Gay Republican challenges his party's hate

[usregimechange]

The 24-year-old Branson man, who until recently was U.S. Senate candidate Sarah Steelman's political director, is very unhappy about how his party treats gays and lesbians. Like so many people like him — and there are many in the Republican Party — he has heard the slurs, sat through meetings in which gays were bashed, and watched the party develop more and more anti-gay positions.

He's sick of it.

Not long ago he called me and asked if I'd help him get his story out.

"I think people should know there are a lot of gay Republicans," Mr. Case said. "It shouldn't be an issue."

But it is a very big issue indeed. Missouri Republicans were key to a constitutional amendment passing overwhelmingly in 2004 prohibiting same-sex marriages. They generally opposed the effort by President Barack Obama to get rid of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that banned gay servicemen and women from being honest about their sexuality.

Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/the-platform/editorial-notebook-gay-republican-challenges-his-party-s-hate/article_03b14ecf-a2fa-54fd-a0d2-7831f1edba23.html#ixzz1gbsxmAnU

[The Genealogist]

1. I've only known three of gay Republicans

One came from a wealthy family, and had absolutely no social skills. Another came from a wealthy very religiously conservative family, and this fellow moved leftward as he went through the coming out process. The third was also a very conservative Christian, and more than lacked social skills; he went out of his way to make enemies among gay people who wanted to make positive changes. All of them seemed to have in common a great deal of self-loathing for their being gay, at least at first. I felt bad for each of them, in different ways.

[iris27]

3. Yeah, usually what they have in common is that being gay is

the only way they are not privileged (ie they are white, male, conservative Christians, usually well-off, etc.). So instead of really seeing the way society treats those minorities of all sorts, and working to fight it, they hide the one part of them that is different and march along with the status quo.

[xmas74]

2. I know a few gay Republicans.

Usually they are fiscal conservatives, which is why they tend to identify with the Repub party. A few have crossed over, though, after becoming sick and tired of feeling as though they have no voice within their party.

An old friend from high school was proudly Repub and worked within the party. (He actually had a prominent position in another state.) He came out to his boss and was then released from his job. He has since become a vocal opponent of the party.