by Craig Covey
Viewpoint
Last month 81 leaders and activists from 35 area and state LGBT organizations gathered for a two day retreat organized by the Peninsula Group. This was the largest and broadest such gathering held in Southeast Michigan in well over a decade, and will be historic and important as our community evolves over the next ten years. As our movement matures and enters its fourth decade, needed changes are occurring, and this retreat has begun a process to help facilitate and manage that change.
There have been major stresses with some of our larger groups during the past year as well as breath-taking progress. Affirmations and Triangle have both had growing pains, and well as tremendous progress. MAPP has created innovative new campaigns, but also suffered severe budget cuts from reduced state funding. Without commenting on specific stressors here, I suggest that our groups not become defensive, but instead see these as opportunities for growth and maturing.
Organizations and movements are similar to people, in that they have a time of birth, a period of infancy and then growth. They can mature and eventually become strong. They can also grow old and weary, and can cease to exist or die. Such evolution is normal, expected, and predictable. In the late 80's and early 90's, MAPP, Affirmations, and Triangle were all "born" out of the demise of the Michigan Organization for Human Rights (MOHR).
Today, some believe there are "too many" organizations in our community. While there is no set number that is ideal, if groups are inefficient, are duplicating services, are not providing services, or are chasing after too few dollars, then shrinkage will occur. We have seen this happen in the HIV/AIDS community. Wellness House, AIDS Consortium, Community Health Outreach Workers, Men of Color, and Friends Alliance were large solid organizations, and are all gone now. AIDS Interfaith Network and AIDS Care Connection were absorbed into APM. Midwest AIDS Prevention Project (MAPP) is broadening its mission statement and has considered merging with other health or gay organizations. Michigan AIDS Fund has ceased most of its funding. As AIDS funding continues to shrink, state programs are becoming more institutionalized and bureaucratic.
Collaboration, sharing of resources, coalitions, and increased professionalism are key to the success and future of our GLBT community. But we must not be afraid of criticism or change. Strong, stable organizations are not threatened by challenges, but rather, can be strengthened by them. Organizations must continually evaluate their effectiveness and efficiency. They must be able to measure their progress using standard methods of evaluation.
Our organizations must also create or maintain strong professional boards of directors. I think there is a tendency by some to believe that our groups are "owned" by the staff or the executive directors of the organizatons. It is common for the founders and or the first executive directors of organizations to believe that they are uniquely qualified to run their groups, and if they leave, the group will disintegrate. But the true test of an effective leader is to build a strong organization that continues after he/she leaves. Many of our leaders are now in their fifties and beyond. But Affirmations, APM, Triangle Foundation and MAPP will need to continue long after Leslie, Barb, Jeff, and myself are gone.
Today's organizations must do a better job of collaboration. The annual GLBT pride banquet is one example of true collaboration. But our groups must learn not to be afraid of sharing the responsibility for important events and projects. It could be that a permanent statewide association or coalition should handle regional lobbying efforts and political decision-making. Such a conversation has begun. And we must make room at the table for all, including outstate organizations, minority organizations, businesses, Republicans and Independents. Multiple groups could contribute funds to hire professional lobbyists who take direction from a coalition that actually decides which issues to pursue.
From The Peninsula Group retreat, such an association is now being conceived.
Its birth shall be a sign of our community's maturation and growth.
For the organization I founded 19 years ago, MAPP must continue to evolve and produce cutting-edge and explicit health education campaigns. If it cannot survive further budget reductions from state government, then it must force other groups to continue the honest and critical programs that have real impacts on our community.
The modern Gay rights movement was "born" in 1969. Our organizations were as children in the 70's and teenagers in the 80's. But today our groups are solid, grown-up, and have the potential to be strong forces in the community. Nothing demonstrates this more than the glorious new community center recently opened by Affirmations. But with growth comes responsibility. All of our organizations, and in particular the large ones with broad mission statements, must continually be willing to evaluate and measure themselves critically.
