The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund-- Even Worse Than EMILY's List… Or Just As Bad

Rep Carol Shea-Porter (D) and Dan Innis (R)

So far this year, Blue America has only backed two incumbents on a special page designed for true-blue progressives who need electoral help this cycle. Each of them is an independent-minded and stalwart fighter for equality and for a shining progressive vision of America. Fortunately for Mike Honda, his Republican-lite primary opponent, Ro Khanna, isn't a gay guy who wants to cut Social Security. He's just a straight guy who wants to cut Social Security. If he was a gay guy who was campaigning on cutting Social Security, the self-styled Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund would be backing him. But they're not. Instead, they're backing Republican Dan Innis, a gay guy who wants to cut Social Security by beating New Hampshire progressive Carol Shea-Porter, who was fighting for gay equality long before the careerist hacks who use the so-called Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund to enrich themselves, were ever calling themselves the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund.

They're also backing Richard Tisei again against another strong LGBT ally, Democrat John Tierney of Massachusetts. We covered the Tisei vs Tierney dynamic a lot last cycle (as you can see at the link above). Let's just concentrate on Carol Shea-Porter's race. It's far more serious because she's heavily targeted by the Republican Party and she's in a shaky Republican-leaning seat with a PVI of R+1. Obama won the district last year, but only with 50% of the vote. The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund could tilt the balance against her, against a woman who said "As long as our LGBT brothers and sisters are denied the right to marry who they love, or they are denied equal protection under the law, we still have work to do." Against a woman who fought to help end Don't Ask Don't Tell. Against a woman who was an original cosponsor of ENDA and who signed the historic amicus brief regarding the unconstitutionality of DOMA. Why would any straight LGBT ally ever want to work with these people at the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund if this is how they treat their allies?

The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund specializes in supporting conservative gays. They refused to help openly gay progressive Democrats Ed Potosnak (D-NJ) and Trevor Thomas (D-MI) when that support could have helped them against their conservative opponents. Long ago, I pegged them as another worse-than-useless insider suck-up outfit that was 90% about the career aspirations of the management and 10% about equality for the LGBT community. They exist on massive contributions from a small handful of gay millionaires and they are contemptuous of the LGBT grassroots. These are their donors. I wonder which one made them back Tisei and Innis over Tierney and Shea-Porter. From what I can tell all these donors have given hugely and generously to Democrats and Democrats and more Democrats... except Weston Miliken (but he hasn't given to any Republicans either).

VAN AMERINGEN, HENRY
NEW YORK, NY 10011
VAN AMERINGEN FOUNDATION
02/08/12
$75,000

BOHNETT, DAVID
BEVERLY HILLS, CA 90212
BARODA VENTURES LLC
05/02/12
$50,000

HORMEL, JAMES C
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94101
EQUIDEX INC.
04/19/12
$50,000

HARMSWORTH, ESMOND V
BOSTON, MA 02116
ZACHARY SHUSTER LLC
02/08/12
$50,000

MILIKEN, WESTON F
CHICAGO, IL 60660
SELF
03/30/12
$50,000

JOHNSON, JAMES M
NEW YORK, NY 10013
JOHNSON FAMILY FOUNDATION
04/24/12
$30,000

MILIKEN, WESTON F
CHICAGO, IL 60660
SELF
04/03/12
$30,000

ELMENDORF, STEVE A
WASHINGTON, DC 20009
ELMENDORF STRATEGIES
03/14/12
$25,000

ANSIN, RONALD M
HARVARD, MA 01451
RETIRED
01/31/12
$10,000

When Barney Frank broke with the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund last year, he explained that his "So my support for John Tierney over Richard Tisei is based only in part on the fact that if the Democrats take back the House we have a very good prospect of legislative victories, while if Mr. Tisei succeeds in keeping John Boehner as Speaker, we have not. It is also because I do not think it is appropriate for us to go to John Tierney and others, solicit their support-- and in the case of John, receive it wholeheartedly-- but tell them that we may withdraw our support for them not because of anything under their control but because they have the wrong sexual orientation."