A Separate Equality

The Gill Foundation's Queer Campaign to Punish Viewpoint Dissent

Background:

Tim Gill got hooked on computers in high school and majored in applied math and computer science at the University of Colorado, where he came out gay. In 1981, he started Quark Software on a $2,000 loan.

After Colorado voters in 1992 passed an amendment to their state constitution that specified "No protected status based on homosexual, lesbian or bisexual orientation," he established the Gill Foundation to advance the interests of LGBTQ Americans, and in 1999, he sold his stake in Quark for a reported $500 million to devote himself full-time to foundation work. The Gill Foundation underwrites research, polling, data analytics, litigation, and field organizing, while Gill Action, a separate 501(c)(4) organization, funds efforts to elect lawmakers favorable to LGBT politics at all levels of government.

Inside Philanthropy ranked Gill #1 on its list of "Marriage Equality Hall of Fame" funders, and Gill now plans to spend every last dollar in the foundation's coffers on the "fight" for full equality. "We are going to fight . . . and keep fighting everywhere until LGBTQ people are fully protected in every single state," he told Rolling Stone.

Reason for Surveillance:

How is "equality" defined, now that Obergefell has enforced same-sex marriage across America? Simple: explicit, full, non-discrimination protections regarding employment, housing, and public accommodation, enforceable by law on pain of punishment by government in all fifty states.

The agenda is pursued on three fronts: (1) A PR campaign curries emotional favor by telling stories of LGBT "victims" of discrimination. (2) Alliances are formed with large corporations to apply economic leverage. When North Carolina passed HB2 (nicknamed "the bathroom bill") in 2016, for example, heavyweights from the NCAA to Paypal to Deutsche Bank threatened to boycott the state. And (3) relationships with big--dollar financiers are cultivated to grow the money stream, two notable figures being hedge fund billionaires Paul Singer and Daniel Loeb.

Gill Foundation funds work similarly to venture capital funds, except that, rather than being invested in a startup company with the expectation of a financial return, they are poured into political machinations with the expectation of certain political outcomes. The website is clear about this: "The Gill Foundation supports organizations working on policy and advocacy efforts. . . . We do not currently provide grants for direct service or arts organizations." In other words, they don't actually do anything for anyone or provide any services. The Gill Foundation funnels dollars into politics, at levels reaching into the hundreds of millions.

Most Illuminating Disclosure:

Those decrying money in politics should take note, but I won't belabor that point here. Let's let Gill come out with his intent, which sounds more like conquest and control than equal treatment. "We have successfully flipped legislatures around this country from Republican control to Democratic control," he said. "And the net result is always good for gay people. Always."

Certainly, people should be treated fairly and equally, but is a purchased political conquest really good for gay people? Americans are some of the most non-discriminating, tolerant people on the planet, but this is not enough for Gill. He's already looking beyond conquest to revenge. "We're going into the hardest states in the country," he said. Why? "We're going to punish the wicked."

People driven to punish non-affirmation of their sexuality have a problem that politics will never solve. The best thing we can do for gay people is to point them to the Savior who transcended politics. He fought the ultimate fight that secured equality for all people for all time. And with Jesus, love really is love.