I wrote this piece in 2000. Nothng has changed except we are beginning to see how many butt-boys for bigots are actually Republican elected officials. Sad. G. S.
Philadelphia Gay News | Geoff Staples | September, 2000
As an advocacy group, The Log Cabin Republican Federation has an obligation to be clear about which candidates are supportive of G/L/B/T issues and which candidates are not. Endorsements of anti-gay candidates by the Log Cabin Republicans are extremely misleading. These endorsements give the impression that some candidates are G/L/B/T friendly, when, in fact, they are not. George W. Bush is well known to be opposed to equality for gays and lesbians, but, he has received the LCR endorsement for president. Sadly, many who would never knowlingly vote for a bigot will vote for Mr. Bush, because of the LCR endorsement. This amounts to fraud.
In part, "The mission of the Log Cabin Republicans is to work within the Republican Party for the equal rights of all Americans, including gay men and women. The mission of the Log Cabin Republicans derives from our firm belief in the principles of limited government, individual liberty, individual responsibility, free markets and a strong national defense. We emphasize that these principles and the moral values that underlie them are consistent with the pursuit of equal treatment under the law for gay men and women. We believe these same core principles also best serve the best interests of the gay community."
Philadelphia Gay News | Geoff Staples | September, 2000
As an advocacy group, The Log Cabin Republican Federation has an obligation to be clear about which candidates are supportive of G/L/B/T issues and which candidates are not. Endorsements of anti-gay candidates by the Log Cabin Republicans are extremely misleading. These endorsements give the impression that some candidates are G/L/B/T friendly, when, in fact, they are not. George W. Bush is well known to be opposed to equality for gays and lesbians, but, he has received the LCR endorsement for president. Sadly, many who would never knowlingly vote for a bigot will vote for Mr. Bush, because of the LCR endorsement. This amounts to fraud.In part, "The mission of the Log Cabin Republicans is to work within the Republican Party for the equal rights of all Americans, including gay men and women. The mission of the Log Cabin Republicans derives from our firm belief in the principles of limited government, individual liberty, individual responsibility, free markets and a strong national defense. We emphasize that these principles and the moral values that underlie them are consistent with the pursuit of equal treatment under the law for gay men and women. We believe these same core principles also best serve the best interests of the gay community."
When Log Cabin endorses homophobic candidates such as George W. Bush, they ignore equal rights in favor of limited government, free markets, and national defense. This is not the reason that the Log Cabin Federation exists. Log Cabin was founded to oppose a 1970's era anti-gay ballot initiative in California. By allowing other issues to trump equal rights for the G/L/B/T community, Log Cabin becomes one more Republican organization dedicated to advancing a Republican agenda that includes the oppression of gays and lesbians.
Of course, as Republicans, LCR members favor candidates who support Republican positions. This is another area where Log Cabin has failed. If Log Cabin believes a conservative route to equality for gays and lesbians that does not include ENDA and hate-crimes legislation exists, they should clearly articulate that position and present their arguments to our community.
It may be appropriate to withhold endorsement of a gay friendly Republican if LCR doesn't agree with his positions on traditional Republican issues. But, it would be inconceivable for the NAACP to endorse a segregationist because he supports affordable housing and it should be inconceivable for LCR to endorse homophobes and bigots. There are many local, state, and national Republican candidates who are deserving of Log Cabin support. George Bush isn't one of them. Neither is Dick Cheney.
By endorsing anti-gay candidates, Log Cabin Federation members do achieve another part of their mission statement. That objective is to ". . . demonstrate that Republicans who are also openly gay can, in a spirit of solidarity and integrity, contribute substantially to the building of our Party and to the electoral success of our Party's standard-bearers." But, this is also why many believe Log Cabin members to be suffering from Stockholm Syndrome: Instead of rebelling against their tormentors, they identify with them and attempt to prove their worthiness to join them.
Log Cabin Republicans are marginalized in the G/L/B/T community because they can't be trusted. As long as Log Cabin continues to endorse homophobes and bigots, the vast majority in the G/L/B/T community will continue to believe LCR members are butt-boys for bigots and collaborators in the oppression of G/L/B/T people.
If Log Cabin wants the respect of the G/L/B/T community, the group will have to earn it. The first step is to limit endorsements to those candidates who are supportive of G/L/B/T issues. The next step is to clearly explain to the G/L/B/T community why the conservative approach to equality is better than the more liberal approach taken by the Democratic Party and virtually all civil rights organizations.
