Look, it’s really simple. We won, and I’m not sitting at the back of the fucking bus anymore. I’m sick of waiting, I’m sick of being thrown to the wolves every time some bigot pipes up (like they’d ever vote Democratic anyway), and I absolutely will not tolerate the very people who are supposed to be representing my interests refusing to do something as simple as this

Some time ago I noticed that the Democratic National Committee refused to put its non-discrimination clause on its website. After a few emails with staffers at the DNC, a number of fellow political activists suggested I wait until after the mid-term election to make this an issue.

I’ve waited… It’s an issue.

I had another recent exchange with the press office of the DNC… And while the human resources department refused to provide the policy back when I first asked for it, the media folks sent it to me:

The DNC is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity. It is our policy to recruit, hire, train, promote and administer any and all personnel actions without regard to sex, race, age, color, creed, national origin, religion, economic status, sexual orientation, ethnic identity or physical disability, or any other legally protected basis. The DNC will not tolerate any unlawful discrimination and any such conduct is prohibited.

so what laws protect gays from being fired in the workplace again? -CD

All job openings are to be posted internally and priority consideration should be given to current staff and minorities. Within certain limitations, all new employees should be vetted before hire.

Now, I’m not saying the DNC has to put this on the top of the front page, but why won’t they put it somewhere, anywhere, on the site? A great place might be on the bottom of the “About Our Party” page, below the bit about internships at the DNC.

Damien Lavera, a spokesman for the DNC, explains it this way:

As I’ve mentioned before, we do not put any human resources or personnel-related documents on our website. Our site is devoted solely to providing Democrats and common-sense voters with the tools they need to interact with candidates and state parties, help disseminate our party’s message, and help Democrats win up and down the ballot in every state.

Sorry, Damien, not good enough.

Is the DNC ashamed equal employment policies? What good are non-discrimination policies if they are kept a secret from the public? And, don’t such policies demonstrate the party’s commitment to equality? Back when I first learned this news, a job seeker who called the DNC was also refused a copy of the policy.

A non-discrimination clause is not just a “policy” for employees, it’s a statement to the general public about an organization’s beliefs. Does the DNC believe in non-discrimination or don’t they.

This issue, I promise you, will not end until the DNC starts to stand up for what it believes in. Their refusal to post this policy is pathetic.

Mike is right. This is just pathetic. If the DNC can’t have something as basic as a non-discrimination policy up on their site, they simply cannot expect queers like me to give a shit about any of their candidates in the next election. It’s one thing for the “progressive” presidential candidate to be mealy mouthed on this issue, but a wholly different matter when it comes to a policy that Fortune 500 corporations have adopted and had on the books for years now.

Let me put it in terms that even the most cold hearted, closet case, number crunching staffer can understand: this past cycle was only the tip of the iceberg in terms of gays raising money. I know this from speaking with people who raise money for the Party for a living. When the DNC and the party as a whole wake up to the fact that there are far more gays with money than practically any other demographic group, they really won’t miss the single-percentage loss in donations from the few remaining hard-core homophobes who give money now.

This is truly a pathetic and shameful excuse for a policy decision, and I am not going to forget it. Or shut up about it, until some changes are made.

Email them about it here.