declines in revenue in 2009 compared with 2008, their financial health remains strong due to reduced expenses and efficient fundraising. Movement groups are highly efficient in their fundraising and programming operations, with all 39 participants exceeding the efficiency standards of both the American Institute of Philanthropy and the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance. An average of 79 percent of expenses is spent on programs and services, 9 percent on management and general expenses, and only 12 percent on fundraising.

The 2010 National LGBT Movement Report provides a comprehensive snapshot of the financial health of LGBT social justice advocacy organizations. The 39 organizations examined for the 2010 report collectively represent 69% of the budgets of all LGBT social justice advocacy organizations. Among the key findings:

Revenue and Expenses. Organizations are experiencing significant declines in revenue (down 20% from 2008 to 2009), a sign of the combined effects of the economic downturn and decreased giving in an off-election year (2009). Organizations are adjusting to revenue declines by cutting expenses; 2010 budget estimates are down 18% from 2009 to 2010.

Fundraising and Fundraising Efficiency. Organizations are faring relatively well at retaining smaller donors, but are losing larger donors who give $1,000 or more per year. Fewer donors are attending fundraising events and organizations show less income from these events as a result. However, despite recent fundraising challenges, LGBT social justice advocacy organizations continue to be quite efficient in their fundraising, with an average of 79% of expenses being spent on programs and services, 9% on management and general expenses, and only 12% on fundraising.

Other Indicators of Financial Health. Other indicators remain strong. Reduction of expense budgets has helped organizations maintain good average working capital, liquidity ratios, and cash and cash equivalents.

Participating Organizations:
ACLU LGBT & AIDS Project
CenterLink
COLAGE
Council for Global Equality
Empire State Pride Agenda
Equality California
Equality Federation
Equality Forum
Family Equality Council
Freedom to Marry
Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD)
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and Leadership Institute
Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
Gay-Straight Alliance Network
GroundSpark
Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
Immigration Equality & Immigration Equality Action Fund
In the Life Media
Lambda Legal
Log Cabin Republicans & Liberty Education Forum
MassEquality
National Black Justice Coalition
National Center for Lesbian Rights
National Center for Transgender Equality
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
National Youth Advocacy Coalition
New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project
Out & Equal Workplace Advocates
The Palm Center
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)
Point Foundation
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network
Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE)
Soulforce
Sylvia Rivera Law Project
Transgender Law Center
The Trevor Project
(One organization wished to remain anonymous)

Keep On (Egg)Rolling! A Photo Blog

Craig, Kid, and I got to go to the White House egg roll this past Monday. We got tickets as part of an outreach effort to LGBT families and families in the South to ensure that a diversity of Americans was represented. (Thanks to the Equality Federation and Brian Bond, White House LGBT Liaison, for coordinating that.)

First thing in the morning, we went to the White House Conference Center on Jackson Street to pick up tickets.


In the Jackson Conference room ...


... a group of staffers checked us in.


One of them had even drawn a cute welcome sign by hand!


Then we got our much-coveted golden tickets.


We got the 1:45 time slot, so shortly before 1 pm we dutifully approached the White House.


We found the entrance - to the pre-line LEADING UP TO the actual line.


There were people ...


... more people, ...


... and yet more people!


Did I mention the people?


It was hot and tiring waiting in the long pre-line, but it began to move after half an hour, and then we flew through it. They were efficient once things got going! We went through a security checkpoint (where we were metal detected and had all of our pocket belongings and cameras carefully inspected), and then we got on the Ellipse.


We were given free snacks and drinks here - no food or beverages are allowed on the actual White House lawn. This was a good move, since everyone, kids and parents included, were all grumpy and thirsty. While we waited here, there were entertainers on a stage who sang songs and encouraged the crowd to do a variety of activities to get us moving in fun ways.

My family laid on the grass and waited. We did some rock-paper-scissors and talked about the stuff we expected to see.

After another 15 or 20 minutes, we got in the actual line to the White House lawn.


It was a bit of a process getting thousands of people to assemble into coherent single-ish file. Parents and kids held hands or walked hand-on-shoulder in order to stay together. People actually formed multiple lines that converged into one.




Finally we made it through the gates onto the White House lawn. Here's Kid (my kid, Isaiah, lower right) in front of a fountain.


The lawn was set-up like a mini-festival, with multiple activities and events for kids. Here's Kid running an obstacle course. (Did I mention it was bright and sunny?)


