The Disturbing Phenomenon of Gays Supporting Anti-Gay Candidates

Anti-gay Republican gubernatorial candidates

I've been a political activist for a long time - first as a Republican, then as an Independent/Democrat. I left the Republican Party for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the GOP's growing anti-LGBT agenda (the GOP 2016 national platform was the most anti-LGBT in the party's history). Add to that the Christofascist takeover of the party base and the effort to grant special rights to right wing, Christians to the denigration of the rights of others, and I simply could no longer be or support Republicans.  Here's a brief sampling of the GOP National Platform that directly opposes LGBT rights: 

MARRIAGE: Foremost among those institutions is the American family. It is the foundation of civil society, and the cornerstone of the family is natural marriage, the union of one man and one woman. . . . Every child deserves a married mom and dad. . . . . Our laws and our government’s regulations should recognize marriage as the union of one man and one woman . . . . we do not accept the Supreme Court’s redefinition of marriage and we urge its reversal, whether through judicial reconsideration or a constitutional amendment returning control over marriage to the states. We oppose government discrimination against businesses or entities which decline to sell items or services to individuals for activities that go against their religious views about such activities.

ADOPTION: Families formed or enlarged by adoption strengthen our communities and ennoble our nation. Private entities which facilitate adoptions enrich our communities. We support measures such as the First Amendment Defense Act to ensure these entities do not face government discrimination because of their views on marriage and family.

TITLE IX: We emphatically support the original, authentic meaning of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. It affirmed that “no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” That language opened up for girls and women a world of opportunities that had too often been denied to them. That same provision of law is now being used by bureaucrats — and by the current President of the United States — to impose a social and cultural revolution upon the American people by wrongly redefining sex discrimination to include sexual orientation or other categories.

HEALTHCARE/CONVERSION THERAPY: America’s healthcare professionals should not be forced to choose between following their faith and practicing their profession. We respect the rights of conscience of healthcare professionals, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and organizations, especially the faith-based groups which provide a major portion of care for the nation and the needy. We support the ability of all organizations to provide, purchase, or enroll in healthcare coverage consistent with their religious, moral, or ethical convictions without discrimination or penalty. We support the right of parents to determine the proper medical treatment and therapy for their minor children.

What we have seen at the national level in the Republican Party replicated at the state level here in Virginia.  Indeed, it was the Republican Party of Virginia's anti-LGBT agenda that prompted me in 2004 to help "out" former Congressman Ed Shrock who had the second most anti-gay voting record in Congress even as he was soliciting same sex trysts.  Things have not significantly improved with the Virginia GOP since that time.  

Just this year Democrat Governor Terry McAuliffe vetoed the Republican backed Senate Bill 1324, which state Sen. Charles Carrico (R-Galax) introduced, would not require any person or religious institution to “participate in the solemnization of any marriage” that conflicts “with a sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction that marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman.” The measure would also prohibit state officials from punishing people and organizations that refuse to take part in a gay or lesbian wedding because of their religious beliefs.  Had a Republican held the Governor's mansion, this bill would have become law.  Only a fool would think that such legislation will not be reintroduced in 2018.

Add to this the Republican support for "bathroom bills" that target transgender individuals and the GOP opposition to nondiscrimination for protections for LGBT employees (even employees of state departments and agencies) and it becomes very clear that the Republican Party and its candidates are enemies of LGBT rights and human dignity.  

If one checks out the campaign websites of this year's GOP gubernatorial candidates, Ed Gillespie, Cory Stewart, and Frank Wagner, it quickly becomes apparent that they contain absolutely no mention of LGBT rights or equality for all Virginians.  Instead protecting confederate monuments, gun rights and support for home schooling can be found.  

Yet despite this very clear opposition to LGBT rights, one continues to see the phenomenon of LGBT individuals supporting Republican candidates.  Disturbingly, some are in positions of purported leadership in the LGBT community.  When confronted about what I see as their betrayal of the LGBT community, one usually gets bloviating about their support for limited government , fiscal conservatism (never mind that the federal deficit always explodes under Republican presidents), etc. To me, it's akin to a 1930's German Jew voting for Nazi Party candidates.  Seemingly, their own personal rights and those of others in the LGBT community simply do not matter.  I truly do not understand the mindset.

As  founder of Hampton Roads Business OutReach, a former board member of Hampton Roads Pride and Equality Virginia honoree, I have spent my time in the trenches of the struggle for LGBT rights and equality.  We all need to support political candidates who truly support our equality and equal rights? 

Kansas Governor Eliminates Discrimination Protections for LGBT Workers

The anti-gay jihad of the Republican Party is not limited to Virginia or Alabama (where Republicans seem set on reprising George Wallace's ugly history).  After having largely destroyed Kansas' economy with GOP voodoo economics and tax cuts for the rich and corporations, Republican Governor Sam Brownback - a Neanderthal if there ever was one - has eliminated LGBT nondiscrimination protections.  Not content with destroying the state's finances, Brownback now wants to make it less competitive in the world marketplace as well.  Here are excerpts from a piece in Slate:

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback rolled back legal protections on Monday that protected state workers from being discriminated against in the workplace on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The Republican rescinded a 2007 executive order issued by his predecessor, Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, that specifically barred discrimination against gay and transgender workers.

“In a statement announcing the order, Brownback said the measure is meant to guarantee all Kansans enjoy the same civil rights, without creating new protected classes,” WIBW reports. “Any such expansion of ‘protected classes’ should be done by the legislature and not through unilateral action," Brownback said in a statement. . . . . such an expansion is unlikely from the Republican-dominated Legislature.”

