At least three highly-placed players within the Republican party are gay men: Bush-Cheney Campaign Chair Ken Mehlman, Rep Party Chief Finanacial Officer Jay Banning, and National Field Director Dan Gurley.
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So what to do about this? How can the gay community help advance the fight against the right, when some of our own are willing minions of the evil empire?
I have some ideas...
First off, I actually know some Gay Republicans of integrity, people who have strong libretarian economic and social values.
Most of these, however, have left the party over the last few years and months. This includes one friend who was a very highly placed staffer in his state's Republican party. He basically tossed much of his career, which he had spent his life building, because the Republican Party "Is not the party is was when I first became involved..."
So, it might just be a matter of informing our ignorant brothers and sisters about just what the party has become, and how other parties are now more true to the ideals that made them Republicans in the first place.
If this fails, I bring back a concept that was used by ACT-UP during Reagan/Bush I ...
stop dating / sleeping with these scumbags.
Now, if all gay GOPers are as photogenic as Mr. Mehlman, this isn't going to be too hard. But I have a sinking suspicion that it isn't going to be that easy. Taking this idea from the tongue-in-cheek [no pun intended] to the serious, we need to start asking friends and acquaintances about their politics. When we find someone who admits to GOP 'orientation', we need to seriously evaluate our involvement with these people. If a gay person is so ignorant, or so self-hating, as to support the GOP anti-gay agenda, what other deep-seated issues are they dealing with?
"Ooh, but he's so hot..." ... well, start thinking long term on occasion. There are plenty of attractive, non-GOP people out there. Socialization and peer approval are two of the strongest tools in our community, and we need to start using them.
These hypocrites are the worst sort of "Uncle Tom" and lgbt people of all stripes, including lgbt youth, are increasingly vicitimized by the policies of this administration and the environment of hatred they are creating.
So, take one for the team... and just walk away.