Equality Matters was a media and communications initiative in support of

LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , 33 ...

in the United States. Equality Matters was a partner organization with

Media Matters for America Media Matters for America (MMfA) is a politically left-leaning 501(c)(3), nonprofit organization and media watchdog group. MMfA was founded in 2004 by journalist and political activist David Brock as a counterweight to the conservative Media Res ...

, a

progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

media watchdog group.

Richard Socarides Richard Socarides is head of global corporate communications and government affairs for Gerson Lehrman Group (GLG). Previously, he led communications at New Line Cinema and has held other senior media jobs at Time Warner, AOL and in government a ...

, a longtime LGBT rights activist and former senior advisor to President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

on gay civil rights issues, served as the founding president of Equality Matters, and Kerry Eleveld, journalist for '' The Advocate'', served as editor beginning in 2011. Both announced their departure from the organization in November 2011.

History

The organization, an offshoot of

, was founded as a "communications war room for gay equality," and was launched on December 23, 2010. While Media Matters focuses broadly to "notify activists, journalists, pundits, and the general public about instances of misinformation," Equality Matters looked solely at

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

issues in the media. Since the departure of Richard Socarides and Kerry Eleveld in November 2011, Equality Matters remained active as a mirror site for Media Matters' LGBT content, with a separate Equality Matters blog and podcast (since March 29, 2011) authored by Bradley Herring and Carlos Maza.

Organization

Equality Matters was an internet-based organization. Their official website featured coverage of LGBT issues in the media. The website featured a blog, a fact checking section, videos, and "Top Picks of the Week", which the organization stated was "Our picks for the most interesting, outrageous, or thought provoking stories of the week."

Association with Media Matters for America

According to

David Brock David Brock (born July 23, 1962) is an American liberal political consultant, author, and commentator who founded the media watchdog group Media Matters for America. He has been described by ''Time'' as "one of the most influential operatives in ...

, founder of Media Matters for America,

Equality Matters will build on the work done by edia Matters and Media Matters Action Network Through strategic communication, research, training and media monitoring, Equality Matters will strengthen efforts for full LGBT rights and correct anti-gay misinformation. Its goal is to enhance advocacy and activism across all platforms and to leverage expertise in support of others who are working to make full equality a national imperative.

Goals

According to Media Matters founder David Brock, Equality Matters should "expose right-wing bigotry and homophobia wherever we find it" and "stiffen the spines of progressives."

David Mixner David Benjamin Mixner (born August 16, 1946) is an American political activist and author. He is best known for his work in anti-war and gay rights advocacy. Early life Mixner was born on August 16, 1946, and grew up in the small town of E ...

, gay author and activist, said of the group that "while a range of groups are working to advance gay rights, the movement has lacked a national rapid-response war room of the sort that can push back against homophobic messages in the media and the political arena and keep the pressure on elected officials."

Public reception

In the months following its December 2010 launch, Equality Matters faced some criticism about the way the organization was being run. Peter Rosenstein of the ''

Washington Blade The ''Washington Blade'' is a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) newspaper in the Washington metropolitan area. The ''Blade'' is the oldest LGBT newspaper in the United States and third largest by circulation, behind the ''Philadelphi ...

'' stated that he believed "Over the past couple of months it appears that Equality Matters may have been launched too soon and before its organizers had a real strategy and mission for what they would do."

References

External links

* {{official, http://www.equalitymatters.org Media analysis organizations and websites LGBT political advocacy groups in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C.