Glenn Younkin's Strange Dance Around Pride Month

A week ago to my shock and amazement I received a personal invitation form Glenn Younkin's office to attend an event in Virginia Beach that was pitched as a meeting of "business and LGBT leaders."  I was shecked by the call given my strong support for Terry McAliffe and this blog's strong criticism of Youngkin and his ties to the virulently anti-gay Christofascists/white Christian nationalists at the Family Foundation, perhaps the foremost hate group in Virginia. From my conversation with Youngkin's aide I was invited because I had been a founder of Hampton Roads Business OutReach ("HRBOR"), the first gay chamger of commerce in Virginia. I opted to attend the event largely out of curiosity - most of the other invitees I know chose not to attend - and to see what Youngkin might say.  Other than saying that he intended to represent all Virginians and that he wanted business opportunities for all Virginians, Youngkin never said anything about LGBT rights nor did he address fears in the LGBT community that Republicans might seek to undo the pro-LGBT legislation and nondiscrimination protections enactedwhile Democrats controlled the General Assembly and governor's mansion.  I continue to be unsure what it was all about.  A piece the Washington Post looks at Youngkin's strange dance around gays (note: the haters at the Family Foundation were NOT anused).  Here are highlights:

Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who ran for office last year as a sunny but deeply conservative culture warrior, traveled to this gay-friendly city this week to meet with Log Cabin Republicans, a conservative LGBTQ group — chatting amicably with them for more than an hour without uttering a word about LGBTQ rights.

A day earlier, the Republican hosted a private Pride reception at the Capitol without inviting any of Virginia’s openly gay, lesbian or transgender state legislators.

More than a week into Pride Month, the new governor has not issued a proclamation but has made some deliberate — if highly cautious — outreach to a community that he once embraced as a private equity executive but hardly courted in last year’s gubernatorial campaign.

As co-CEO of the Carlyle Group, Youngkin celebrated on Twitter in 2019 when the Human Rights Campaign lauded the company as one of the nation’s “best places to work for LGBTQ equality.” But on his way to the governor’s mansion, he campaigned against certain trans rights measures, such as opposing the participation of trans girls on teams that align with their gender identity. And while saying he accepts same-sex marriage as a matter of law, he also indicated he personally opposes such unions.

Youngkin spokeswoman Macaulay Porter said the governor’s recent overtures, such as the Pride reception, are consistent with his promise to be a governor for all Virginians.

Youngkin’s outreach, however limited, has surprised some political observers in a state where LGBTQ rights have not been widely championed by Republican leaders. Just two years ago, Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-Va.) got the boot from fellow Republicans after presiding over a same-sex wedding. Last year, a candidate for the GOP lieutenant governor’s nomination endured attacks from at least one Republican rival for supporting LGBTQ rights and attending a local Pride event. And this year, a Republican-led state House subcommittee killed a bipartisan effort to strip a defunct ban on same-sex marriage from the state constitution.

Youngkin’s overtures also run counter to the culture fights he has continued since taking office — and to the approach that two of his potential rivals for the 2024 presidential nomination have taken toward LGBTQ issues.

Just last month, Youngkin seemed to flirt with a policy similar to DeSantis’s as he sounded the alarm over what he characterized as age-inappropriate teaching. . . . Youngkin declined to explain what he meant at the time and has announced no policy on that front.

“He’s dancing on the edge of a tightrope, not wanting to offend either side,” said conservative radio host John Fredericks, who has been supportive of Youngkin but thinks his have-it-both-ways approach to the issue “comes off as consultant-driven and swampy.” “If he’s supportive of the Log Cabin Republicans, as I am, and the LGBT community, as I am, then say it. It is what it is. But … he doesn’t want to end up as the next Denver Riggleman.” 

Even Youngkin’s cautious approach has troubled some conservatives.

“Governor Youngkin should meet with all citizens but celebrating pride month dismays many people of faith who encounter the inevitable conflict between their religious freedom and the lgbtq agenda,” Victoria Cobb, president of the Family Foundation of Virginia, wrote in a text message to The Washington Post.

Youngkin’s recent outreach includes a private lunch at the Executive Mansion with a group of Log Cabin Republicans earlier this month and his appearance Wednesday before the Virginia LGBTQ+ Advisory Board to condemn a hate-fueled disruption at a previous meeting. His efforts have drawn mixed reviews, with more liberal LGBTQ leaders highly skeptical of Youngkin’s motives and more conservative Log Cabin leaders happy for the outreach.

All but one member of the advisory board boycotted his Pride reception despite its convenient timing and location. (The event kicked off early Wednesday evening as the board wrapped up a meeting just steps from the Capitol.) Some board members warned during the meeting that their attendance would help the governor “gaslight” the public on his social views.

Chairwoman Lisa A. Turner also said it was “ridiculous” that some invitations had been extended with just two days’ notice and that the state’s four LGBTQ legislators — all Democrats — were not on the guest list.

“I appreciate the Governor’s invitation, but I think it is premature for this administration to celebrate LGBTQ+ equality when it has yet to take any meaningful steps to advance it,” James Millner, director of Virginia Pride, said in a written statement issued to the public.

Two years ago, when Democrats won full control of state government, Virginia passed sweeping LGBTQ rights legislation that bans discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations.

Some activists fear those gains could be reversed if Republicans, who flipped the House on Youngkin’s coattails and will get a shot at the state Senate next year, win full control of the legislature with a Republican chief executive. Adding to their anxiety is concern that the U.S. Supreme Court could reverse itself on same-sex marriage, which could have the effect of reviving Virginia’s defunct constitutional ban.

Holding a Pride reception two months after House Republicans killed an effort to repeal the state ban and replace it with an “affirmative right to marry is the equivalent of ‘thoughts and prayers’ without action,” said Del. Danica A. Roem (D-Prince William), who in 2017 became the first openly transgender person to be elected to any U.S. statehouse.

Youngkin’s appearance Thursday evening in Virginia Beach was open to the press but was billed on his public schedule in a way that included no tie to LGBTQ causes: “Governor Glenn Youngkin meets with business and community leaders.” An advisory issued to reporters a few hours beforehand noted that the event, at Town Center City Club, would be hosted by the Log Cabin Republicans of Hampton Roads.

Phil Kazmierczak, president of Log Cabin Republicans of Hampton Roads . . . . aid Youngkin is finding common ground with LGBTQ conservatives by speaking to issues they already agree on — lower taxes, for instance, or business-friendly policies. He does not expect Youngkin to champion LGBTQ rights, but also feels confident that the governor will not try to roll them back.

Again, the whole thing was strange and I have no clue what Youngkin really thinks.