PAGE 6 ▼ Q-Notes T August 19, 2000
Vol. 15, No. 7 - August 19, 2000
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Index
Articles
Coalition unveils virtual
convention to pass HCPA 18
FL judge denies lesbians and gay
men domestic violence protection 1
GLBT center project gains steam 1
Gore taps Lieberman as his
VP running mate 1
Groups join to meet the needs
of GLBT officials 20
Log Cabin members endorse Bush .... 5
Six-year study proves marijuana to
be an effective treatment for PWAs ... 4
Survey reveals gay health concerns 5
Task Force says gays were seen
but not heard at GOP convention 1
Features
Author travels the long road back.... 15
Praise the Lord, Tammy Faye’s
back in the spotlight 3
Columns
Between the Covers 15
Classifieds 16
Community Cards 19
Curbside 22
The Drag Rag 14
ePlay 23
GLAAD Notes 4
Money Matters 23
News Notes ^ 9
Out and About 22
Out In The Stars 11
Poll Question 17
QFYI 17
Reason For Hope 16
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M. A. Dixon, Law Office 19
Edwin G. Farthing, Attorney 19
Flight 69 15,21
Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund 14
Ricki Geiger, Psychotherapist 19
Georgetown Body Works 3
Good or Days 10
Good Year Tire 19
Lisa Griffin, Family Therapist 5
Hair Club for Men and Women 20
Insomnia 20
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J & W Cellular Phones & Pagers 24
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Klutts Property Management 21
Jeffrey Grant Koenig, Attorney 21
Leah’s Bookkeeping & Tax Service 19
Liaisons 18
MCC Charlotte 11
Menu by Melissa 19
Bruce Moyer, Counselor 18
New Life MCC 19
Newsstand International 7
Joe O’Connor, Realtor 3
Parliament Social Club 17
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The Playground 12
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Queen City Antiques 14
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Readings By Sister Bell, Psychic 4
Scorpio 9
Scott Lawn & Landscaping 15
Sharon Memorial Park 13
Joan Simpson, Psychologist 19
Sir Speedy Printing 11
Sleepy Poet Antique Mall 21
Joel Smith, Hair Designs 20
Southern Center for Law 19
Spektrum 11
St. John’s MCC 13
Sub Station II 10
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Scott Thompson, Hair Design 19
Tea Rex 14
Thrailkill Counseling 19
Timberfell Lodge 13
Time Out 11
Tina Turner'in Concert 23
Triangle East Cosmetic Surgery 7
Trish Works 19
Unitarian Universalist Church 8
Andy Vernon 19
Nan Walker, Counselor 19
Vinson Washburn, Realtor 5
White Rabbit Books & Things 15
viewpoint
Log Cabin members
do what they must
Earlier this month, the Log Cabin Republi
cans (LCR), the largest gay and lesbian organi
zation in the GOP, joined their party in en
dorsing Texas Governor George W. Bush for
President of the United States. The organiza
tion did this despite Bush’s opposition to nu
merous policies which many gay Republicans
support, including gay marriage, hate crimes
laws, gay and lesbian adoption rights, and the
freedom to serve in the military.
To win the LCR’s backing. Bush did not
have to recant his previously stated position that
same-sex sexual behavior should remain a crimi
nal act in the state of Texas. Nor did he even
have to endorse the Employment Non-Dis-
crhnination Act (ENDA), a bill for which the
LCR has lobbied long and hard in the US Con
gress. '
The truth of the matter is that to gain the
endorsement of this pro-gay rights organiza
tion, George Bush had to do virtually nothing
at all to demonstrate his support for gay rights.
He simply had to provide a general indication
that, if elected president, he would not exclude
gay Americans from his administration solely
because of their sexual orientation, and that,
on occasion, he may even listen to their con
cerns.
With the aforementioned matters in mind,
one might very easily conclude that gay Repub
licans have chosen a course that is antithetical
to gay rights. But while there are many legiti
mate grounds on which one could critique the
LCR, before reaching a conclusion that the
organization’s endorsement of Bush is in and
of itself highly detrimental to the gay rights
movement, it is necessary to carefully consider
the critical function that gay Republicans must
play if this movement is to ultimately prove
successful: that of swaying Republican Party
members to the gay rights cause.
The importance of persuading Republicans
to support pro-gay policies cannot be over
stated. Despite the fafct that even the most cur
sory review of political history indicates that
far more members of the Democratic Party are
supportive — indeed, much more supportive
— of pro-gay policies than are their Republi
can counterparts, gay rights cannot be achieved
by Democratic support alone. Consequently,
regardless of whether we are talking about the
Gay Civil Unions Law in Vermont, the Em
ployment Non-Discrimination Act in Nevada,
or the Hate Crimes Law in New York, in state
after state, it has been and continues to be nec
essary for the gay rights movement to attract
some Republican support (along with strong
Democratic backing) in order to attain even a
handful of its many policy objectives.
To be sure, the need for Republican sup
port does not end with the establishment of
pro-gay policies. During the past quarter cen
tury, gay and lesbian activists across the coun
try have watched time and again as anti-gay
organizations have called upon Republican al
lies to help successfully repeal gay rights laws.
The lesson of these defeats is that if gay rights
won today are to be secure in the long-term,
gay men and women must build a base of sup
port within both major political parties. That
goal has, to a significant though not a com
plete degree, been accomplished within the
• Democratic Party. It must now be achieved in
a smaller but nonetheless meaningful way,
within the GOP. And despite the efforts of non
partisan gay and lesbian organizations, who is
truly in a better position to sway often obsti
nate Republican officeholders than fellow Re
publicans?
The great hurdle facing gay Republicans is
that, aside from abortion-rights activists, there
is probably no other group within the GOP
whose cause is more unpopular to the broader
party membership. Thus, gay Republicans must
continually prove their party loyalty if they are
to build a sound base of support. Which re
turns us to the issue of the LCR endorsement.
Simply put, if the LCR had failed to en
dorse the man who has drawn support from all
wings of the party and is often hailed as the
most moderate Republican presidential nomi
nee of the past two decades, there is little doubt
that the group would have risked exclusion from
a possible Bush Presidential Administration and
seen its already low level of credibility among
Republicans severely jeopardized. And make no
mistake about it. A damaged LCR would be
bad for gay Republicans and bad for the gay
rights movement.
Certainly, if the LCR’s support for Bush had
the potential of influencing the election, there
would be legitimate cause for concern. But, it
is highly unlikely that this 10,000 member or
ganization will change the outcome of the 2000
presidential contest. Thus, all things considered,
and despite appearances to the contrary, the
endorsement of George W. Bush signals that
the gay Republicans of the LCR may very well
be headed in the direction in which the gay
rights movement needs them to be: on their
way to becoming Republican insiders who are
already out of the closet and out for basic gay
rights.
All this is not to say that, in the months
ahead, LCR members should be given a free
ride if they seek to justify their endorsement by
claiming that Bush actually supports gay rights.
After all, it is one thing for gay Republicans to
be inside and out, and quite another for them
to turn the truth on its head. ▼
—Jesse R. Borges, PhD
New York
[The writer holds a doctorate in Political Sci
ence from Princeton University and has lectured
and written extensively on issues pertaining to race,
gender and sexual orientation.]
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