Subject: HRC leader again donates to homo-foe Hatch
From: [email-masked]
Date: Sun, 12 Mar 2000 16:44:00 EST

Reprint rights from: [email-masked]

HRC Leader Sings Many Tunes
by Michael Petrelis
March 12, 2000

On the eve of the recent Super Tuesday presidential primaries the Human Rights 
Campaign (HRC)  <A HREF="http://www.hrc.org/">WELCOME TO THE HUMAN RIGHTS 
CAMPAIGN</A> , released a survey of first session of the 106th Congress. House 
members were rated on eleven items, while Senators were evaluated for just six 
issues.  

The concerns were: 

1) Co-sponsorship of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act; 

2) Supporting the Hate Crimes Prevention Act; 

3) Voluntarily adopting non-discrimination employment policies for Senate office workers; 

4) The Patients' Bill of Rights Plus Act, which was a managed care reform bill; 

5) A prohibition against Washington, DC organizations from receiving federal funding if 
they engage in needle exchange programs; 

6) An amendment expressing the sense of Congress to reaffirm the 1973 Roe v. Wade 
decision as a vital constitutional right that must be maintained.

Among the twenty-six Senators who scored perfect zeros on the HRC survey was 
Orrin Hatch (R-UT).  Hatch previously received lousy ratings from HRC and he is 
more than content to side with homophobes on matters of importance to HRC.

So you can visualize the look of surprise that came across my face when I learned 
Hilary Rosen, chair of the HRC Foundation board of directors, an affiliate of HRC 
proper, donated $1,000 to the Orrin Hatch Presidential Exploratory Committee in 
August 1999,  <A HREF="http://imgsrv.sdrdc.com/cgi-bin/fecimg/?99034844499">F.
E.C. IMAGE 99034844499 (Page 127 of 228)</A>.  Bear in mind Rosen also 
formerly served as head of the HRC board 
of directors for many years, and is the domestic partner of Elizabeth Birch, HRC's 
executive director.   

In her capacity as president and chief executive officer of the Recording Industry 
Association of America's (RIAA), political action committee in Washington Rosen 
apparently had no qualms about overlooking HRC's abysmal ratings for Hatch and 
writing him a check for his failed presidential ambitions.  It appears as though 
Rosen had music industry related reasons to financially support Hatch and gay and 
lesbian equality was relegated to the trash bin in order for her to write out a check 
to the Utah Republican.

Back in January 1999 I discovered through Federal Election Commission records 
at www.tray.com/fecinfo,  <A HREF="http://www.tray.com/fecinfo/">FECInfo Home 
Page</A> , that Rosen had made large contributions to Hatch's 
Senatorial reelection campaigns.  RIAA senior vice president Tim Sites told 
Boston's Bay Windows that because Hatch sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee 
he holds great influence over matters of concern to the music industry.

"Given the wide range of Hilary's personal and professional convictions, her 
friendships on Capitol Hill are equally encompassing and one must keep in mind 
that Hilary is the president and CEO of RIAA," Site said to Bay Windows in the 
January 14, 1999 edition,  <A HREF="http://www.baywindows.com/">Bay Windows: 
Home: January 14 - January 20, 1999</A> .

Granted, Rosen wears many political hats in her many roles as a power broker in 
Washington, but it seems her gay and lesbian agenda suffers because of her varied 
leadership duties.

However, I find the introduction to the HRC scorecard for the first half of the 
106th Congress rings hollow.

"With the upcoming elections, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered 
Americans, our allies, our friends, families and co-workers have the power to 
decide whether we continue to move forward or lose hard-won ground," HRC 
writes in the brief statement.  "HRC wants to provide you with the information 
you need to be an informed voter.  Use this mid-session scorecard to evaluate your 
member of Congress.  Contact them on issues important to you.  Most importantly, 
get involved to elect a fair-minded Congress.  Now is the time to make our voices 
heard."

That is unless the voice, and checkbook, of the lesbian leader of RIAA is singing a 
different tune about gay and lesbian rights versus music industry matters, because 
in that clash of issues, the former loses to the latter.  And that ultimately is not 
healthy for gay and lesbian equality in America.