The Silent ''T''
Leaders need to overcome their fears and represent everyone in the LGBT community
by Dana Beyer
Published on January 12, 2011, 11:55pm
http://www.metroweekly.com/news/opinion/?ak=5922''LGBT.'' The ''T'' is silent.
No sooner did the gavel make contact with the podium repealing DADT than our national organizations were talking up marriage equality as the next big thing. David Brock, founder of the new organization Equality Matters, said, ''But we believe the big battle is full equality, which is gay marriage.'' Fred Sainz, speaking for the Human Rights Campaign, was ebullient on marriage. Donor and activist listservs were all gaga over marriage.
What happened to ENDA?
This was strange, since after talking to then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) a number of colleagues said she was perplexed as to why the national LGBT leadership had abandoned ENDA in favor of DADT repeal. Congressional leadership hadn't asked for a change. The whip counts showed more support for ENDA than for DADT repeal. It seems that getting the last few votes for ENDA could have been no harder than getting DADT repeal at the 11th hour.
