Florida Agenda: Should GLBT voters support a Mormon Republican? You might be surprised.

by Nick Stone of Drawnlines Politics:


If you believe in equality under the law, it might surprise you when I say that a Mormon Republican is our best bet for president in 2012. Take a deep breath and keep reading.

Let me start by saying that Republican candidates want gay votes. They just don’t think they are going to get them. In Republican circles, it can be an uphill battle to get candidates to campaign in gay and minority areas.  On the surface, it might seem that they don’t want your vote, but that’s simply untrue.

There was a time when the Republican Party was outwardly hostile toward gays.  This isn’t 2004, and George W. Bush isn’t president. Countless examples exist of the Democratic Party’s history of discrimination and repression, but I’ll forego that lesson for now. Just know that today’s Republican Party would truly surprise you if you gave it a second look.

It’s often said that demographics are the future of partisan politics. Growing numbers of Latinos, blacks, and gays are supposed to wipe out the Republican majority forever. But what these pundits don’t count on is the core of the Republican coalition. They don’t know that today’s Republican Party is flooded with the ranks of two groups: young people with an intense Libertarian streak (and lots of gay friends with fabulous weddings to attend), and former Democrats who have been turned-off by their party’s Obama-Pelosi wing of big, intrusive government. You know these as the Tea Party.

In New Hampshire several weeks ago, GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney was asked, “When was the last time you stood up for gay rights?” The moderator repeated Romney’s own words, “I think the gay community needs more support from the Republican Party, and I would be a voice in the Republican Party to foster anti-discrimination efforts.”

Romney did not back down from his pledge.  He said, “If people are looking for someone who will discriminate against gays, or will in any way try and suggest that people that have different sexual orientation in this country don’t have full rights, they won’t find that in me.” When was the last time he spoke out for gay rights?  “Right now,” he proclaimed among Republican challengers in a Republican audience.  That Republican audience’s reaction: thunderous applause.

Gays are not one-issue voters.  Many of us own businesses: we don’t want them killed by over-regulation. Many of us have children: we don’t want to leave them with a mountain of debt. All of us pay taxes: we don’t want them drown our family budgets. Many of us still vote Democrat, because that’s what gays are supposed to do.

South Florida LGBT voters led the way in 2010, swinging a full third of our votes to Republicans.  With Mitt Romney at the top of the GOP ticket, I’m confident that this November will pave the way for a brand new Republican coalition that stands for liberty for all.  If LGBT voters are willing to look forward, that will be the legacy of today’s Republican Party.  If you want to see real progress, take a chance on a Mormon Republican who has an open mind. Or, you can support a Democrat who takes your vote for granted.

This op-ed originally ran in the Florida Agenda.
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Towelroad: Senator Collins (R-ME) Awarded for DADT Repeal.

The Log Cabin Republicans will be joined next month by Republican Senators Scott Brown (R-MA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) to celebrate the repeal of the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.

Log Cabin, a group which heavily lobbied Republican senators last year, will hold their annual dinner on the day of the official repeal. The Washington Blade reports, Collins and Brown "were two of the eight Republican Senators that joined the Democratic majority in the Senate repealing the 17 year old law in December. They were joined by Richard Burr (N.C.), John Ensign (Nevada), Mark Kirk (Ill.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Olympia J. Snowe (Maine) and George V. Voinovich (Ohio)." Senator Collins sponsored the clean repeal bill after voting against cloture on a defense authorization bill which included the repeal. Brown, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, decided to support repeal after exhaustive conversation with Defense Secretary Bob Gates as well as enlisted and retired military personnel.

According to the gay-oriented website Towelroad, "Collins will be given the Spirit of Lincoln Award... as LGBT activists in her home state of Maine ramp up efforts to put a marriage equality vote on the 2012 ballot."

WSJ: Governor Cuomo Wins Marriage Fight

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo walked into a huge mess when he took office this year. He went to Albany and tackled the state's huge budget deficit. The governor also took on powerful special interests, including liberal groups and unions which could hurt him politically.

With a budget in place and several large victories under his belt, Governor Cuomo pushed lawmakers to deliver on another of his campaign pledges - marriage equality. That pledge became a welcome reality to many gay and lesbian couples in the Empire State with a narrow bipartisan victory in the NY Senate last Friday.

We wrote recently about the bipartisan behind-the-scenes push for a marriage bill, including some surprising conservative advocates. According to polls, 60% of New Yorkers approve of the measure, 53% nationally. We congratulate Governor Cuomo on his legislative victory and thank New York for standing for liberty.

NYT: GOP Donor Paul E. Singer Joins Fight for Marriage Equality in NY

Major Republican contributors in New York have a surprise up their sleeves: They are contributing big sums in the fight for marriage equality in the Empire State. According to the New York Times, "Their behind-the-scenes financial support — about $1 million in donations, delivered in recent weeks to a new coalition of gay rights organizations — could alter the political calculus of Albany lawmakers, especially the Republican state senators in whose hands the fate of gay marriage rests." With bipartisan support for the effort, undecided Republicans might find the courage to stand up for equality under law.  A victory in New York could change broad opinions about the Republican Party.

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by Jessica Osman of Drawnlines Politics.

