May 03, 2006
I really look forward to the day when we can get back to posting positive messages about what Howard Dean is doing for the LGBT Community - But it seems with every move he is just diggin himself deeper.
The Washington Blade reports today that Howard Dean has fired Donald Hitchcock shortly after Donald's partner Paul Yandura criticized the DNC.
Everyone I know who has voiced concerns about Dean eliminating the LGBT Outreach Desk at the DNC and keeping the LGBT Fundraising staff has consistently said that this is most definitely N-O-T about Donald Hitchcock, but rather about Howard Dean's appropriately staffing grassroots outreach at the DNC. I know I made a point of saying this every time I talked about the issue because I have a tremendous amount of respect for Donald and the work he does in our community.
All Dean had to do was hire or reassign one person to work exclusively on LGBT outreach with no fundraising responsibilities. Not much to ask, instead, he's scapegoated Donald and added TWO more people to the fundraising team - Brian Bond and Corey Johnson.
I honestly can't imagine a worse response to the issues we raised. The skinny is up on The Washington Blade. The anonymous source in that story tells it like it is:
"They are using Donald as a scapegoat," said the source. "What Dean should have done is bring in someone to help Donald."
Posted by David at May 3, 2006 02:48 PM
First of all, it is clear that the criticism of the DNC and Howard Dean regarding the LGBT constituency is warranted. I've met Donald several times, I like him and his style, but he was brought into a no-win situation by the DNC. Eliminate outreach, but just ask for money! Talk about mixed messaging! Same old, same old! It was an impossible situation for him. You need both functions, separate, yet working in concert.
That being said, however valid his criticism, Paul Yandura, his legal domestic partner, a recognized spouse, should NEVER have jeopardized Donalds job! He publically undercut Donalds job, by his message to the LGBT community of not giving money, which WAS in fact the primary focus of Donald's job.
I'm not making any excuses for Dean, and I emphasize with Paul and what might have seemed an unendurable frustration with the conduct of the DNC, but however well intentioned, as a recognized partner he had a shared responsibility to Donald. If the DNC had paid for DP benefits for Yandura, and recognized their contract, then Dean had no choice in his action.
Legal partnerships (DP, CU, and Marriage) are a new (and overdue) phenomenon in the lesbian and gay community. There are shared responsibilities implicit and explicit that the public expects in a married couple, there must be a measure of such shared responsiblity by a couple in a civil union or domestic partnership as well.
Barbra Casbar - New Jersey
