For Gay Republicans, Politics is Not Just One Issue

[canis_lupus]

Oh puh-leeeeeeez! Hold your nose on this one. More self-loathing from the Log Cabinites:

Log Cabin Republicans meet in San Diego for their annual convention this weekend. Among the speakers: Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Sexual preference transcends political party. And gay Republicans are out to prove they're no oxymoron. KPBS reporter Andrew Phelps has the story.

What better way to kick off a convention in sunny San Diego than a pool party? A gay Republican pool party.

Kevin Norte of Hollywood is poolside in his trunks. He's a Log Cabin Republican.

Norte: For me, Log Cabin represents the basic, original, core values of the Republican Party, of individual freedom, combined with, like, low taxes, not excessive spending, like, a balanced budget, thank you!

Notice he said nothing about gay rights. Norte calls himself a moderate Republican who happens to be gay. For Norte, gay rights is really important. He wants legal recognition of his 30-year partnership. But it's not more important than, say, a strong national defense.

http://www.kpbs.org/news/local;id=11389

:puke:

[lightningandsnow]

1. GAH!!!

I actually know a trans woman (who's also into BDSM) who says she's conservative. Although more libertarian than not. Although I sometimes want to shake her and say "What the hell are you thinking? 99% of your party probably hates you for who you are!"

People are entitled to their opinions, I suppose.

[Kevin Norte]

2. Kevin Norte Responds to Comment About Being Self Loathing

Gov writer of this blog as me all wrong. Now if I was called "self-confident", I would not mind, but this bashing has to stop. My friends know that I am engaged and that I believe the marriage game will cease very shortly. I am looking beyond that because I believe we have already won and that it is just a matter of time.

On February 21, 2008,Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA), and his wife the First Lady of California, Maria Shriver, at The Puente Learning Center’s dinner honoring Maria Shriver, were asked by Geoff Kors and John Duran the Executive Director and President of Equality California respectively and myself (an LCR-CA PAC board member acting in my individual capacity) for the Governor to take a position and pledge to oppose a proposed constitutional amendment to ban marriage for same-sex couples in California . The First Couple of California responded that we should email the details to the Governor’s office. Also in attendance at the table were Matt Foreman, the Executive Director of The Gay and Lesbian National Task Force, Damon Ramone, the Media Director of GLAAD, Charles Robbins of The Trevor Project, James Vaughn the California Director of Log Cabin Republicans, Charles Moran, the Log Cabins Republicans - LA Chapter President, and Don Norte, the Governor's Committee on Labor for People With Disabilities. (Note-affiliation is for identification only,) I followed up with an email to the Governor’s office and it was reported in the March 17, 2008 issue off IN Los Angeles Magazine.

On Friday, April 11, 2008, in comments to the Log Cabin Republicans National Convention in San Diego, Schwarzenegger predicted Californians would reject the amendment and came out officially against the proposed initiative.

“It’s a great day for the Republican Party and for all California families,” said Log Cabin President Patrick Sammon. “Gov. Schwarzenegger is a strong Log Cabin ally and a great friend for gay and lesbian people. His opposition to any anti-marriage amendment is great news. He will be an important voice against this effort.”

Governor Schwarzenegger has twice vetoed same-sex marriage bills, stating the courts or the people should decide the issue. A decision by the California Supreme Court is expected by June 2nd but it has been speculated that the decision will be handed down on Friday, May 23, 2008 and just prior to the 3 day Memorial Day weekend. It is rumored that there may be a Rose Byrd type of backlash. What that means is left to anyone’s guess, but if the Court were only to affirm the Court of Appeal’s decision, this writer cannot see why there would be any type of backlash. Anti-gay groups are working to gather signatures to put the same-sex marriage constitutional ban on the November ballot.

The Governor’s remarks to LCR members came during a public discussion with Log Cabin President Patrick Sammon. Sammon asked the governor whether he would oppose the effort to ban same-sex marriage. When responding, the governor said: "Well, first of all, I think that it would never happen in California because I think that California people are much further along with that issue. And, number two, I will always be there to fight against that. I think we need a constitutional amendment so that foreign-born citizens can run for president, but not about gay marriage. That's a total waste of time."

If you want todegraded me by calling me self-loathing, that is fine but it is a lie. I have workedtirelesslyy for equality and really considered if your blog even dignified a response but it does because you should do research via internet on the people you call self loathing first. I have been around for year fighting for GLBT rights and you are wrong.

[Toasterlad]

3. There's a Natural Tendency to Think of LCRs as Self-Loathing.

You're affiliated with a party who's official policy is that you're a second-class citizen. You can complain all you wish about how your party has been hijacked by extremists (and I hope you DO: if you don't agree with that, if you think your party's headed in the right direction, then you really MUST be self-loathing), but you have to work with the reality. The reality is that the Republican party is actively hostile to gay people. You can't blame the rest of us for questioning your comfort with who you are, when you're willingly working with people who'd just as soon you were dead.

I'm sure that you believe in yourself and the work you do, but I have to ask: how can you continue to have faith in a party that so relentlessly pursues a flat-out EVIL course of action against you and others like you? The Democrats are FAR from perfect on gay issues, but even if all we get from them is lip service, they're still not trying to make things WORSE for us. What could possibly make you think that a Republican agenda would benefit gay people even slightly?

[Zuiderelle]

4. Perhaps you aren't self-loathing, but you and the LCRs you associate with are certainly no friends

to the rest of us in our fight for equal rights. Are lower taxes on your income more important than your civil rights? You "believe the marriage game will end very soon"... how do you come to that conclusion, when your party is vehemently against your right to marry?

I find it shocking that people like you exist, but I've met some of you, so I believe it. I've even met gay women who vote against their own good, and from my experience, the only reason is ignorance. I think that's the only reason for all of you. You really don't take the time to understand how you are shooting yourselves in the foot. You really are snowed by republicans who claim that they will give you a better return on investment. You really only care about the bottom line for you personally. Since you aren't suffering personally (yet) from the lack of equality, you don't care about anyone who does suffer.

[Clintonista2]

5. "Fighting for equality all my life" - At the helm of the Republican party?

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

12. ...

:thumbsup:

[Bladecollector]

6. Your kidding your self

The LCR will never sway the repubs....The social convervatives will beat you eveytime. Sure there are quite a few LGBT who care about taxs and defense. But in the end the social conservatives have the numbers and that is all the repubs care about.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

11. hey, i dont think you are self loathing. i think you are greedy and/or xenophobic

which are 2 great reasons to vote for republicans.

:eyes:

[GodlessBiker]

7. A balanced budget? With this Republican president? Give me a break. What a dick.

[Tyo]

8. No sh*t

Balanced budget? "Not excessive spending"? From Republicans? Individual rights? From an Orwellian Administration that is openly dismissive of the Constitution and the rule of law? And how about another supposed Rethug forte, a strong national defense? The reality? Our military is a shambles and our economy, the strength of which is vital to our security, is in the toilet. What rock have these people been living under for the past seven years?

This is what is so totally inexplicable to me about the LCR. How can they support a party that by its actions and policies has proved over and over again that it stands in opposition to absolutely everything that the LCR claims to believe in, our rights being only part of it.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

9. greed and xenophobia are not just heterosexual flaws

[TechBear_Seattle]

10. And there you have it in a nutshell n/t