Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's leading gay-rights advocacy organization, has studied the records of the members of the 112th Congress and it finds that the House of Representatives has flipped from a pro- to anti-gay-rights majority.
I'm not sure I would what they did "being gay," but here's a list of 10 conservative anti-gay activists who turned out to be gay themselves. (I call them Uncle Tom Republicans)
Another one-- Roy Ashburn: "I'm Gay" State Sen. Roy Ashburn (R-Calif.), the fierce opponent of gay rights who was arrested last week for drunk driving after leaving a gay nightclub, confirmed in a radio interview Monday that he is gay.
Ashburn, a 55-year-old divorced father of four, claimed his 15-year crusade against proposed gay-rights laws in the California statehouse stemmed from his desire to vote the way his constituents wanted.
State Sen. Paul Koering, R-Fort Ripley, says that he will not vote for the Marriage and Family Protection Act, a bill that would make Minnesota’s marriage laws gender-neutral, allowing same-sex couples many of the rights currently denied by Minnesota statute. Koering, who is gay and a Republican, said he would vote against it because the state faces bigger problems.
John McCain's Chief of Staff, Mark Buse, has been Outed by Michael Signorile and given the Roy Cohn Award by Mike Rogers on BlogActive for his support of the most anti-gay candidate for President of the United States.
Signorile has a lot of information on Buse, one of the 60 or more lobbyists in the McCain Campaign, including testimony from his ex-boyfriend, and apparently Buse has some comrades over at the Uncle Tom Log Cabin Republicans, who have endorsed John McCain despite his anti-gay record and positions simply because he voted against the FMA (never mind he supports the Arizona and California anti-gay marrriage amendments!). Guess the Uncle Tom Republicans think that if John McCain is elected they will have a foot in the door of the White House.
Once again, the Uncle Tom Log Cabin Republicans have sold out the LGBT community! While every other LGBT political organization has condemned the GOP ticket's anti-gay agenda, the Uncle Tom Republicans have thrown us under the bus!
Why? Because he voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment! Nevermind that he not only supported, but starred in ads for, the Arizona anti-gay marriage amendment, and supports all other such anti-gay state amendments! Nevermind that John McCain has sold his soul to the Christian Right and now embraces their anti-gay, theocratic agenda! Nevermind that John McCain/Sarah Palin oppose the Employment Non-Discrimination Act! Nevermind that Jonn McCain/Sarah Palin support the anti-gay "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy!
The choice between the team of Senators Barack Obama and Joe Biden and the anti-equality ticket of Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin could not not be more clear. On virtually every issue of equality, the two tickets come down on starkly different sides.
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Obama/Biden: Supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act McCain/Palin: Opposes the Employment Non-Discrimination Act
Obama/Biden: Supports federal hate crimes legislation McCain/Palin: Opposes federal hate crimes legislation
Obama/Biden: Supports adoption rights for LGBT Americans McCain/Palin: Opposes adoption rights for LGBT Americans
Obama/Biden: Supports federal benefits for same-sex couples McCain/Palin: Opposes federal benefits for same-sex couples
Obama/Biden: Supports the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" McCain/Palin: Opposes the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
Obama/Biden: Supports immigration equality for same-sex couples McCain/Palin: Opposes immigration equality for same-sex couples
Obama/Biden: Supports the repeal of the "Defense of Marriage Act" McCain/Palin: Opposes the repeal of the "Defense of Marriage Act"
- When asked by the Family Research Council to star in an anti-equality ad in Arizona (in support of an anti-marriage constitutional amendment), John McCain said "yes." Voters in his home state ultimately rejected his plea to support the discriminatory measure.
- The 2008 Republican Party Platform, written under the leadership of John McCain, clearly calls for legal discrimination against LGBT Americans in adoption, family law and military service.
- Sarah Palin campaigned for the anti-marriage constitutional amendment in Alaska. The amendment served as a model for anti-LGBT activists across the country as they sought to pass similar measures in other states.
