GOP Needs to Embrace Gays
In this WSJ Op-Ed, New Republic assistant editor James Kirchuck suggests that it’s time for the GOP to give up its traditional gay bashing. I completely agree. I’ve never understood how the party of small government wants a minimal role for government everywhere except the bedroom. Meanwhile the Democrats hold the opposite point of view (although in fairness, Obama’s position regarding gay marriage is more inline with the traditional Republican): Democrats want government intervention (the economy, the environment, the workplace) everywhere EXCEPT the bedroom.
The GOP position has been in line with its religious right base; the question becomes: if the GOP gave up its opposition to gay marriage, would it lose the support of the religious right? On the surface it appears that there is much to lose and little to gain from the switch. Most gays would continue to support the Democrats while the religious right could sit on its hands and simply not vote in November.
However the gay community isn’t monolithic and it is becoming even more diverse and dynamic. While the Log Cabin Republicans might seem the equivalent today of am all-black regiment of the Ku Klux Klan, as gays become mainstream they will continue to adopt more mainstream concerns over issues that the Republicans have better answers for then the Democrats. As discrimination barriers have fallen, there will be more interest in things like lower taxes, better schools for their kids, and more accountable government. These are Republican issues, and it seems stupid for the party to pretend that it’s stuck in 1950 by ignoring natural allies just because they are gay.
At the same time I don’t want to see the Republican Party turn its back on the religious right, and giving up the fight against gay marriage will destabilize the relationship. But of the two parties the Republicans remain the staunch defenders of religious freedom and rights; where the Democrats have developed the perception deservedly or not that they are antagonistic to Religion, the Republicans are seen as staunch supporters of religious freedom not only in the United States but in China, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere. Religious leaders must recognize that while they may lose the issue of gay marriage, the party as a whole will get stronger, and the Republican party remains the best vehicle for the protection of religious freedom in the United States. Giving up on the party would be the equivalent of cutting of one’s nose to spite one’s face; in short the religious right has much more influence within the GOP than outside of it.
As Glenn Reynolds writes, “Happily married gay couples with closets full of assault weapons. That’s my vision for America, and it’s a good one.” That works for me.
The Razor » Blog Archive » If Obama Wins… Part 3:
[...] I have written elsewhere, the GOP needs to embrace gays not out of pure self interest but philosophy. Nothing is more personal, no right is as individual [...]
2 November 2008, 1:12 pmThe Razor » Blog Archive » Return to First Principles:
[...] prior to last week’s election it was clear to me that the Republican Party needed renewal. In this post I suggested that it reconsider it’s anti-gay stances, and in this one I turned a critical [...]
11 November 2008, 3:29 pm