And yet even if one were to argue that Kirk’s record is acceptable, having his party retain control of the Senate decidedly is not.

With the Republican presidential field in Trumpian disarray, control of the Senate is very much in play in 2016. In fact, Kirk is one of the most (if not the most) vulnerable senators up for reelection. One would like to assume that the powers that be at HRC are aware of how much more favorable a Democratic Senate would be on LGBT issues. Without a Democratic Senate, bills like the Employee Non-Discrimination Act will never come up for a vote. Democrats controlling the Senate could go a long away in impeding the progress of the new wave of “Religious Liberty” bills popping up across the country. And then there’s the Supreme Court. Given the recent landmark ruling on marriage equality, it’s no mystery just how much is at stake with the vacancy caused by Justice Antonin Scalia’s death. A Democratic Senate may be the only way that a nominee favorable to LGBT rights will ever see a confirmation vote. Republicans are hell-bent on preventing any vote now, and may continue to do so even after the election. That any LGBT rights organization could be blind to these facts, and take steps against the interests of the community it is meant to serve, is deeply troubling.

This past January, when HRC endorsed Hillary Clinton for president, Bernie Sanders called the move “consistent with establishment organizations backing an establishment candidate,” adding that the endorsement “couldn’t possibly be based on facts or the record.” The organization took offense to the remark, claiming that it has fought against the establishment for decades in the struggle to achieve LGBT equality.

Yet the reason that the criticism likely stung is that this was hardly the first time HRC has been accused of being too beholden to the establishment. For several years, many LGBT activists have accused HRC of being uniquely focused on same-sex marriage—an issue of great significance to a predominantly white, affluent population—at the expense of other issues of importance to the transgender community and LGBT communities of color. Youth homelessness, domestic violence, transgender visibility, even HIV advocacy—all of these issues seem to be far lower priorities within the organization. Furthermore, an internal report last year blasted the organization for having a serious diversity problem, essentially accusing it of being a haven of white males. HRC responded by acknowledging the problem and promising to address it.