I had the opportunity on Sunday to speak to the Chicago PFLAG group. The talk was titled, “How can you be a gay Republican?” I thought of recording it and posting it in podcast format, but the setting was so intimate that the “speech” was fairly informal. This was my first PFLAG meeting, not only did I present, but I was invited to participate in the small group discussions. The Chicago group is made up of a diverse set of parents handling the “gay issue,” young people seeking guidance on the coming-out process and older people wrestling with non-acceptance by family members.
Republicans are “republican” for many reasons. I’m a Republican because I identify with the party on Libertarian economic policy (free trade, low taxes and limited government). Stemming from the limited government tact, government has no role managing social policy. Sexuality is a private issue that doesn’t need government interference. What I attempted to do was shine some light on why the party seems to ostracize the GLBT community. And in doing so bring to the surface that Republicans do actually support GLBT issues, its just that the Christian Right is very vocal minority. The other segments of the GOP pie are supportive of GLBT rights, its just that they are so splintered its hard for their voices to be heard. I also assured the PFLAG group that the strength of the Christian Right is weakening, and that they are loosing their stranglehold on the voice and direction of the Republican Party, its just a matter of time.
The data and observations of who make up the GOP come from Tony Fabrizio of Fabrizio McLaughlin and Associate. Tony presented his findings while I was in DC for a Log Cabin Trustee “fly-in.” He delivered a condensed version of the presentation, “The Elephant Looks in the Mirror 10 Years Later”.
Among the poll’s findings (excerpted from LCR email/ press release):
Among the poll’s findings (excerpted from LCR email/ press release):
- In a remarkable show of unity on a bill that will come up for a vote in the U.S. House this summer, an overwhelming 77% of Republicans believe an employer should not have the right to fire an employee based solely on their sexual orientation. Even among social conservatives, 67% don’t believe an employer should be able to fire someone for being gay. “Republicans in Congress who will vote later this summer on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act should take these numbers to heart,” said Sammon. “Rank and file Republicans support this common sense legislation.”
- 49% of Republicans believe gays and lesbians should be able to serve openly in the U.S. military, while 42% are opposed.
- 43% of Republicans support either marriage equality or civil unions. 51% oppose all relationship recognition. “There’s much more work to be done educating Republicans about this issue, but we’re encouraged that almost half of Republicans support basic fairness for gay and lesbian families,” said Sammon.
- 53% of respondents agree that “the Republican Party has spent too much time focusing on moral issues such as abortion and gay marriage and should instead be spending time focusing on economic issues such as taxes and government spending.”
- When asked “What issue do you think best defines the Republican Party today?” only 5% said “traditional marriage/family values.” 85% selected other issues, including the war on terrorism, immigration, homeland security, national defense, taxes and the economy.
The poll shows sharp disagreement on a range of social issues, however Republicans are united on some core priorities:
- 78% believe we should balance the federal budget
- 66% believe the government is too big
- 80% believe the federal government spends too much
- 69% believe taxes are too high and only 1% believe they aren’t high enough
Great work, Michael. The PFLAG organization really is a natural ally to the Log Cabin. I’ve spoken at some PFLAG events also where the more conservative parents of a gay or lesbian child will come up to me and ask, “can you help make my son/daughter conservative?” Of course I always respond with something like, “You can’t always talk common sense to a liberal, but just let your child know that if someone is gay they don’t naturally have to follow the principles of the party that has always only given them lip-service and not action”.
When I came out of the sexual closet to my very conservative bibliocentric and church going family, I was accepted quite well for being a gay man. However, when I come out of the political closet to my most of LGBT friends, I am usually ostracized and vehemently verbally attacked for having Republican or Conservative principles.
It really seems to be a double standard of non-inclusive non-acceptance for others who don’t believe in the political beliefs of the marjority within our LGBT community.
We need to continue to get the positive and liberating message out of the Republican Core Principles.