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Growing the grass roots: coming back from a slump in the 1990s, the 32-year-old National Gay and Lesbian Task Force aims to take the lead in aiding local organizing. In a time of "terrible trouble," NGLTF is in it for the long haul
Advocate, The, July 19, 2005 by Greg Hernandez
MOVEMENT IN CRISIS
With the fight for gay and lesbian equality at a crucial crossroads, The Advocate continues its ongoing series of articles focusing on our leading activist and service organizations.
In early June, a few days after the California state assembly came up four votes shy of passing a bill to make the state's marriage laws gender-neutral, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force executive director Matt Foreman is typically blunt.
"We haven't made it anywhere," he says. "There is work to be done everywhere. I think it's the Task Force's role of the movement to push the envelope and to not be afraid to speak the truth even when it's unpleasant."
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Even to themselves. The gay civil rights and advocacy organization had to watch with frustration and dismay as 11 states passed amendments banning recognition of same-sex marriage in November 2004.
More than a dozen additional states are expected to consider similar amendments in 2006.
"We are in terrible trouble for 2006. November 7, 2006, is going to be a crummy day," predicts Dave Fleischer, NGLTF director of organizing and training. "The question is, How crummy? Worst day? Or in some places will we be starting to turn this issue around? It's an unprecedented problem to solve."
But NGLTF has learned some vital lessons moving forward taking a play from the conservative Republican Party machine.
It is working to build on some of the individual state infrastructures that were developed on the grassroots level during the losing campaigns, many of which barely had the time to organize and were woefully overmatched in their fights.
"You can look at Ohio. As a result of the election in 2004, activists across the state have come together and are putting together a new statewide organization in a well-thought and energetic way," Foreman says. "Activists in Michigan are having meetings across the state to come up with a statewide plan for building their movement. In Oregon you see renewed, positive energy."
Roey Thorpe, executive director of Basic Rights Oregon, is among those who are finding that in addition to building an infrastructure, activists are able to pinpoint gay-friendly politicians and potential donors.
NGLTF has "given all this new energy to supporting state work at exactly a time when it is most needed," Thorpe says. "Most of us recognize the best we'll do on the federal level for the next few years is to fight bad legislation and hopefully defeat bad legislation and that the positive gains are going to be made at the state level."
But not everyone is a fan of the group's work. Veteran
Democratic political consultant Ian James says NGLTF was ineffective in trying to help Ohio gays fight that state's antimarriage measure, which qualified for the ballot less than 60 days before the election. He feels that activists needed to argue that the wording of the amendment would threaten the rights of unmarried straight couples who live together as well as the rights of gays and lesbians.
"This was the perfect place to, frankly, pour it on," says James who was the political director of Ohioans Protecting the Constitution. 'The religious right spread out their forces and had an easy message to sell: The gay community is trying to redefine marriage. We wanted to connect with people. When your time frame is so short and you've got 72% of voters saying we don't support same-gender marriage, they come in and say, 'Even if we lose, we are advancing the message.' Bullshit."
Ronald Hunt, the openly gay chair of the political science department at Ohio University in Athens, watched the Ohio election closely and came away feeling that NGLTF and other major gay rights groups not only have to find a way to stop the state amendments from passing but in doing so must focus "on changing people's impression on gays and lesbians."
"This is a real foundational issue where we are on the defensive," Hunt says. "The issue is, How can you construct a political program where we can regain the offensive? I think a lot of grassroots activity has to take place before you are going to see any kind of progress on the issue."
While Foreman vows that NGLTF will "be more visceral in approach" when it comes to its message, he believes the message must remain firmly about gays and lesbians. "We're not going to make any movement in this fight until we make it a truly moral issue," he says. "Basic fairness and moral values require that straight people start taking a stand for us with the same force and energy as they would if it was another minority under attack."
Foreman, who has headed the group since April 2003, has been known to be outspoken and sometimes brash during a 25-year career that had previously been spent mostly in high-profile posts in New York City, where he lives with his partner of 14 years, Francisco De Leon.
