Romney funded Prop 8 through anti-gay group?

Mitt Romney's political action committee contributed $10,000 to help pass California's Proposition 8, but did so through a hard-to-detect PAC donation to the National Organization for Marriage, according to documents provided to the Human Rights Campaign by a whistle-blower at NOM. 

"It’s clear now that Romney was a major financial donor to Prop 8, but it’s also clear that his campaign very cleverly hid this contribution," said Fred Sainz, HRC's vice president for communications. NOM was a key player in the passage of Proposition 8, which ended legal marriage for same-sex couples in California.

NOM Summer for Marriage bus tour a "sham" says HRC

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, today challenged the National Organization for Marriage's "Summer for Marriage" bus tour, saying it's nothing more than legal and rhetorical posturing in its campaign to keep its donor base secret.

“The bus tour is a total sham, plain and simple,” said Fred Sainz, HRC’s vice president of communications. “NOM’s highly-touted bus tour is less about so-called ‘traditional marriage’ and more about creating an elaborate and cynical stunt. NOM rolled out a summer of nationwide events in order to draw lawful protesters, all so that NOM and its allies can pepper ongoing lawsuits challenging public disclosure laws with made-up stories of harassment. This unprecedented victimization crusade is the lowest denominator of political activism, and it won’t fly.”
NOM issued a press release last Friday saying that LGBT supporters have “approached and threatened children,” engaged in “bullying tactics” and committed acts of harassment. However, according to HRC, NOM’s uncorroborated claims belie legitimate local media reports demonstrating that pro-equality supporters, which have vastly outnumbered NOM’s faithful, have been civil. NOM has yet to document any illegal activity or actual harassment, despite the presence of law enforcement at all the events.

Sainz concludes: “The bread crumbs of their deceit are clear. Let’s add it all up: NOM and its allies are making a last-ditch legal stand in Washington and Maine that they should be specially entitled to hide their political activities, and they’re saying that harassment and intimidation should provide them this cover. At the same time, Brian Brown schedules a series of virtually unattended weekday afternoon events hoping for counter-protests that they can then use as evidence of harassment and intimidation. Why else would NOM execute such half-hearted non-events and then completely subjugate its so-called ‘pro-marriage’ message in favor of devoting its energies almost exclusively to condemning lawful protesters?”

Fred Sainz joins HRC from Gill Foundation

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC)today announced the appointment of local resident Fred Sainz (left) to the newly created position of Vice President of Communications & Marketing which reports directly to the president.

"In this rapidly changing and often volatile political environment, HRC must continue to both prod and persuade in our mission to improve the lives of LGBT people across the country," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. "And often a key component in changing hearts and minds or moving recalcitrant elected officials is an aggressive and creative communications strategy. In addition to his broad professional skills, Fred Sainz brings deep political instincts and a commitment to LGBT equality that will enhance our work. We're thrilled to have him join our senior team."

A first-generation Cuban American, Sainz has been Vice President of Communications & Marketing of the Denver-based Gill Foundation for the last two years.

"I am honored to join the first-rate team of professionals at HRC who have done so much to move an LGBT equality agenda forward," said Sainz. "HRC is the pinnacle of LGBT activism, but we must move mountains in a volatile time, both in Washington and across the country, and communicating our agenda effectively and creatively will be critical to our success."