The event was well-staffed, with dozens of volunteers around at all times, wearing pastel hats and green aprons with a bunny on the front. You can see a couple in this picture, which also has a fountain in it. And, oh yeah, the White House (which seemed surprisingly small in real-life).


There was a small stage set up for dancing-related activities, like hula-hooping to songs.


Kid got to enter a small fenced area and watch Disney's Zack and Cody read him a story.


Parents got to stand outside of a small fenced area and watch their kids watch Disney's Zack and Cody read them a story.


There was a stage set up for performers. Unfortunately, we missed the cast of 'Glee' (which Craig loves) and instead got to be entertained by the screechy pop-styling of teen-singer Justin Beiber. (I don't know anything about him. Props to him for not lip-syncing, but there is something to be said for production values in music! Thankfully Kid didn't care for him. Now if Miley Cyrus had been there ....)

It was the height of the Cherry Blossom Festival in DC, and many trees were blooming beautifully. (Kid is running a football practice course in front of this one.)


The entire Mall area is amazing, with multiple memorials and sights being visible from any given area. Here's a photo from the White House lawn with the Washington monument.


There was an actual egg roll, where kids tried to race eggs down lanes using large plastic kitchen spoons. (Kid is in the center in blue.) It was all equanimitous and in fun, so there were no formal winners or losers.


After an hour-and-a-half, we were done. We headed for the exit.


We never got to see any of the First Family (the President was throwing a baseball at the Nationals, but I'm not sure where the First Lady or First Daughters were), but we did get a souvenir egg with Barack and Michelle's signature on it, as well as a pack of yellow Peeps (tm).

Oh, and did I mention the gay people. We were there! There was at least one other LGBT family from North Carolina there, and I saw two lesbian couples with kids. Also, at least two of the White House staff there were gay, one chef and one security guard. (There was one guard on the roof of the White House who I certainly wished were gay! He was camera-shy unfortunately.)

My favorite, however, was a group of high school kids from a gay-straight alliance (can't ... remember ... name of school). There were bunches of them, and they had these awesome shirts:


This is the world we're working for, one where all types of families can come together at a common event, and HAVE NO ONE CARE. Oh, and having equal rights for all of those families, too.

Events like this are a step forward towards that day of true equality. It was an amazing experience, and it'll be something Kid will remember - the first time he went to the White House.

Let's Roll - with Glee! (White House Egg Roll and the Cast of Glee, That Is)

LGBT families take note! The annual White House Egg Roll has been announced, and you are invited.

A special outreach effort is being made to ensure a diversity of families are at this year's event, and that includes reaching out to the gay community.

The White House will open its South Lawn for children aged 12 years and younger and their families in a tradition that dates back to 1878. Tickets will be distributed through an online lottery system (more below), and LGBT families are urged to participate.

The President and First Lady have announced that this year’s White House Easter Egg Roll will be Monday, April 5, 2010. The theme is “Ready, Set, Go!” to promote health and wellness.

The event will feature live music, sports courts, cooking stations, storytelling and, of course, Easter egg rolling. All of the activities will encourage children to lead healthy and active lives and follow the First Lady’s ‘Let’s Move!’ initiative, a national campaign to combat childhood obesity.

Entries for the 2010 White House Easter Egg Roll Online Lottery will be accepted from Thursday, February 25 through Sunday, February 28. Please visit www.recreation.gov to apply for the online ticket lottery. One entry per person may be submitted at anytime during the lottery period. All entries will have an equal chance of being selected.

The lottery will be run on March 1. Lottery results will be available starting Thursday, March 4, 2010 at recreation.gov

As a special incentive for fans of Ryan Murphy's hit show, Glee - and yes, those fans are called "gleeks" - the cast of the show has been invited and will be performing.

Here’s a a video from last year’s event.

If you have kids, please be sure to sign up for this. Remember the hullabaloo from years ago when Laura Bush announced that all families were welcome to the Easter Egg Roll, including gay families?

LGBT families have come a long way, and this is not only a great way to raise our profile and help educate the public about the dreary ordinariness of our lives, but it's also a spectacular, extraordinary opportunity that you kids will love.

Special thanks to the Equality Federation for information about this event and the outreach to all American families.

Take Action and Push Faltering ENDA!

As we approach the holiday season and the end of the year, the momentum behind the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is dropping.

Currently, 29 states, including North Carolina, let you be fired because you're lesbian, gay, or bisexual. Thirty-eight states, including North Carolina, let you be fired for being transgender.

ENDA would help ensure that people's employment is based on the quality of their work, not their sexual orientation or gender identity.

