Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Jacques Era Ends Quickly
by Bob Roehr
2004-12-08

This article shared 2493 times since Wed Dec 8, 2004
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Cheryl Jacques is stepping down as president of the Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) after less than a year on the job.

Announcement of Jacques' resignation, over 'differences in management philosophy' between her and the HRC governing boards, came in a statement released by the organization late Nov. 30. The initiative for change appears to have come from the boards.

'It just didn't work out,' said Vic Basile. He is a former executive director of HRC and cochaired the search committee that hired Jacques. 'Cheryl has a lot of strengths and she's a good person, but on balance, it wasn't working for her and it wasn't working for us. This was a good time resolve it, in the lull between the election and when the new Congress comes in.'

Jacques cited defeat of the Federal Marriage Amendment ( FMA ) and increasing the HRC budget to $30 million and membership to 600,000 as among her accomplishments. All parties denied any link to results from the recent national elections.

The HRC Board of Directors cochairs will lead the organization during the transition until a new executive director is in place. Michael Berman is president of the Duberstein Group, a Washington lobbying firm. Hillary Rosen is the former head of the Recording Industry Association of America. She was a consultant to HRC on the FMA and is the spouse of former HRC executive director Elizabeth Birch.

Jacques, 42, resigned from the Massachusetts Senate to join HRC. She had never lived outside of the Boston area; had been publicly out for only three and a half years; had not worked extensively within the gay community; nor did she have any experience working at the national level.

One Capitol Hill lobbyist was appalled to learn in a conversation with Jacques, after 3-4 months on the job, that she did not know that Sen. Arlen Specter was the lead Republican sponsor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act ( ENDA ) , the crown jewel in HRC legislative agenda.

HRC later endorsed Specter's Democratic opponent in the general election, despite his being a huge underdog in that race. Mark Segal, publisher of the Philadelphia Gay News and active in Democratic politics in Pennsylvania for decades, said HRC would have been 'smart' to either not endorse or to have issued a dual endorsement.

Specter won convincingly and is slated to chair the Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over much of the legislation important to HRC.

The lobbyist said that as a result of such missteps, several Republican Senate offices formally friendly to HRC have become icy.

The departures of long-time senior employees was a major source of unhappiness for several HRC board members. Among those leaving were Kim Mills who headed up workplace and education activities and Harvey Hurdle, the chief financial officer. Other senior employees have expressed their unhappiness with Jacques.

'I'm rejoicing, she was totally clueless, she was in so far over her head,' Michael Bauer said in response to the news of Jacques departure. He is a gay democratic political consultant and fundraiser in Chicago.

Carl Schmid, former head of the Washington, D.C., chapter of Log Cabin Republicans and a former HRC advisory committee member, criticized the partisan tone that HRC took during the last election cycle. He said, 'The slogan, 'George W. Bush, you're fired,' made it difficult for some Republicans to support HRC. It doesn't do anything to educate Americans about same-sex marriage.'

One option for a new E.D. is to return to the applicant pool from a year ago. Winnie Stachelberg, HRC's long-time political director, was among the three finalists. She is highly respected for her political acumen and lobbying talents.

However, the skills that work best inside the beltway may not be the same ones that work best outside the beltway. The executive director plays a leading role in raising money, public speaking, and articulating a vision before the gay and mainstream communities. Some have made the comparison with John Kerry, whose skills made him an excellent policy wonk but a less effect campaigner.

Schmidt offered, 'They need someone who can understand Republicans and work with the administration and truly be a bipartisan organization. We [ as the gay community ] have to do more of a job in the red states.' He hoped that the community does not use this as an excuse to demonize HRC.

'I'm a passionate Democrat,' said Bauer, 'but in case anybody hasn't noticed, we lost. This is a time to be embracing Republicans.' He thought it would be 'a really smart move' for HRC to hire a Republican, or at least someone who can talk to Republicans.

If HRC is serious about working with Republicans, it might consider Steve May. The former Republican Arizona state legislator electrified the Servicemembers Legal Defense Fund ( SLDN ) national dinner in October with an off-the-cuff speech that mixed self-deprecating humor and inspiration.

His opposition to 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' when called up in the Army Reserves brought experience with the national media, and he has stood up to leaders of his own party in defending the gay community.


