The event of the year for all Americans was the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Gays and lesbians were apparent in every aspect of the tragedy, from heroes like Mark Bingham on United flight 93 that crashed in western Pennsylvania, to survivors like Peg Neff who lost her partner of 18 years in the Pentagon attack. Those stories played out in the gay media but often sexual orientation never made it into the straight press' versions of those stories.
The Human Rights Campaign continues to be the largest and most solid of the national organizations. Elizabeth Birch decided to stay on a few more years after rumors circulated that she was considering retiring. The organization's plans to build a headquarters building near Dupont Circle shifted to purchasing and renovating an existing structure in the same block. Those activities should be completed next year.
Log Cabin Republicans found themselves with increased access to the Bush administration and attracted more resources to grow their small staff. Their principle value, both to the administration and to the community, has been as a tripwire to avoid inadvertent antigay actions. Failures, such as the Salvation Army flap, have only served to reinforce their message of inclusion and they are now more strongly positioned for a proactive agenda.
The Republican Unity Coalition, organized by presidential friend Charles Francis, held an inaugural bash and then largely disappeared from public view. Their purpose was to work behind the scenes within the Republican Party and the administration to foster a more pro-gay environment. It is difficult to tell if they are doing that.
Elizabeth Toledo resigned as executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force after only a year on the job, continuing a tradition of turmoil in that venerable organization. Lorri Jean, former director of the gay and lesbian community center in Los Angeles, took over in midyear and has been remaking the staff and board of directors along more pragmatic lines.
The National Association of People With AIDS continues its solid advocacy, hampered by limited resources. The AIDS Action Council continued to unravel under interim leadership until Hattie Udall took over as executive director in the fall. Many local AIDS services organizations were already facing long-term erosion of financial support, which was made worse with the 9/11 appeals that sucked up many financial contributions.
Activism seems reduced to two nodes; ACT UP Philadelphia which has come to focus on international issues; and ACT UP San Francisco, the renegade group, with two of its leaders sitting in jail on harassment charges.
The gay media further consolidated. The dot.com implosion left a merged PlanetOut.com and Gay.com under single ownership, but original content has shrunk dramatically with budget and staff cuts. The national glossy magazines Out and The Advocate continue to be subsidized by their soft-porn siblings.
In May, Window Media swallowed the Washington and New York Blade newspapers to add to their publications in Atlanta and Houston. Rivendell Marketing purchased Q Syndicate, a content provider for the gay press, and cobbled together a one-stop research, marketing, PR and ad alliance.