You can take action now on this national issue. Go to:

• United ENDA
• HRC's Pass ENDA Now

(And if you'd be interested in doing some statewide phone-banking here in the ENC office during the day on Wed, 12/9, let us know: e-mail me at shawn@equalitync.org.)

On Friday, a coalition of national groups joined together to encourage action on this important issue. Equality NC and other state groups have since signed onto the statement as well. A copy of the press release is below.

There's a saying:

"The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago;
the second best time is right now."

The same is true of taking action for employment nondiscrimination.

==========
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 4, 2009

LGBT AMERICANS OUTRAGED AT DELAY IN BASIC JOB RIGHTS

In light of continuing delays in the House of Representatives, we must state clearly and unequivocally: Passing basic job protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people must happen now. At a time when our government is deeply focused on the critical issue of employment, it is inexcusable to delay action on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). Each and every job lost to prejudice based on sexual orientation and gender identity needlessly compounds the unemployment challenges facing our nation. We call on Congress for the immediate passage of ENDA.

For decades now, we have called upon Congress to pass legislation to address the basic right of LGBT people to work free from discrimination at our jobs, and now Congress tells us we must wait another year. In 29 states, it remains legal to fire people based on sexual orientation and in 38 states, discrimination based on gender identity remains legal. In failing to take swift action to pass ENDA, our government allows unfettered bigotry to go unchecked, leading to the loss of jobs, fear in the workplace, economic instability, and personal hardship, while allowing employers to lose competent experienced workers. ENDA is urgently needed by our communities.

The majority of Americans consistently state their support for employment protections and voters have affirmed similar state and local measures. There is absolutely no reason for Congress to continue to delay this non-controversial bill or drop LGBT issues to the bottom of their agenda. We will not be denied basic rights any longer. Nothing is more important than protecting peoples’ jobs so ENDA must pass now. Further delays are absolutely unacceptable.

Matthew Coles & James Esseks, Co-Directors, American Civil Liberties Union LGBT Project
Terry Stone, Executive Director, CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers
Lisa Kove, Executive Director, DOD Federal Globe
Toni Broaddus, Executive Director, Equality Federation
Jennifer Chrisler, Executive Director, Family Equality Council
Lee Swislow, Executive Director, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders
Jarrett Tomás Barrios, President, Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
Caleb Laieski, Director of Legislative Affairs, GLUAD
Joe Solmonese, President, Human Rights Campaign
Rachel T. Niven, Executive Director, Immigration Equality
Earl Fowlkes, President/CEO, International Federation of Black Prides, Inc.
Kevin Cathcart, Executive Director, Lambda Legal
Christian Berle, Director of the Log Cabin Republicans National Office
Sharon J. Lettman, Executive Director/CEO, National Black Justice Coalition
Kate Kendell, Executive Director, National Center for Lesbian Rights
Mara Keisling, Executive Director, National Center for Transgender Equality
Rebecca Fox, Executive Director, National Coalition for LGBT Health
Rea Carey, Executive Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund
Michael Mitchell, Executive Director, National Stonewall Democrats
Gregory Varnum, Executive Director, National Youth Advocacy Coalition
Selisse Berry, Founding Executive Director, Out & Equal Workplace Advocates
Jody Huckaby, Executive Director, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) National
Jo Kenny, Interim Director, Pride at Work AFL-CIO
Masen Davis, Executive Director, Transgender Law Center

Is There a Single, One-stop, Equality for All, Federal Solution?

[reposted from the Equality Federation blog: http://tinyurl.com/federalsolution]

I’ve been hearing a lot of talk lately about this idea that we should demand a single federal solution for equality. I’ve heard it from donors, I’ve heard it from Equality March organizers, and I’ve heard it from angry LGBT Americans.

Much as that sounds like a great idea, equality is not going to happen that way.

A single federal solution is simply not possible. Here’s why.

1. The separation of powers between the federal and state governments means that states reserve all the powers not granted to the federal government by the Constitution. This means that states hold the power to regulate marriage and family matters, a power upon which the federal government has been loathe to intrude. When the federal government does act, it must rely upon constitutional protections (like equal protection or the right to due process) as grounds for regulating state rules or behaviors. And while the federal government also may use the power of the purse (tying highway funds to higher age limits for buying alcohol, for example), it is unlikely to impose new rules that don’t already have support or precedent in the states.