This article shared 2493 times since Wed Dec 8, 2004
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Lambda Legal Launches "Speak OUT" awareness campaign uplifting trans, nonbinary voices 2024-03-28
--From a press release. VIDEO BELOW - (NEW YORK, NY — March 28, 2024) In advance of Transgender Day of Visibility, Lambda Legal, the nation's oldest and largest legal nonprofit working to achieve full equal rights for LGBTQ people and everyone living with ...


Gay News

Brown Elephant Returns To Northalsted 2024-03-26
- Brown Elephant's Lake View location is moving to Northalsted and already accepting donations. Howard Brown Health, the largest LGBTQ+ health center in the midwest, operates three Brown Elephant resale shops in the Chicagoland area to help ...


Gay News

Be here, be queer, play polo: Gay Polo League creates safe athletic space for LGBTQ community 2024-03-26
- LGBTQ+ athletic clubs aren't too hard to come by, offering a variety of sports such as softball, soccer and more in cities across the country. But LGBTQ+ athletes would be harder pressed to find someplace to ...


Gay News

After 30 Under 30: MAP Executive Director Naomi Goldberg 2024-03-25
- NOTE: In this series, Windy City Times will profile some of its past 30 Under 30 honorees. Windy City Times started its 30 Under 30 Awards in 2001, presenting them each year through 2019. This year, ...


Gay News

Former Chicago Girl Scouts CEO Brooke Wiseman to receive Luminary Award 2024-03-22
- Brooke Wiseman, a now-retired nonprofit leader in the Chicago area, spent most of her career creating leadership development opportunities for girls and women—and making sure that hungry children could be fed. While leading Girl Scouts of ...


Gay News

Affinity celebrates Burning Bowl while looking toward the future 2024-03-19
- On March 17, Affinity Community Services held its annual Burning Bowl ceremony even as it already sets its organizational sights on 2025. The event, titled Burning Bowl 2024 Evolution, was held at Studio Imani, 5917 N. ...


Gay News

Howard Brown experts discuss advocacy and allyship for Chicago's trans community 2024-03-14
By Alec Karam - Howard Brown Health's Trans & Gender Diverse People's Rights & Patient Care panel convened March 12 to discuss both resources for—and opportunities to provide allyship to—the city's trans and gender diverse communities. The event hos ...


Gay News

Howard Brown Health faces October trial if settlement isn't reached with union 2024-03-13
- Howard Brown Health could go to trial over unfair labor practice allegations if the LGBTQ+ health center doesn't reach a settlement with its agreement soon. Chicago's regional director of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) filed ...


Gay News

No 'explanations' needed: Affinity remains a haven for Chicago's Black queer community 2024-03-12
- Back in 2007, Anna DeShawn came out while she was studying for her undergraduate degree. At around the same time, she searched online for "Black lesbians in Chicago." Her search led her to Affinity Community Services, ...


Gay News

Longtime LGBTQ+-rights activist David Mixner dies at 77 2024-03-12
- On March 11, longtime LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS activist David Mixner—known for working on Bill Clinton's presidential campaign but then splitting from him over "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT)—died at age 77, The Advocate reported. ...


Gay News

LGBTQ+ Victory Fund remembers co-founder David Mixner 2024-03-12
--From a press release - Today, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund President & CEO Mayor Annise Parker released the following statement on the passing of LGBTQ+ civil rights activist and LGBTQ+ Victory Fund co-founder David Mixner: "Today, we lost David Mixner, a founding ...


Gay News

Center on Halsted's signature Human First Gala to return 2024-03-11
--From a press release - CHICAGO, IL — Center on Halsted's signature Human First Gala will be held on Saturday, April 20 at The Geraghty. The gala brings together LGBTQ+ community members and allies for an evening of celebration to recognize ...


Gay News

Center on Halsted celebrates Dreams of Drag 2024-03-11
- On March 9, Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., in partnership with the Ralla Klepak Foundation, presented the Dreams of Drag Spring Cohort Class of 2024. The event featured performances from a class of new ...


Gay News

Affinity Community Services' Latonya Maley announces departure 2024-03-06
- Latonya Maley, executive director of Affinity Community Services, announced March 6 that she would be stepping down from her post. The announcement came from a statement with Affinity board members. Maley said that, "It has been ...


Gay News

Center on Halsted hosts 6th Annual Intergenerational Talent Show 2024-03-03
- On the evening of Feb. 29, Center on Halsted held its 6th Annual Intergenerational Talent Show in front of a packed audience at the Hoover-Leppen Theater. The event brought together participants of the Center's youth and senior ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.