Anti-LGBT Language Will Stay In the GOP Platform

Jim Burroway

July 18th, 2016

This development, of course, isn’t surprising. Last week, after the Republican platform committee approved the most anti-LGBT platform in the party’s 162-year history, delegates were gearing up for a potential floor fight over the the anti-LGBT planks. All that was needed to force a floor debate over the platform was just 28 signatures from the 2,470 delegates — just a little over one percent. But they couldn’t get even that tiny bit of support in time to force a debate today:

Rachel Hoff, the platform committee’s first openly gay member, chalked up the failure of their “minority report” to scare tactics from her fellow GOP delegates.

“The pressure and intimidation for delegates to drop their support for the minority report worked, but this effort did demonstrate strong support for a more inclusive platform,” said Hoff, who represents Washington, DC. “A simpler document that stated our core principles would have been better, and there will be even more people who believe that on the committee in 2020.”

The Republican platform, which will be rubber-stamped by the full convention later today, includes calls for laws and government regulations recognizing only opposite-sex marriages; and endorsement of a constitutional amendment or the appointment of supreme Court judges which would result in allowing states to ban same-sex marriage; support for the so-called “First Amendment Defense Act” and other legislation designed to allow discrimination against LGBT people; support for lawsuits challenging the Obama administrations transgender non-discrimination policies; and a provision inserted at the last minute by the Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins designed to allow parents to send their children to ex-gay therapy.

But hey, the GOP platform isn’t anti-LGBT at all. Don’t believe me? Just ask Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, who told CNN that it’s not anti-LGBT because “there were gay people on the platform committee themselves, and we respect that and we’re an inclusive party. We’re a big tent.”

In fact, there was just one gay person on the platform committee, Rachel Hoff, who led the fight against the anti-LGBT planks.

Sir Andrew

July 18th, 2016

I am, frankly, stunned that there are still gays and lesbians who belong to the GOP and support it’s goals and candidates. How low must their self-esteem be?

And, since Democrats have far out-performed Republicans on the economy (the economy being the single issue that conservative gays have used as a reason for belonging), they have no more excuses for being involved with this hate mongering group. I hate to think that we have so many racists, xenophobes, Islamophobes and homophobes in our own ranks, but there is now no other way to look at this.

They are an embarrassment to our community, seeing as how they so willingly support a party that demonstrably HATES the GLBT community.

We need to get the membership committee together and rescind their gay cards.

SharonB

July 19th, 2016

Not all Republicans hate me; but, everyone who hates me is Republican. #IHTFRP

Erica Cook

July 19th, 2016

every time I hear her say they’re a big tent I think of the three ring circus.

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