Boycotted by most local politicians and many LGBT people, the Human Rights Campaign's annual gala still raised an estimated $80,000 toward the fight against Proposition 8, the constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would define marriage as between a man and a woman.

That figure does not include a $1 million donation made by an HRC board member at the event. At press time, HRC was unable to tell the Bay Area Reporter the total amount of money it raised at the gala.

The labor-backed protest had some impact, as the audience numbered less than the 1,000 people HRC expected. According to HRC staff, 780 people attended the dinner held last Saturday, July 26 at the Westin St. Francis.

And less than 24 hours prior to the black-tie affair Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, billed as the evening's keynote political speaker, dropped out due to the boycott. As the B.A.R. reported online Monday, a spokesman for the mayor said his no-show was not a "snub" of HRC but was due to the "controversy" surrounding the fundraiser.

Dinner co-chair Tom Floyd said he was "disappointed" by the mayor's decision, but nonetheless, "I understand too, certainly, he has the right to do it."

Transgender activists and allies, along with the union-affiliated Pride at Work, launched a boycott of this year's dinner due to HRC's decision last fall not to oppose a federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act stripped of gender identity protections by congressional leaders. They encouraged most of San Francisco's political leadership not to attend and held their own counterprotest and awards ceremony outside the host hotel Saturday night. [See story, page 1.]

For Floyd and his co-chair, Jill Federico, their first time overseeing the annual gala was a trial by fire. Both said while the boycott added a unique challenge to the planning for this year's event, they felt the bigger challenge will be trying to unite the community.

"So much work needs to be done to bring the community together," said Federico.

The disagreement over ENDA, said Floyd, shows "there is so much more education that needs to be done."

In response to the boycott, HRC officials launched a two-prong strategy to promote this year's dinner. They ran radio spots highlighting the agency's work on transgender rights and offered ticket buyers the opportunity to designate the $225 cost of their tickets to the campaign to defeat Prop 8. HRC board member Bruce Bastian also made a surprise announcement at the dinner that he was donating $1 million to the Vote No on Prop 8 campaign. [See story at http://www.ebar.com.]

While Villaraigosa joined a long list of elected officials who opted out of the dinner, others chose to attend, most notably Marin Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D), who in an interview said she "honors" the protesters and sees the House's vote on ENDA last fall as a "dress rehearsal" for passing a fully inclusive version once there is a new Democratic president and greater Democratic majorities in both the House and Senate.

"Then we can bring an inclusive ENDA to the floor," said Woolsey, who said she was disappointed in not being able to vote last year on an amendment adding transgender protections back into the bill.

Marriage, ENDA

During her speech Woolsey said that nothing that happened during the week had changed her mind about attending the dinner.

"That is because the people protesting outside have their hearts in the right place. They just don't have the patience," she said. "You've got to have people pushing that hard from the left. We got to make sure we don't disappoint them."

Joining Woolsey at the event were state Controller John Chiang, San Jose Supervisor Pierluigi Oliviero, San Leandro Mayor Tony Santos, San Leandro Councilman Mike Gregory, and openly gay Campbell City Councilman Evan Low.

Low said he did express his "frustration and disappointment" about how HRC has handled ENDA but in thought it was important to "support the organization for the types of things they are working on ... rather than just focusing on one particular aspect, I support the organization for the overall things that they do."

He added that he does not believe "a boycott of HRC furthers our cause and in fact, it may take us a step back. We should focus our attention and activism on the real challenge and it takes one step at a time."

Equal marriage rights and the ENDA debate each took center stage at the event, as speaker after speaker addressed both topics. In his keynote address Diego Sanchez, a transman on HRC's business council, asked the attendees to make both a "national priority." While he expressed disappointment in HRC's actions on ENDA, Sanchez also praised the agency for the work it has done.

"I am here tonight to talk about what HRC is doing and what more HRC and we all need to do to show our commitment to transgender people," said Sanchez, who asked the crowd to devote a portion of their vacation time to contacting members of Congress about the need to pass a trans-inclusive ENDA.