- Sarah Palin currently supports efforts to strip Alaska employees of workplace benefits simply because of their sexual orientation. In fact, Sarah Palin has lent her support to a ballot initiative along these lines.
- Sarah Palin wasted $1.2 million in taxpayer money on a "vanity" vote which asked Alaska residents if the state government should discriminate against state employees simply based on their sexual orientation. The vote was non-binding and the only subject on the ballot. Yet, the legislation calling for the vote was important enough to Palin for her to make it the first piece of legislation that she signed into law.
Manhunt co-founder Jonathan Crutchley has donated the personal maximum of $2300 to John McCain's presidential campaign.
Crutchley responds: "Yes, my contribution to John McCain's campaign was listed on the Huffington Post. I believe John McCain will be a better commander-in-chief than Obama, who also opposes gay marriage. If we have an experienced, seasoned person defending the country in this dangerous age, we will be able to argue about the gay agenda later. I'm a Massachusetts Republican, which is about the same as being an Alabama Democrat. But, don't call me a "liberal," that's an insult."
Well Mr. Crutchley, you are an insult to gay Americans. It is Uncle Tom Republicans like yourself who helped elect George W. Bush and are responsible for the disastrous 8 years of the worst President in modern U.S. history, WHO FAILED TO DEFEND THE U.S. AGAINST A TERRORIST ATTACK HE WAS WARNED ABOUT REPEATEDLY! If John McCain is a decent human being, he will be returning your check very soon, when he realizes he accepted $2,300 from a sleaze bag like you.
The Uncle Tom Log Cabin Republicans are trying to "educate" the gay community on why they should trust John McCain over Barack Obama, and the LCR's President, Patrick Sammon, confirms to The Gay Patriot that he has been meeting with John McCain and the McCain campaign.. will the Uncle Tom Republicans betray the gay community AGAIN?
In an email received by the ProtectMarriage.com campaign, Senator McCain issued the following statement: "I support the efforts of the people of California to recognize marriage as a unique institution between a man and a woman, just as we did in my home state of Arizona. I do not believe judges should be making these decisions."
Despite a blistering Human Rights Campaign Report blasting John McCain's anti-gay record and positions, the gay "Uncle Tom" Log Cabin Republicans are working to "educate" the LGBT community about how McCain is actually supportive of gay rights.
They don't quite endorse McCain, but are trying, once again, to explain away their candidate's anti-gay record and views and argue that gay Republicans are not "single-issue" voters. (Like equality, social justice, civil rights, women's rights, peace, and LGBT rights are a "single issue" !!)
They claim that John McCain did NOT pander to the religious right to win the GOP nomination. WRONG, he did in fact pander to anti-gay religious extremists, like Rev. John Hagee and Rod Parsely, and even welcomed the support of the extremist ant-gay Lou Sheldon of the Traditional Values Coalition! John McCain's campaign even attacked Mitt Romney (in robo calls!) for his past statements support LGBT civil rights!
The LCR's cannot even get their facts straight! The regurgitate right-wing attacks on Barack Obama, and seem to prefer an anti-gay candidate and political party to get more tax cuts and a longer "war" in Iraq and Iran.
Time and again, the Uncle Tom Republicans at LCR have sold out the gay community for their support of neo-conservative foreign policy, and domestic policies that favor the corporate rich over workers, the poor and the environment.
They have made the same arguments to support George W. Bush! Remember, Bush was also a "moderate" who would reject the religious right and embrace "traditional Republican principles", and include gays and lesbians in the GOP. He was even championed as the candidate to end the military's DADT policy.
Shame on the Log Cabin Republicans for supporting an ant-gay political party, the anti-gay candidate for president, and attacking Democrats who SUPPORT their civil rights.
Speaking to the national convention of the Log Cabin Republicans, CA Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger promises that he will oppose a state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. The Republican governor has vetoed bills that would legalize gay marriages, arguing that the issue should be decided by voters or the courts not lawmakers.
