Joining a growing chorus of LGBT leaders, fundraisers, donors, and activists, today the board of Garden State Equality issued a statement announcing that it has amended its bylaws to prohibit the organization from donating to any political party.  Garden State Equality’s Executive Director Steve Goldstein said in a statement, “No political party has a record good enough on LGBT civil rights that it can rightfully claim to be entitled to our money on a party-wide basis. No longer will we let any political party take our money and volunteers with one hand, and slap us in the face with the other when we seek full equality.”

Since Barack Obama was elected president, Democratic majorities in Congress and in state legislatures have been unwilling to pass marriage and civil rights legislation protecting LGBT people.  Supporters of LGBT equality who donate to the Democratic Party are therefore defending the incumbencies of legislators who do not see us as fully equal members of society.

Instead of donating to parties, Garden State Equality urges donating to pro-equality candidates. The Power stands with GSE in taking this position.  As our guiding principles state, “Civil rights are not a partisan issue.  They are an American issue.”  Organizations that do not support our full equality do not deserve our dollars. Imagine if all the members of the Equality Federation would take this position?  The Equality Federation is the coalition of state equality organizations.  Their combined membership exceeds that of the Human Rights Campaign.  That would be a powerful statement indeed.  Please amplify this message by reposting it through your social networks so that Garden State Equality’s courageous leadership will stand as an example to others.

Below is the full text of Garden State Equality’s statement.

Garden State Equality ends giving to political parties, will now contribute only to individual candidates and pro-LGBT non-party organizations

Garden State Equality asks its 65,000 members, who make their own decisions as to individual political contributions, to do the same

Sending a bold signal that no political party should take the support of the LGBT community and its allies for granted, Garden State Equality’s Board of Directors has unanimously approved a new provision for the organization’s bylaws that immediately precludes Garden State Equality from giving financial contributions to political parties and their affiliated committees. Under the new policy, Garden State Equality will make financial contributions only to individual candidates and to non-party organizations that further equality for the LGBT community.

The bylaws provision asks Garden State Equality members, who make their own decisions as to individual political contributions, to refrain from contributing to parties and their affiliated committees. The complete text of the new policy is below.

“No political party has a record good enough on LGBT civil rights that it can rightfully claim to be entitled to our money on a party-wide basis,” said Steven Goldstein, chair of Garden State Equality. “No longer will we let any political party take our money and volunteers with one hand, and slap us in the face with the other when we seek full equality.”

“Our Board of Directors felt so strongly about adopting this new policy,” Goldstein said, “that it unanimously decided to include it in the organization’s bylaws.”

With more than 65,000 members, Garden State Equality is New Jersey’s largest civil rights organization – and one of the nation’s largest. Garden State Equality’s Board of Directors consists of 85 LGBT and non-LGBT members.

Since Garden State Equality’s founding in 2004, New Jersey has enacted 210 LGBT civil rights law at the state, county and local levels. A 2009 year-end survey by eQualityGiving.com ranks New Jersey as #1 in the United States for LGBT civil rights, tied with California, Iowa and Vermont. Among New Jersey’s LGBT civil rights laws are a comprehensive anti-discrimination law, anti-hate crimes law and anti-school bullying law that all include sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. New Jersey and California are the only two states that provide paid family leave for same-sex couples.

The only LGBT civil rights law New Jersey does not have is marriage equality. After the state Senate voted down a marriage equality bill earlier this year, Lambda Legal announced at a Garden State Equality news conference that our side is going back to court.

Here is the full text of Garden State Equality’s new bylaws provision:

Garden State Equality finds that financial contributions to political parties and their affiliated committees directly or indirectly support candidates who oppose full equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, including marriage equality. That runs counter to our organization’s mission.

Be it resolved that Garden State Equality shall no longer make financial contributions to political parties and their affiliated committees. Henceforth, Garden State Equality shall only make financial contributions to individual candidates for public office, or to entities independent of political parties which further equality for the LGBT community through their choice of candidates or issues to support or oppose.

With this resolution, Garden State Equality sends two unmistakable signals to our political parties: That none should take the support of the LGBT community and its allies for granted, and that none should write off the potential to earn the support of the LGBT community and its allies.

Though Garden State Equality’s members make their own decisions as to individual political contributions, we urge our members to contribute solely to individual candidates for public office, or to entities independent of political parties which further equality for the LGBT community through their choice of candidates or issues to support or oppose; and not to political parties or their affiliated committees.

SIGN THE PETITION TO INCLUDE LGBT PEOPLE IN THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT AT WWW.THEPOWERONLINE.ORG.