2. No historical precedent exists. Now, this does not mean that we couldn’t or shouldn’t try to create a new precedent. But it would be an uphill struggle. We could not do it in the courts (where cases are based on actual circumstances of individuals and must generally be limited to the most narrow, specific ruling available to resolve the litigated issues). We would have to do it legislatively. But see #4. Achieving equality for women or black Americans – the movements we most often look to for inspiration – did not happen with the passage of a single law covering voting rights, equal pay, status as property of whites/men, employment discrimination, housing rights, health disparities, and so on. Inequality breeds a whole range of harms, and to try to address all of them in one bill would fail to adequately address each of them. See #3. You think the health care legislation is complex?


3. Politics requires compromise. We may not like it, we may believe that equality should brook no compromise, but the fact remains that political maneuvering for power is how our democracy is implemented every single day. We can rail against it, or we can educate ourselves about how to navigate through the egos and fear tactics and cynicism and favor trading and all the rest so that we can actually achieve the change we seek. We must understand that politicians do not lead, they follow. Demonstrations and marches are important because they increase our visibility and force politicians to think about our issues. But we still have to get votes for our legislation. Unfortunately, the courageous politician is an exceedingly rare creature. Add to that the politics in our own movement. Plenty of folks love or hate particular leaders in the movement (especially those who lead movement organizations), but guess what? Those leaders are simply a microcosm of the larger community and we, too, have intense disagreements about which strategies are best or where we should prioritize the allocation of resources. So compromise is required in our own community in order to move forward.


4. We can’t amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This is a proposal I’ve heard many times, and on the face of it I think it’s a great idea. Why wouldn’t we add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to a bill that prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin? It’s a brilliant and simple strategy! Unfortunately, it’s really not. The fact is, civil rights laws passed after this great Act have been subject to attempts (many successful) to water down the kinds of protections they provide. So, for example, we have a pretty big religious exemption in ENDA that many of us don’t like but that we know we have to include if we are going to move this bill forward at all. And if we tried to amend the Civil Rights Act, we would certainly see amendments and exemptions to our simple, brilliant proposal that would actually weaken the law. Because of this, some of our strongest allies in the civil rights community could not and would not support us in trying to amend this law. And if leaders in the civil rights community actively opposed us in this approach, we would simply be unable to get the votes we needed to pass our proposal. So – we could try doing this, but it is not really a promising use of our resources or political capital.


5. Existing proposed legislation has momentum now and multiple bills are already lined up for passage. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act is currently moving through Congress and, if we all do our part, it should pass this year. Hate crimes legislation has had a hard road but it will also pass soon. The repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is inching forward and I expect to see it happen next year, hopefully in the spring. We are actively building support right now for immigration law reforms to end discrimination against lgbt families, as well as laws to extend domestic partner benefits to federal employees and to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. Even if you think I’m wrong about everything else I’ve said here, this is not the time to abandon legislation that our community has been working on for years.


6. Assuming, for the sake of argument, that we actually could pass an all-purpose federal equality law, we will still need state laws to truly achieve equality. ENDA will be a great step forward for our community, and it will protect millions of American currently protected under no other laws. But it won’t actually cover everyone. Small businesses, for example, will mostly be exempt from ENDA based on the size of their staff. In most states with employment protections, more businesses are required to comply so millions of workers not covered by federal law are actually covered by state law. And even if we repeal DOMA, we still have to get marriage in as many states as we can if we are to have any hope of winning a court challenge to the constitutionality of state DOMA’s. In the American version of government, state and federal legislation may pass independently, but its impact is most often felt in the application of an interconnected web of laws.

In this country, democracy works in something of a circular pattern. Big social issues aren’t tackled first in our nation’s capital. Instead, they bubble up from our local communities, where the harms are closer to home and citizens can work to get their local governments to address those harms. State government action often follows, learning and improving upon strategies already implemented locally, and expanding protections across the entire state. When enough states have addressed a particular issue, the national understanding of that issue will begin to shift, so a critical mass of policy changes or a social tipping point is reached. Then we see the federal government begin to take action. Finally, the action at the federal level will reach back down to the state and local level in places where we have been unable to make local and state policy changes.

Or, a law is passed and the courts must rule it constitutional or not. The legislature may have to take action again. Or litigation is filed, and the outcome of that case may spur action by the voters. That’s the beautiful thing about democracy – there are many approaches we can take to changing public policy. Of course, that means we may also be attacked on any level (witness Kalamazoo, Maine, Washington state, and Congress generally).