He also said he understands the frustrations of those who protested the event, some of whom are his friends.

"Congress tells us we are less than human to let a bill pass that only has sexual orientation in it. We feel left behind because we are left behind," said Sanchez. "That is the message of my family members across the street. I am saddened. There is no reason for anyone to feel good about a bill that is not inclusive. But we need to play the hand we have been dealt and to move forward."

Some attendees of the dinner said they felt the protesters' anger was misdirected at HRC and should be more focused on openly gay Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank, who pushed to pass the gay-specific ENDA in the House after he said it was clear the votes were not there for a trans-inclusive version of the bill.

"HRC does great work. Barney Frank is the one who should take the hit for this divisiveness," said Mirian Saez, an HRC Federal Club member and Mayor Gavin Newsom's director of operations on Treasure Island.

Saez attended the dinner with her partner, Julian Potter, a former top aide in the mayor's office. She said that the "T" in LGBT has always been a part of HRC.

"There is no reason to be divisive about HRC. We are all fighting the good fight," she said.

Thom Murray, a local attorney, said he joined HRC's Federal Club after the Pride Committee nominated the organization for a Pink Brick award this year. The dubious honor is given to a person or group that has worked against LGBT rights; it ultimately went to Fox News host Bill O'Reilly.

"HRC is our voice in Washington. I don't agree with every stance they take. But the fact that they are there and have the voice they have is critical," said Murray.

Waukeen McCoy, a gay man and an attorney who represented several couples in the marriage case, attended the dinner at the invitation of a friend. Unaware it was being boycotted, McCoy nonetheless said he was glad to be there "as someone who argued the case, even though they didn't recognize me. I have mixed feelings about that."

McCoy added that "it is really unfortunate gender identity was not in the bill" but expressed confidence an inclusive version would be passed. He also said he is optimistic about the No on Prop 8 campaign's chances.

"I think we will win. The voters will vote Prop 8 down," said McCoy.

Protester interrupts HRC prez speech

HRC President Joe Solmonese argued that both sides of the ENDA debate have the same end goal in sight – passage of a fully inclusive bill – but have diverged on how to achieve it.

"There have been occasions when different groups of people marched down different roads but those roads end in the same place. While I regret the pain and distance that sometimes comes from taking different paths, those of us inside this room want to arrive at the same place as those outside this room so that GLBT people have the same rights as every American," he said. "We may differ on how we get there but get there together we will."

Solmonese's speech was briefly interrupted by 63-year-old lesbian Catherine Cusic, the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club's vice president of political action. Cusic had bought a ticket to the dinner at a discounted rate and began walking toward the stage while Solmonese was talking. Security, however, quickly approached her and dragged Cusic out of the room.

The following day Cusic circulated photos of her bruised arms and numerous LGBT Web sites ran her account of being roughed up by "security goons" at the event. She told the B.A.R. on Monday that she had filed charges of assault with the police and was demanding an apology from both HRC and Woolsey.

"I want both Woolsey and HRC to reconsider their position on ENDA, which is clearly discriminatory," said Cusic. "She calls herself a feminist and just sat there. I want an apology from HRC for using goons and want an apology from Woolsey for letting them beat up an old woman in front of her."

Once Cusic had left the room, Solmonese remarked that HRC has dinners across the country and that "each time it is different." He also joked it helps to take the anti-anxiety drug Xanax.

"I love the spirit of San Francisco," he said.

Following the coverage of Cusic's account Monday, HRC was not in a joking mood as it issued a statement defending how security handled Cusic and claimed her description of events was contradicted by its guests at the dinner.

"As with every dinner, it is our policy that if a person is being disruptive they'll be escorted from the room ... [Cusic] was asked to stop and leave the ballroom by security personnel. After she refused to follow instruction, she was escorted from the room and continued yelling all the way to the hotel exit," read the statement.