HUFFINGTON
09.30.12
THE PINK ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
Raised in Tallahassee, Florida, he
comes from a long line of Republicans and military men.
“We were Republicans from the
get-go,” he said. “Before that we
were Whigs. Before being Whigs
we were Federalists. Before the
Revolution we were conservatives,
or what’s known as ‘Tories’.” His
ancestors on both sides came over
in the 17th century, and they’ve
fought in King Philip’s War, the
American Revolution, the American Civil War and World War II. In
2004, Cooper added to that legacy
by serving in Iraq as an Army officer, an experience that he says has
put the challenges of his current
job in perspective. “Even eight
years later, I can still identify the
various sounds made by different
caliber rounds or ordinance,” he
said. “Frankly I think nothing can
compare to being shot at.”
Although he is aware of those
in his own party that work against
him, he chooses to see the glass
half-full. Perhaps the strongest
measure that suggests the GOP
will eventually fully embrace
gay rights is not seen in political
rhetoric, but in recent polling that
shows that young Americans are
less religious than they were just
five years ago, and far more sup-
FOR 20 YEARS NOW
I’VE HEARD HOW
THE LOG CABINS
ARE GOING TO MAKE
REPUBLICANS
BETTER, BUT THEY’VE
ONLY GOTTEN WORSE.
I KNOW WHY THEY
CALL THEMSELVES
LOG CABIN; THEY
ARE MODELED
AFTER UNCLE TOM.
portive of gay rights, regardless
of political affiliation. In Tampa,
Cooper spent his days radiating as
much positivity about the Party
as any Republican operative. To
a man in a khaki suit at the Sunday night shindig, he called out,
“Thank you for being you!” To a
woman who said that her congressman boss was glad that she’d
attended Monday afternoon’s
cocktail reception, he proclaimed,
“Well if you’re happy and your
boss is happy and I’m happy, then
that is just so happy.”
Most gay rights activists would