My point is simply this. We will not achieve equality by abandoning our work at any level of the political process. We must continue to increase the pressure to achieve the promise of equality under the law at all levels and in all branches of government. There is no magic bullet. Our strategy must be focused while also casting a very large net. And that’s how we will finally achieve equal protection under the law.

Equality in the News for July 25-31, 2009

In the State

Two 22-year-old gay men were brutally beaten after leaving a bar in downtown Wilmington on July 17th. They wonder if the attack was motivated by their sexual orientation. Star News Online also has the story, including commentary from the victims.

Q-notes reports that another man who was seemingly perceived to be gay by his attacker was beaten in Greensboro on July 4th.

Gay dance pioneer Merce Cunningham, considered "the world’s greatest choreographer” according to the New York Times, died ate age 90 last Sunday. Cunningham founded his influential dance company after a residence at the Black Mountain College in our own Asheville, N.C.

Wayne Bessen of the Falls Church News press relates the “God Has a Better Way” protest in Charlotte last weekend to a growing trend among the religious right to more actively oppose gay rights.

News 14 attempts to give both sides of the story from Pride Charlotte, interviewing festival participants, and the leader of the counter-protest.

If you’re interested, here’s Director of the Coalition of Conscience Dr. Michael Brown’s (the leader of the “God Has a Better Way Campaign) statement to the media. Always interesting to see what the opposition is saying.

In the Nation

The St. Louis Beacon covered the Equality Federation's Summer Meeting in St. Louis this week, attended by much of our own staff. The Federation is the national association of state equality groups like Equality NC. The AP also has the story, though not as good an article.

The Matthew Shepard Foundation offers a detailed update on the status and shape of the Matthew Shepard Act, the federal anti-hate crimes bill.

Congressman Jerry Nadler (D-New York) shares his plans for defeating DOMA, which include pushing for recognition of same-sex marriages across the country, regardless of the policies of individual states.

U.S. News gives us a progress report of the repeal of DADT, focusing on the efforts of congressman and Iraqi veteran Rep. Patrick Murphy.

La Voz de Houston tiene la historia de una de estas parejas gay que busca la egalidad en la inmigración.

Universo Gay nos da un resumen del movimiento de "ex gays" y sus peligros para los participantes.

Out in the World

The Box Turtle Bulletin reports of the proposed strengthening of anti-gay laws in Uganda. While the law already provides for lifetime imprisonment as punishment for sodomy, the new laws would ban all forms of free speech on behalf of gay people. The government proposals follow a three-day anti-gay conference in the capital city this past March, after which the government promised to take action against gay rights.

Lesbians in China are petitioning to allow gays and lesbians to donate blood, repealing the 1998 ban.

British Quakers are looking to extend religious and legal marriage to same-sex couples, even though it is currently in conflict with the law.

Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha has announced that this fall, his party will propose the legalization of same-sex marriage. Albania is still a relatively conservative country and it seems that this proposal might be aimed at improving Albania’s eligibility for E.U. membership.

What Do Ballot Fights in California, Florida, and Arizona Mean for NC?

As I talk to colleagues in other states I know how fortunate we are here in North Carolina to have kept anti-gay measures off the ballot. This year California faces a ballot measure to end marriage equality in that state, while Florida and Arizona voters will consider adding "preemptive" marriage bans to their constitutions.

While Equality NC has successfully blocked similar efforts in our legislature, these fights in other states have an impact here as well.

Florida has a real chance at defeating the amendment. It takes 60% to amend their consitution and the polls have it too close to call. Wouldn't it send a great signal to have voters in a state like Florida reject bigotry and discrimination?

In 2006 Arizona became the first state to defeat an anti-LGBT constitutional amendment. That year the proposed amendment banned marriage and domestic partnership. Now the right wing has come back and is trying again, but this time they're only going after marriage. Arizona's got a tough fight on their hands, but they've shown before they can do the unexpected.

Finally, California. The vote on California's ballot measure is second only to the presidential race in importance to our community nationally. The largest state, California has long been a legal and social trend-setter, and with Massachusetts, leads the way on the road to marriage equality. Thousands of same-sex couples have married there since June. If California voters pass the proposed amendment banning same-sex marriage, it will set the national freedom to marry movement back a decade or more.

In North Carolina we're justifiably proud of our work to hold back attacks on our families. But our work doesn't happen in a vacuum. We honor the great efforts of our fellow Equality Federation members in these three states to defeat these measures and make their states, and ours, better in the process.

For more information on each of these important campaigns, visit the Equality Federation's ballot measure site.

-Ian Palmquist