You’ve probably heard by now that Barbara Bush recently came out in support of gay marriage. She has joined other Republican heavy hitters’ daughters such as Mary Cheney and Meghan McCain. In addition, Cindy McCain has posed for the NoH8 campaign in support of gay marriage and even Laura Bush has said that gay marriage will come and that she’s “OK with that”. These women are certainly doing their part to break stereotypes that all Republicans or conservatives think the same and that there is room for differing ideas within a party.


These ladies are just a few in a large group of center-right people that are calling for our leaders to stand down on this issue. Gay Americans and their allies are not asking for special treatment, they are asking – nay, demanding - the same treatment as other Americans. Let us not forget that until the 1960’s interracial marriage was illegal and today most people wouldn’t give it a second thought. This is just another time in our history where we have to fight to break down barriers and open people’s eyes to the fact that they are denying basic freedoms and saying that one group is more superior and deserving than another. Domestic partnership laws and civil unions only recognized in certain states are not equality, they are just the same oppressions, but with a pretty bow on it. It’s not “separate but equal”.

by Nick Stone of Drawnlines Politics.

When President Clinton triangulated and signed a new policy called “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” into law 17 years ago, military policy took an uncomfortably big step into the modern era by ending most witch hunts against homosexuals. Not since the AMA removed homosexuality from the list of mental disorders had gay rights taken such a step out of the darkness. It is now time for Congress to send President Obama swift legislation to end discrimination altogether, ending the military gay ban altogether.

The gay community has derided President Obama for stalling on his campaign pledge to end the policy, but he deserves support for dealing with the complicated and emotionally-charged issue with care. He also deserves credit for his commitment to discharge the issue in accordance with the law, rather than circumventing the law. His insistence on a military investigation is laudable.

Yesterday, the Pentagon released details of a report suggesting that a strong majority of enlisted military personnel “don’t care” whether or not GLBT individuals serve alongside them. Only 30 percent thought it would lead to “negative consequences.” Many respondents rightly said they felt they had already served with gays, and a paltry 8 percent of those reported a negative impact from their experiences.

To be clear, many militaries around the world already allow gay and lesbian troops to serve without incident. Many are NATO allies with which we already share a battlefield in Iraq and Afghanistan. US troops have been embedded with gay Israeli, Canadian, British, French, German, Spanish and Australian troops for decades. Incidents and complications have proven minimal, despite initial fears.

Of course, gay and lesbian troops will be held to the same standards of fraternization and personal conduct as any other service members. Sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior of any sort will and should be squelched.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates urges swift action during the current lame duck session, suggesting that a failure to resolve the issue could lead to more disruptive legal injunctions. His call makes GOP support for the repeal essential.

A key Republican voice on the issue will be Senator Scott Brown, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee – set to hold hearings on the report this week. Republicans who might support the measure but need cover on their right flank will be reassured by the report’s findings. They will also have the support of military “brass” including Admiral Mike Mullen and General Colin Powell, who said in 2009 that the policy was right for the time but should be reviewed as our culture has changed.

Conservative icon Barry Goldwater famously preferred full integration as far back as 1993.

If a bill passes the Senate this month, it must go to the House where a strong Democrat majority is sure to pass the bill and send it to the president.

Ending DADT will entice many gay and lesbian civilians to consider serving their country without compromising their principles. It also puts America back on the front lines of leadership by example. Repeal is one campaign pledge that President Obama can – and should – keep. Let’s help him do that by offering strong bipartisan support for equality under law.

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by Nick Stone of Drawnlines Politics.

June is the month of pride in the United States. It is also the month of my birth, which makes me reflect on each year’s passing. In this very busy June, I’m particularly proud because I have so much for which to be thankful.

This weekend I have the fortune of traveling to a statewide Young Republicans convention in Melbourne. Conservative values and partisan principles hold a slightly different hue for proud young Republicans than for generations past. Some wonder if our generation’s progressive social stances will take the party in an impure direction. Others fret that our youthful idealism might cause us to be jaded by the harsh realities of governing. I can say from experience that the profound love and respect for country that I’ve seen from my adolescent counterparts is unrivaled. If the men and women I’ve met are our party’s future, then our whole nation will be in good hands.

Next weekend marks our local Gay Pride festivities in Fort Lauderdale. As a gay man who is also proud to wear the red team jersey, I’m especially touched by what it means to be a Republican in these times. Ours is the party that freed the slaves and ended Jim Crow. Ours is the party that stood strong against dictators and liberated Eastern Europe from the Iron Curtain. And I’m proud to report that ours is the party that stands for freedom and individualism today. The love and respect I have gotten from my fellow Republicans has been unmatched by any so-called “tolerance” ever enjoyed by my Democratic colleagues.

At the end of the month I will travel to Vermont to help move my family back to Florida. Having my next of kin close by makes me reflect on the importance of family in my conservative values. It was my grandfather that taught me to be kind and respectful. My grandmother taught me to be strong in the face of adversity. From my mother, I got understanding and love. My father gave me the value of freedom and of consequence. And my siblings gave me patience. Are those values so far apart from the conservative principles that we hold dear in the GOP? As I foster those attributes in my pursuit to become a better man, I also challenge myself to stay true to them in my quest for a more perfect union.

Ours is a time of giants. These are the moments of choice and of consequence. As pride month presses forth, I’m lucky and thankful to have so much for which I can be proud. God bless my readers, my family and friends, and my beloved America. Next month we celebrate her birthday most proudly of all.

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