Yesterday, gay conservative group Log Cabin Republicans officially endorsed Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney.
Left-leaning gay rights groups blasted the endorsement, saying the LCR had turned its back on the fight for LGBT equality. Out-going U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) also criticized the endorsement in a video posted to Youtube Tuesday. In it, Frank lays out the records of both Romney and his VP pick Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) on gay issues to poke holes in the LCR endorsement.
Ben Adler from The Nation did a little digging and speculates that LCR Executive Director R. Clarke Cooper was given assurances by the Romney campaign that the candidate would support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) as president. Such assurances helped convince LCR to endorse, Adler suggests.
We're just a handful of days away from the kickoff of the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., where attendees are expected to nominate former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney to represent the party in the upcoming fall presidential election.
Possible hurricanes aside, officials in Tampa are expecting more than 50,000 delegates, media and other convention visitors to descend on the city in the coming days, including representatives from gay conservative groups like Log Cabin Republicans and GOProud.
Gay groups will need to shake off an unwelcome feeling amid reports that this year's Republican Party platform remains as anti-gay as ever.
GOProud, a national organization that advocates conservatism and gay inclusion in the Republican Party, announced today its endorsement of former Gov. Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election.
“President Obama and his friends on the left want this election to be about divisive social issues, because the President’s record on jobs and the economy is indefensible,” Jimmy LaSalvia, GOProud executive director, said in a statement released today.
LaSalvia echoed the sentiment of many gay conservative voters.
Lower taxes, more personal freedom and less government interference in the lives of Americans are the core principles of the Republican Party. At least, that’s what the GOP says. According to critics, including many LGBT people, what it does once in power is actually very different.
The anti-gay charge in recent years has been led by conservative groups, often with religious ties, like the National Organization for Marriage, the Family Research Council and Focus on the Family. These groups overwhelmingly support GOP candidates in local and national elections.
Republicans know a large portion of their base view homosexuality as inherently sinful. They also know to get elected, they have to sell their conservatism as well as their religious credentials.
President Barack Obama briefly mentioned gay soldiers in his third State of the Union address last night.
Sitting in attendance with First Lady Michelle Obama were Loreliei Kilker and Cononel Ginger Wallace, two out and proud lesbian women. Kilker was awarded a monetary settlement after an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation found systemic sex discrimination at her previous employment. Wallace and her partner, Kathy Knoph, participated together in Wallace's recent promotion ceremony, the first promotion ceremony featuring a same-sex couple after the repeal of the military's “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policy.
The president didn't mention either Kilker or Wallace in his address. His only mention of anything close to acknowledging the gay rights struggle came just four paragraphs from the end of his speech.
Which brings me back to where I began. Those of us who’ve been sent here to serve can learn from the service of our troops. When you put on that uniform, it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white; Asian or Latino; conservative or liberal; rich or poor; gay or straight. When you’re marching into battle, you look out for the person next to you, or the mission fails. When you’re in the thick of the fight, you rise or fall as one unit, serving one Nation, leaving no one behind.
Reaction to the speech was mixed among gay rights groups.
Should Ernie and Bert get married, or should gay folks leave them alone?
Re: “Change.org petition aims to out Bert and Ernie” (thegavoice.com, Aug. 10)
"Yes, they already live together. Might as well!"
"There is a time to push the envelope and then time to leave some things alone. I personally think this is one of times it should be left alone. Choose your battles wisely."
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GOProud, a Republican LGBT political organization, announced today that it has named columnist and liberal-hater Ann Coulter to its advisory board.
Coulter has a history of anti-gay statements and does not support marriage equality – at least not publicly.
“Ann Coulter is a brilliant and fearless leader of the conservative movement, we are honored to have her as part of GOProud’s leadership,” said Christopher Barron, chairman of GOProud’s board, in a statement released on GOProud's website.
Two national gay GOP groups, Log Cabin Republicans and GOProud, both blamed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) for today’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” failure.
The Senate voted today on whether to move forward with the 2011 Defense Authorization bill which included language that would have allowed President Barack Obama to repeal DADT after the completion of a Pentagon study on the military’s gay ban.
Conservative writer and talking-head Ann Coulter responded to being dropped from media outlet World Net Daily’s “Taking Back America Conference” in comments on Fox News this weekend.
Coulter, one of several high-profile conservatives who voiced some kind of support for LGBT issues or LGBT organizations in recent weeks, is scheduled to speak at Homocon, a conservative conference sponsored by GOProud, a national gay Republican group.
“I’m sorry, I did not prepare for this discussion. I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Coulter said initially.