This is a strange Log Cabin development, covered by the Washington Blade. While we've had a good laughs over the denial of the reality that their party hates them, gay Republicans are trying to regroup to get rid of the, er, logjam that the LCR has found itself in.
The LCR has no paid staff at this time, even as its convention approaches, and a couple of former staff members seem frustrated enough by the missed opportunities to suggest gay conservatives find another home to build a better organization.
Chris Barron, a former Log Cabin political director, said he's involved with activities such as "talking to gay Republicans and kind of getting a sense for what the priorities of gay Republicans are right now."
"A lot of folks who care a lot about the direction that this party is headed in ... are seriously concerned about the lack of a voice for gay Republicans in the party right now," he said.
Jimmy LaSalvia, a former Log Cabin policy director, said he's had discussions with gay Republicans at GOP events and concluded that Log Cabin is "missing a lot of opportunities to provide a voice for gay conservatives."
"We're looking at a political landscape where gay Republicans aren't represented," he said. "Log Cabin's absence has left a void on the political landscape."
Well, after a campaign by John McCain and Sarah Palin in 2008 that was explicitly anti-gay, things can only go up -- if the GOP will even listen to them. RNC chair Michael Steele has been all over the map on the issue. Depending on the day he thinks civil unions are a non-starter or that the whole matter should be left to the states. That's the glimmer of hope these gay Republicans are hanging on to -- that there will be someone willing to give them a seat at the table.
As often as I derided the self-delusional press releases and blog postings that the LCR churned out last year, it's always been tempered by a disappointment that our movement has not been able to achieve good pro-LGBT representation in both parties in order to keep each party on guard and competing for our votes. Democrats take us for granted, and the GOP would rather have us be content as second-class citizens. The LCR really looked like a soiled doormat after this past election cycle. No wonder Barron and LaSalvia want to start fresh.
When asked about the prospect of forming a new gay Republican group, Barron would say only that people should "stay tuned" and "for right now, we are speaking out on issues gay Republicans care about because no one else is."
LaSalvia said he and Barron have made no official decision about starting a new organization, but said they are investigating the feasibility of forming a new group and are "talking with folks who might be interested in something like that."
If they believe they can fix their party and enable "change from within" (something I'm glad no one is holding their breath waiting for), I'm not sure what model will work.
So far, the power establishment in the GOP has decided that they would like to keep squeezing the last bit of use out of its overtly anti-gay posturing to win elections. Until they dump that attitude, gay Republicans will serve as ATMs for candidates who are still willing to be boosters for the homophobic platform of the GOP.
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