Monday's Washington Post highlighted the gay-left Obama supporters at the Human Rights Campaign had their national dinner on Saturday night and honored actress Sally Field. "This was a rich, powerful, savvy crowd, ponying up $400K during the 30-minute live auction to buy commercial time this month in key election states." HRC is fighting defense-of-marriage ballot initiatives in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, and Washington state.
The Post account did not report that media companies have taken their liberal side in sponsoring the event. Comcast/NBC Universal was a “Gold Sponsor” of the dinner and Facebook was a “Bronze Sponsor.” Google is a national "corporate partner" of HRC's. Right now, the top of the HRC website advertises the stars of ABC's Modern Family will do an Obama-campaign-style "Modern Family Dinner Date" drawing to raise money for this group. (video below)
HRC announced on the donation page:
Modern Family stars Eric Stonestreet and Jesse Tyler Ferguson want to take you to dinner.
On screen, they're Mitchell and Cameron, America's favorite gay couple. Off screen, one's straight, one's gay, and they're both amazing advocates for equality.
And now, when you donate to HRC before October 24, you'll have a chance to meet them for dinner in Los Angeles. We'll cover the dinner, plus your travel and hotel. And your donation will help fight for marriage equality for millions of real-life couples like their characters.
In the video, Ferguson touted HRC's “incredible fight for nationwide equality.” Stonestreet emphasizes repeatedly that he's not gay and will not attend dinner playing his flamboyant Cam character.
Back on July 26, the Post profiled HRC president Chad Griffin, and highlighted criticism from more radical gay activists:
The HRC has earned sneers for being the domain of "tuxedo gays," lured to promlike galas with Lady Gaga, Pink, the "Modern Family" actors. Also invited are corporations, which earn plaudits for workplace inclusiveness even as they are dunned for donations and auction items.
Auction items included “The complete first two seasons of The Good Wife on DVD autographed by Archie Panjabi”; First sex seasons of the serial-killer drama “Dexter donated by Showtime; a dinner by “Top Chef” Mike Isabella donated by Bravo, complete with “Top Chef” utensils to take home; “two VIP seats” to a taping of the Ellen DeGeneres show; and an an autographed picture of Barbra Streisand.
Sports fans could bid on two tickets to the World Series donated by Major League Baseball and two tickets to a Georgetown University men’s basketball game and two to a women’s basketball game donated by the “Catholic” college.
