HUFFINGTON
09.30.12
THE PINK ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
in government who are in favor of
gay rights, like Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Florida congresswoman
who used to employ Cooper, GOProud’s leaders idolize right-wing
firebrands. Ann Coulter is a particular favorite, even though she
doesn’t believe that gays should
be allowed to marry and once told
a reporter that sexually active gay
men should “feel guilty” about
their behavior.
Many gay advocates say that the
future of same-sex marriage will
depend on broad bipartisan support, and some of them are growing frustrated that the country’s
only two Republican gay groups
won’t work together to win over
more Republicans. Meanwhile,
the Republican party has adopted
what is widely seen as the most
socially conservative platform in
its history, and advocates warn
that a Romney presidency could
mean the end of same-sex marriage, a reversion to “Don’t Ask
Don’t Tell,” and a halt to the other
advances of the gay-rights movement of the last three decades.
Last month, as a storm loomed
near Tampa, Cooper tried to inspire his members by painting a
sunny picture of the future for
gays in the GOP. He talked about
Richard Tisei, a candidate for
Congress in Mass., who stands a
good chance of becoming the first
openly gay Republican politician
to win a congressional seat and he
mentioned that Log Cabin’s materials sat right next to pamphlets
by a right-wing group at the recent Republican party platform
drafting session. Yes, at that same
session,the Republican National
Committee had drafted a platform
document rejecting all of Log Cabin’s major proposals, but Cooper
seemed unfazed.
“This isn’t just ‘the party’, this
is ‘our party,’” he declared.
REPUBLICANS
FROM THE GET-GO
The rift between Log Cabin and
GOProud is part of a larger story,
that of the increasing polarization
of American politics and the Republican party’s steady shift to the
right. Although the split happened
only three years ago, it’s hard to
grasp its broader significance without knowing something about Log
Cabin’s origins in the late 1970s.
At the time, legalizing samesex marriage wasn’t on the table,
or anywhere near it — hardly