MARRIAGE FIGHT WASTES GAY DOLLARS
By DAVID BENKOF
June 9, 2008 -- THE Human Rights Cam paign, America's largest gay-rights group, recently announced plans to spend at least a half-million dollars to defeat the California Marriage Protection Act. What a waste; gays and lesbians have far more urgent needs. The Golden State constitutional amendment poses no substantive threat to them - it will take nothing away from same-sex couples but the word "marriage." Even if HRC wants Californians to vote no on the initiative, $500,000 is a lot to spend on a struggle to retain an unpopular court victory that's only semantic and symbolic.
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Some of the most vulnerable members of the gay community are the gay and bisexual men and transgender women who are behind bars. They face repeated rapes, humiliation and beatings. Transgender women are overrep- resented in prison, and many have special needs that are simply not addressed by the system.
