Is Barrios Trying to Get GLAAD Board to Save Him?

Jarrett Barrios emailed me Sunday evening confirming that he resigned as president of GLAAD. Why is that important? Because I'm told that right now Barrios is denying to GLAAD board members that he resigned, trying to get the full board of GLAAD to save him, not accept (nor call for) his resignation, and rebut the executive committee, which voted to remove him. He is counting on friends and supporters on the board whom he put in place last year after several board members left in protest of his egregious behavior.

On Saturday evening media outlets were told in an email from GLAAD communications director Rich Ferraro that Barrios had resigned and that we would all get a full statement later in the evening. It has been over 24 hours since then, however, and no statement has materialized. Is that because Barrios indeed has pulled back on his resignation? Is Barrios prepared to throw more people under the bus, including his communications director, and claim he never resigned?

I hate that it's all going this way and that I must report this, but Barrios is the one who is now prepared to take everyone down with him. As Politico reports, the fallout continues at GLAAD, and certainly it will be magnified if he refuses to leave. So, I emailed him directly asking if he has backed off resigning, and I brought up further questions that would remain relevant if he is not resigning.

One has to do with reports from several sources that major foundations are ready to pull all funding from GLAAD over this controversy. The other has to do with his administrative assistant, Jeanne Christiano, who two sources tell me is paid in part from Barrios's campaign fund from when he was a political candidate in Massachusetts, where she is listed as the campaign treasurer. Not only does that fact raise many issues, but it is of even more concern considering that Barrios says she sent the FCC letter. Did she send it in the capacity as treasurer of his campaign as well? I asked about these issues and said that if he is not resigning they remain relevant.

I received this response back from Jarrett Barrios:

From: Jarrett Barrios
Date: June 19, 2011 6:17:19 PM EDT
To: "'mike@signorile.com'"
Subject: Re: Some questions

Mr Signorile,

I have resigned and there is nothing further to speculate about.

Jarrett Barrios

So, for the record, Jarrett Barrios has said, in an email to me, that he has resigned. Let's see if that indeed is what he is saying to the board, or if he is going to continue to lie and manipulate in order to save himself while destroying GLAAD.