The Exit Interview

Our interview complete, Matt Foreman sits back and says with a hint of relief, “That is the last media interview I ever have to do.” Some people relish being in the spotlight and playing the PR game; others do it because they must in order to advance their cause. Foreman, one of the most genial people in the movement, has always struck me as the latter, a dedicated soldier who simply did what he had to do.

Whether or not one agrees with his stances and strategies, no rational observer could dispute that Foreman’s lifework has been improving the lives of LGBT people—having served as executive director of the New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project, Empire State Pride Agenda, and then the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. His accomplishments over the last five years at the Task Force reflect the culmination of his commitment: increasing the annual budget from $4.7 million to $8.5 million, more than doubling the staff to 54, and maybe most important, embodying a steadfast progressive voice. Foreman will now go the route that LGBT leaders such as Urvashi Vaid and Patrick Guerriero have gone, from being the face of the movement to assuming a behind-the-scenes role funding its work.

Where do you see the movement now, and where is it headed?
In almost every respect, the movement is stronger now than it’s ever been. A lot of that has to do with more resources, particularly focused on the state and local level. That’s really a new phenomenon over the last five years—that both large individual funders and foundation funders have pooled their money to try to have a more focused impact. You can look at what happened during the last legislative session, it was the best legislative session in the history of the movement. There were more relationship recognition and civil rights issues passed than ever before. Now 52% of the population lives in a jurisdiction that protects gay people from discrimination. One in five people live in a jurisdiction that offers same-sex couples very broad rights and responsibilities. We are definitely on an upward trajectory. But we still have so much work to do.

So what’s next?
What we’re going to see is continued, steady progress at the state level. The big question mark is what’s going to happen at the federal level. What we know without a doubt is that if there will be a Democratic administration and a more Democratic Congress, there will be literally dozens of communities and interest areas that have been in the proverbial desert with us for many years [labor, environment, choice, education], and they’re all going to be clamoring for attention. I think the challenge will be, Are we going to be able to break through that clamor?

So why leave the Task Force now for the Haas Jr. Fund?
This is the only job I would have left the Task Force for. I honestly think it’s the best job in the movement because my only focus is programming and trying to leverage dollars. I don’t have to worry about administering staff. My colleagues have to worry about their institution, their staff, their IT issues, their audit—all of this stuff that comes with an organization. This is an opportunity that came along, and you just don’t know when it’s going to come along again. I’ve been an executive director for 18 years, so I’m looking forward to new challenges. Since I’ve been head of the Task Force, it’s moved to a new level in size and budget and we’ve really established our voice in Washington, D.C. I think change is good. It’s time for someone to take it to a whole new level.