Zero for Zeros is an LGBT-issues-focused activist campaign that has the goal of pressuring companies that have LGBT-friendly corporate policies to stop contributing to the campaigns of candidates that do not align with the ideological positions of the Human Rights Campaign, the prominent LGBT-interest organization that scores members of Congress’s voting records.
The campaign began in July 2019 and targets members with a Human Rights Campaign score of zero, with companies pressured to refrain from supporting their re-election. 1
Background
Zero for Zeros is a campaign pressuring companies with LGBT-friendly policies not to donate to the campaigns of members of Congress who have a zero score for voting in alignment with the Human Rights Campaign.
The Human Rights Campaign separately has a scorecard for companies called the “Corporate Equality Index” and hundreds of companies get a 100 percent score. Of the companies earning a 100 percent score, 49 have contributed to the campaigns of members of Congress with a zero rating from the HRC congressional scorecard. 2
The campaign recruits employees and customers of various companies to push the CEOs to block contributions to undesired candidates.
Zero for Zeros sent a letter to CEOs of AT&T, Microsoft, Google and others in July 2019. The campaign determined that between 2010 and 2019, companies that scored 100 on the HRC score gave a combined $5,837,331 to the campaigns of members of Congress that got a score of zero on the HRC congressional scorecard. 3
The campaign determined that Google’s political action committee gave $178,500. It faulted PACs of Amazon, AT&T, Microsoft, Dell, and T-Mobile for taking a less than less than an LGBT-purist stance in political giving. 4 Outside the tech and communications world, it further attacked UPS and American Airlines. 5
The campaign has 31 activist supporters listed on the website. These include former Democratic National Committee general counsel Joseph Sandler, former West Hollywood Mayor John Duran (D), and Sirius XM Radio host Dannielle Moodie-Mills. 6
Among the policies that Zero for Zeros identifies as “anti-LGBT” have been voting for an amendment that would prohibit gender transition surgery for trans military service members, supporting the traditional definition of marriage, and supporting legislation to protect religious liberty. 7
The campaign’s website is unclear about staffing, other than campaign manager Lane Hudson and listing Chris Fleming as a media contact. 8 The website also has no information about funding and affiliation. Scattered news stories have very few details about the campaign, other than quoting Hudson.
Justin Danhof, director of the free enterprise for the National Center for Public Policy Research questioned the campaign, saying: “[F]rom what I can tell – Zero for Zeros is just a website. If they are anybody, go ahead and say who you are on your website. They don’t say any of that. So, basically, what it is is just a continuation of the Human Rights Campaign’s moving the goalposts.” 9
‘Worst of the Worst’
The campaign identified 10 Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives and 19 U.S. senators as the “worst of the worst” because they received a zero from the HRC congressional scorecard for two consecutive years. 10 The legislators targeted are drawn from both the firebrand populist and conventionally conservative wings of the Republican Party. 11
References
- Assungcao, Muri. “Activists Are Urging Companies to Stop Giving Money to the ‘Worst of the Worst’ Anti-LGBTQ Politicians.” New York Daily News. July 11, 2019. Accessed July 27, 2019. https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-zero-for-zeroes-campaign-anti-lgbtq-politicians-donations-20190711-vf4afltxebauflybq5acb7ykr4-story.html
- Zero for Zeros. Accessed July 27, 2019. https://zeroforzeros.org/
- Miranda, Leticia. “These Tech Companies are Giving Millions to Politicians Who Vote Against LGBTQ People.” BuzzFeed. July 11, 2019. Accessed July 27, 2019. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/leticiamiranda/these-tech-companies-are-giving-millions-to-politicians-who
- Miranda, Leticia. “These Tech Companies are Giving Millions to Politicians Who Vote Against LGBTQ People.” BuzzFeed. July 11, 2019. Accessed July 27, 2019. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/leticiamiranda/these-tech-companies-are-giving-millions-to-politicians-who
- Ngo, Madeline. “American Airlines Campaign Donations to Ted Cruz Under Fire From LGBT Equality Campaign.” July 17, 2019. Accessed July 27, 2019. https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2019/07/16/american-airlines-campaign-donations-ted-cruz-fire-lgbt-equality-campaign
- LGBT Advocates and Allies. Accessed July 27, 2019. https://zeroforzeros.org/wp-content/uploads/ZeroForZeros_Activists.pdf
- Zero for Zeros. Accessed July 27, 2019. https://zeroforzeros.org/
- Press Release. “Campaign Continues to Highlight Corporate Donations to Anti-LGBT Candidates Pro-LGBT Companies Continue to Bankroll Anti-LGBT Candidates, Defying Their Corporate Values.” Zero for Zeros. July 23, 2019. Accessed July 27, 2019. https://zeroforzeros.org/wp-content/uploads/7.23.19-Release.pdf
- Almasi, David. “Christians: ‘Don’t be Silenced’ in LGBT Assault on Corporate America.” National Center for Public Policy Research. July 26, 2019. Accessed July 27, 2019. https://nationalcenter.org/ncppr/2019/07/26/christians-dont-be-silenced-in-lgbt-assault-on-corporate-america/
- Zero for Zeros. Accessed July 27, 2019. https://zeroforzeros.org/
- Zero for Zeros. Accessed July 27, 2019. https://zeroforzeros.org/