HRC and LGBT

12:00 am Jul 1 - by Eric Gordon – buzz Writer

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    I have come to realize that in writing this column over the past few weeks it is impossible to cover everything I want to give a topic. But I assure you I will keep trying.

    I decided this week to turn my attention to the popular social networking site Facebook.

    Putting some apprehensions aside, Facebook has a number of applications, tools and technologies to students and other members all in pursuit of some sort of virtual social experience which continues growing in popularity. When used constructively, it is a powerful forum for discussion and the exchange of information.

    In brainstorming for this week’s column, I decided to see what LGBT issues were addressed on the website. There are more than can be addressed in this column obviously but I wanted to talk about one Facebook group that caught my eye. “HRC? Not for ME!” is one such group. I take exception to some things the group claims as I have read the good that the Human Rights Campaign does, but begun to read recently more and more accusations of their failings. I am trying hard to weigh the two against each other in order to not only focus on the negatives.

    Unfortunately, not every government engine is perfect, but allowing that to be an excuse serves no purpose either. Once again the people’s voice will assist in rectifying problems within an organization, including the Human Rights Campaign. I will not address right now the organizations history with capitalism, labor and other issues outside of the LGBT spectrum, as important as those issues still are to human rights. The claims I would agree with most in the groups description is the lack of truly addressing a wider range of issues than same-sex marriage. It is an issue for equality, but the Facebook group brings up valid points on how the LGBT youth are homeless and how medical benefits and care can often be denied to those who are transgendered. These are issues that make sense, but hadn’t crossed my mind until doing some browsing this week.

    Once again I don’t feel that the Human Rights Campaign is solely to blame and needs help and direction to point it back in the direction of human rights for everyone. Some solutions may lie in having spokespeople from the LGBT community as part of the HRC board and being cautious of being too politically motivated on either political extreme in the pursuit of human rights.

    So as you surf the web, tweet and connect with friends don’t be afraid to search Facebook beyond what you normally would. You might be surprised what you find or at the very least what you learned as an unexpected consequence.

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    The views expressed are the sole responsibility of the visitors who submitted them and do no represent the opinions of the217, WPGU, buzz or Illini Media staff members.

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