Texas Republicans won't support DeLay, but gay Republicans will
The three Republicans who ran against Congressman Tom DeLay in the Texas primary last week are still, out of principle, refusing to support him, even though he defeated them with 62%. It's too bad that some gay Republicans don't have the same appreciation for consistency.
It was revealed several months ago that gay Republicans Steve May and Tom Simplot 
were caught contributing to the political committee of the soon-to-be-indicted -- and vociferously homophobic -- DeLay. When this embarrassing fact came to light, former Arizona State Representative May and Phoenix City Councilman Simplot hemmed and hawed and tried to spin with variations of the Nothing To See Here, Folks, Move Along schtick. The issue even became a source of discomfort in Arizona Democratic circles when it was further revealed that several Arizona Stonewall Democrats officers and other insiders had been aiding and abetting May's and Simplot's own campaigns directly or indirectly over the years -- even though each has always had well-qualified, pro-gay Democratic election opponents.
Perhaps our two gay Republicans could take a lesson in principle from Mr. DeLay's three former Republican challengers. Each of the three ran against DeLay largely because of his considerable ethics problems. After Mr. DeLay won renomination, speculation arose as to whether any of the three would place party above principle and endorse DeLay after his win.
They will not.
As noted in today's The Hill ("Defeated GOP primary opponents refuse to endorse Rep. DeLay"), DeLay's former opponents are refusing to fall in with party ranks. One of them had called DeLay a "felon" during the campaign (technically untrue in a land where Innocent Until Proven Guilty still holds, but...), and another had made numerous campaign references to "corruption" and "integrity". After such scathing denunciations during the primary campaign, they could hardly do an about-face and embrace him after.
We will make no claim about the character of any of the three beyond this episode, but we certainly give them high marks for consistency. We do wonder, however, how consistent is it to speak out against institutional homophobia and bigotry and yet to give contributions to one of the country's most ardent architects of anti-gay policy? Perhaps gay Republicans Steve May and Tom Simplot should study the example of their three Republican colleagues in Texas' 22nd Congressional District, and learn that integrity starts when there is a concordance between what you say and what you do.
Stern to leave National Stonewall Democrats after barely one year
At least three National Stonewall Democrats insiders have stated publicly this week that Eric Stern is leaving as NSD's Executive Director, according to several sources. Stern has held the position for barely thirteen months. Deputy Director Jo Wyrick will handle his responsibilities on an interim basis.
NSD has not made a public announcement, but one is expected within days. Health concerns apparently will be cited as the reason for Stern's departure, but we are also hearing reports that Stern is not actually ill. The two stories seem to contradict each other, but in the funhouse mirror world of NSD, we can actually see a way in which they do not: we suppose it is possible that Stern is leaving to prevent health problems. This explanation, however, would cast an unfortunate light on NSD's perpetual inability to attract and retain qualified staff.
Uncompetitive elections for the board of directors and then for the board's executive committee positions have resulted in a number of questionable characters rising to prominent positions in the organization. In the estimation of some NSD observers, some such individuals have lacked the skill sets and character attributes normally needed for high-level leadership. Micromanagement and nitpicking of staff and board infighting have invariably been the result, leading to high employee turnover.
"'Illness and fatique' can be a polite way of saying 'sick and tired'", one insider stated, referring to Stern's apparent reason for leaving.
Because of weak board leadership, NSD has long had a revolving door for staff (one wag has said that Executive Directors' name plates should be attached to the door with Velcro). Stern's replacement will be NSD's sixth Executive Director in only five years.
NSD has had a complicated relationship with each of its Executive Directors. The longest-serving was Dave Noble, who served for only twenty-four months from February 2003 to February 2005.
NSD's Executive Directors, and their tenures, have been:
Mike Colby, March 2000 - May 2001, 14 months
Paul Yandura, May 2001 - September 2001, 4 months
Chad Johnson, September 2001 - December 2002, 15 months
Dave Noble, February 2003 - February 2005, 24 months
Eric Stern, February 2005 - March 2006, 13 months
» Court allows transgender bias suit against Library of Congress (left) (ACLU)