The Power of Coming Out at Work

Lord Browne

Living in the closet is psychological and emotionally damaging.  Moreover, it takes a huge amount of time and effort that would be/is better spent on living a fulfilling life that is not haunted by the fear of being "outed."   In the business world being in the closet is similarly detrimental and wastes energy and creativity that could be better used to further one's business and career.  Sadly, since 29 states still provide no employment protections to LGBT employees, many still feel the need to hide their real lives at work.  I was in the closet at work after coming out for several years and it was exhausting.  Former BP CEO John Browne looks at the issue in a column in The Advocate.  Here are excerpts:

But by deciding to disclose his sexuality, [Apple CEO Tim] Cook has united his public and private lives. He will no longer have to devote valuable energy to concealing part of his identity, energy that can now be used productively in the pursuit of more fulfilling personal and professional lives. He has shown bravery many others and I did not have.

In an effort to maintain my double life, I made three fatal errors of judgement. First, in an attempt to reduce the risk of somebody finding out my secret, I met a man on an escort website. Second, I built a relationship with him, and was surprised when he sold our story to a British tabloid newspaper. Third, I went to court in an attempt to protect my privacy and lied in a legal document about how we met each other. I reversed that lie within days, but the case eventually collapsed. I resigned and lost the career that had structured my entire professional life.

When I was dragged out of the closet, my worst fears did not come true. I gained friends, lead a more fulfilling private life, and have a wider set of business contacts as a result. Many of the people I interviewed for The Glass Closet expressed a desire to come out, but only when “the time is right.” For some, that meant after a promotion, and for others — particularly athletes — it meant after retirement. For me, the “right time” would never come because I had invested too much in my double life.
Evidence suggests that around one third of LGBT people remain in the closet at work. In writing The Glass Closet, I spoke to men and women around the world who, despite living in an age of diversity targets, LGBT corporate networks, and equal marriage, are still afraid of the consequences of coming out. That takes a personal toll on them; they fail to build a unified private and professional life, to the detriment of both. But it also takes a huge toll on their businesses, which suffer when employees do not feel included and are preoccupied by something other than their work. Companies with a fully engaged workforce outperform their peers by an average of 2% per year, every year for 20 years. The return to an inclusive environment is enormous, and in my experience, there are two things that business leaders can do to create that environment for LGBT people.

The first is to set the right tone from the top. Leaders who take LGBT inclusion seriously should dedicate a fixed amount of time to it, and ensure that positive messages are accompanied by meaningful changes in behavior, rather than processes that can be ignored. If leaders are asking people to bring their whole selves to work, they must also lead by example.

The second thing that leaders can do is identify and celebrate role models. Role models are not examples to emulate but sources of inspiration that teach us something we can apply to our own circumstances. . . . Anybody struggling with a hidden life should take inspiration from these role models, and any leader who wants to create a safe and inclusive environment should celebrate them. They demonstrate that it is possible to come out and succeed.

Change does not happen unless individuals take their careers into their own hands and find the courage to step out of the closet into the true beauty beyond.

Business sometimes clings to the past and lags behind progress in society. But at its best, it is the engine of human progress. From apartheid to the fight against climate change, and from equal pay to equal marriage, business has been at the forefront of social change. Cook’s announcement represents several more bricks in the wall of LGBT acceptance and inclusion, but I am convinced that the best is yet to come.

Speaker of Italian Parliament Writes Open Letter to "Suicidal" Gay Teen

While much of Europe is increasingly gay friendly, one stand out for continued anti-gay bigotry to date has been Italy, perhaps because of the insidious influence the Vatican and Roman Catholic Church continue to exert in that nation.  At times I find it a baffling phenomenon given the world wide sex abuse scandal with cover up efforts that track right back to the Vatican.  One can only wonder when modernity will win out over the ignorance and bigotry and centuries long track record of being wrong on scientific knowledge issues that are the reality of the Catholic Church.   Now, correspondence between Laura Boldrini (pictured above) , the Speaker of the Italian Parliament and a 17 year old gay youth has garnered national attention.  The Independent reports on the situation.  Here are highlights:

the speaker of the parliament has asked to meet a young gay man who says he feels suicidal in one of Europe’s most homophobic societies. Davide Tancredi, said: “I am gay, I am 17-years old and this letter is my last alternative to suicide in a troglodyte society; in a world that does not accept me even though I’m born that way. In a public exchange of letters that has touched many Italians, The letter published in La Repubblica newspaper on 25 May, by  “Not everyone is fortunate enough to be born heterosexual. If there was a little less discrimination and a little more sympathy or Christian charity, people would stop hating.”

In response to the letter, which was given considerable prominence by the centre-left newspaper, Laura Boldrini, the speaker, responded with an open letter of her own. “I have a daughter not much older than you, and I’m deeply disturbed by your cry for help,” she said, before asking to meet Mr Tancredi in parliament to discuss how the situation for gays might be improved.

Italy is, officially at least, the most homophobic country in Western Europe. Thanks largely to the influence of the Vatican, there is no legislation allowing for civil partnerships and no measures to deter homophobic violence or discrimination in the workplace. In this regard it also lags behind South Africa and several Latin American countries.

“A country that considers itself civilised cannot afford to live without a law against ‘homophobia, an evil that drives many young people to take their own lives,” Ms Boldrini said. The supposedly political neutral speaker has angered the Italian right after several proclamations on social issues.

Note how the "godly folk" are up in arms with Ms. Boldrini.  Christianity is increasingly all about hate and bigotry.  Following the Gospel message of love of others and caring for the less fortunate is disappearing from conservative denominations except in terms of lip service.