October 29, 1996: Gay Republicans fight for recognition.With a new Republican president appointing a slate of social conservatives to his administration, the place of gays within the GOP is uncertain. Prior to Bill Clinton's 1996 reelection re·e·lect also re-e·lect tr.v. re·e·lect·ed, re·e·lect·ing, re·e·lects To elect again. re , The Advocate featured an article on gay Republicans, asking, "What on earth are they thinking?" Reporter J. Jennings Moss wrote, "Gay Republicans are made to feel like outcasts The Outcasts are a fictional criminal organization from the Digital Anvil/Microsoft game Freelancer. Based on the planet Malta, the Outcasts are the descendants of colonists from the sleeper ship Hispania. " by both their party and the gay community. Author Christopher Bram Christopher Bram (born 1952, Buffalo, New York) is a writer. Life and work Bram grew up in Kempsville, Virginia (outside Norfolk), where he was a paperboy and an Eagle Scout. He graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1974 (B.A. in English). observed that "being gay and Republican really makes no sense, especially in the past eight years, when the Democratic Party has shifted further to the right while it's gotten better on gay rights. Everything a gay Republican could want, they now can get from the Democrats." Gay Republicans suggested that sexual orientation sexual orientation n. The direction of one's sexual interest toward members of the same, opposite, or both sexes, especially a direction seen to be dictated by physiologic rather than sociologic forces. was not their primary political concern. Moss wrote that many wanted to "see taxes lowered, trust American businesses to make the right decisions, and see government's influence lessened less·en v. less·ened, less·en·ing, less·ens v.tr. 1. To make less; reduce. 2. Archaic To make little of; belittle. v.intr. To become less; decrease. ." By standing to be counted, Moss wrote, gay Republicans hoped to "change the party from the inside" and change gays' attitudes about the party. Worth Ross, a Republican and a Human Rights Campaign board member, said, "Sometimes I wonder why we do this to ourselves," before adding that only gay Republicans can clear the GOP's "toxic" air. "It's dirty work, but someone's got to do it." Find this 1996 Advocate article on gay Republicans in its entirety at www.advocate.com |
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