"It seems likely LCR will endorse John McCain's presidential bid later this year. (LCR President Patrick) Sammon told me: "We're pleased he was nominated. Our posture during this campaign was stopping Mitt Romney. We're proud of the role we played with our ad campaign and, you know, Sen. McCain, we endorsed him in his Senate re-election in 2004; in 2000 a lot of our members were very supportive of his campaign, and certainly this time as well. We know he's someone who's an inclusive Republican who understands the party needs to get back to its core principles and we are excited about the campaign ahead."
McCain is an "inclusive Republican"?? The same John McCain who welcomed the endorsements of anti-gay, religious extremists Pat Robertson, John Hagee and Rod Parsley?? The same John McCain who once called Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson "agents of intolerance" but flip-flopped and embraced Jerry Falwell at Lilberty University? (Yes, the same John McCain who called the Bush tax cuts "irresponsible" but now supports them!) Good to see someone supporting the Republican's "core principles"!
Will the Uncle Tom Republicans side with Pat Robertson and the anti-gay religious right to endorse John McCain and help elect another Republican President who will appoint anti-gay federal judges and veto gay rights bills?
Here is a column I submitted to the Triangle Journal in response to two columns by gay Republican Anthony Childress, who rationalized why gays should support the Republican Party despite its anti-gay record and its attacks on LGBT rights. The Triangle Journal refused to publish it, it was too "controversial," so it is being published in GAZE instead, which also published my Queer Notes column: Why Party Matters
I didn't watch all of the Democratic or Republican Presidential candidate debates, I just can't watch stupid reporters asking stupid questions and polished candidates trying to spin their answers to get the best poll numbers. I thought the Democratic candidates were OK, nothing to get excited about, but compared to the Republican idiots tonight, the Democrats sure look good, even Hillary. Seems like one thing the Dems and Repugs all agree on now is that Bush screwed up Iraq. The Republican candidates attacked Bush on Katrina and Iraq. They disagreed on immigration and other issues, but all the Republicans agree on one thing..homos should not be allowed to serve "openly" in the military. It was painful to watch Giulliani and Romney back peddle away from queer folks. At one time, both support some "gay rights," Gulliani even supported "civil unions" once upon a time, but no more. Except for Kuccinich, the Dems have no backbone to defend marriage equality for gays and lesbians, but according to the HRC Report Card they all support "equal rights" for gays, including the same rights and benefits as "married" couples, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and all oppose the military's anti-gay "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Policy. Wonder what excuse the homo-cons and Uncle Tom Republicans will come up with to support the Republicans in 2008?? And here's something you won't find ont the Republican Party webiste, the Democratic Party Gay Pride Web page and Pride Proclamation!
Conservatives sure know how to play the "victim card" they accuse women, blacks, gays and poor people of playing... Over on his blog Matt Sanchez whines about how he has been mistreated by mean liberals and how the conservatives love him. He's full of shit. Is he really dumb enough to think Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity would have had him on their shows if he was an openly gay man who wanted to serve in the military? Hell no. The consevative Republicans want to kick people like him OUT of the military, or at least the proud gay ones. The anti-gay Republicans will accept repressed homosexuals who confess their sins and deny being gay and attack liberals, progressives and "socialists" who support equal civil rights, peace and social justice. Enjoy your 15 minutes of fame Matt... Now if you really want to be a "hero" join the campaign to end the military's Don't Ask Dont' Tell policy of kicking out openly gay soldiers. Then maybe I will listen to your whine. And I recommend you read David Brock's BLINDED BY THE RIGHT to learn the truth about the anti-gay Republicans, and some stories about a drunk Ann Coulter crawling around on gay bar floors.
Instead of focusing on the bigotry in the Republican Party, these Uncle Tom's try to turn the tables on the facts and accuse their liberal critics of being "intolerant."
Speaking of Uncle Tom Republicans, here is a good response by John Aravosis to the gay conservative republicans who criticize Clinton and the Democrats for being "anti-gay" while they support the party that attacked Clinton and Democrats for supporting the "gay agenda"
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