Ohio Gay GOP Official Turns Democrat

[kskiska]

Saying he can't stomach President Bush's support for the Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA), a gay Republican leader in Ohio announced on Thursday he is becoming a Democrat.

In a letter to the chair of the Republican Party of Cuyahoga County, John Farina, a former official in the county's party organization and former president of the Cleveland chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans (news - web sites), ended his 20-year association with the GOP. He also withdrew his candidacy for the Board of Elections' central committee in the March 2 primary.

Farina, 35, said in the letter that the president's announcement on Tuesday forced his decision.

"Quite frankly I'm sick over it," Farina wrote. "It is an insult to me as a lifelong Republican and it does nothing to strengthen marriage. It is an obviously political move that will do nothing but divide the nation even further. So much for Mr. Bush being a uniter."

Farina is not alone. Bush's announcement of support for the FMA presented a unique challenge for gay Republicans, many of whom vow to fight their party's leader on the issue.

Patrick Guerriero, executive director of the nation's leading gay GOP group, the Log Cabin Republicans, said the group was "more determined than ever to fight the anti-family constitutional amendment with all our resources."

more…
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/po/20040227/co_po/ohiogaygopofficialturnsdemocrat

[fearnobush]

1. Hope my Gay GOP friends feel the same.... I'll send them this.

"Quite frankly I'm sick over it," Farina wrote. "It is an insult to me as a lifelong Republican and it does nothing to strengthen marriage. It is an obviously political move that will do nothing but divide the nation even further. So much for Mr. Bush being a uniter."

[kskiska]

2. More

"You can only feel the love of people and institutions who fend you off with a barge pole for so long. Today I changed my registration from Republican to independent," read one letter posted on andrewsullivan.com.

(snip)

Ohio is considered a key state for Bush in the 2004 election, and Farina said he is ready to work for the president's defeat there.

"I will use my role as the state liaison for the Gill Foundation's Democracy Project to get more GLBT folks registered and to the polls," Farina told the Gay.com/PlanetOut.com Network. "I will work with the Stonewall Democrats and the Ohio Democrats to get out the anti-Bush vote."

[kysrsoze]

3. This kind of pisses me off

Of all the nasty things going on with this administration, gay marriage is the final straw? That's bullshit. A friend at work is the same way. Although he acknowledged that there were some serious problem, he didn't commit to voting Democrat until this came up. Come on, people. Where is your spine?

On the other hand, I guess it's nice to have more people switching sides.

[katieforeman]

5. Hey, we'll take any vote we can get.

I'm sure Republicans are trying to see the best in their party's leader, but the Constitutional Amendment proposal is impossible to ignore.

[The Sushi Bandit]

4. So will he now support Kucinich??

THE ONLY ONE WHO FAVORS GAY MARRIAGE

[IndianaGreen]

6. You are right, Dennis is the only one that supports gay marriage

The two Johns seem to be having a psychological hangup about gay marriage.

[rooboy]

7. Repugs should become independents not Democrats...

they can't be trusted.

[wryter2000]

8. I wonder

So, the LCR's are going to fight it in their own party. If they do that at the convention and fail, will they finally abandon the repugs and vote for the Dem?