Last month, conservative lobbyist Jack Burkman claimed that he had received support from several Republican members of Congress for his legislation that would ban homosexual players from the National Football League. This came shortly after All-American defensive lineman and NFL draft prospect Michael Sam announced that he is gay. Sam will likely be the first openly gay NFL player ever.
And it’s simply about politics, the founder of JM Burkman & Associates explained, saying that “all but one will do this politically because they have been under fire from Tea Party and far right wing element.”
Burkman seemed to see his legislation would be a way for members of Congress sponsoring the bill — who could expect to face primary challenges — to prove their conservatism. Thankfully, Burkman can’t do anything to move his bill forward without Congressional sponsorship, which he has yet to achieve. Unfortunately, an outrageous appeal to the far right underscores what could be the downfall of the Republican Party: gay marriage.
In regard to the bill, specifically, it is clearly unconstitutional and discriminatory, not to mention an unnecessary intrusion into the operations of a private business. The vast majority of Americans recognize this and would strongly oppose the legislation. If it ever got introduced, the GOP would see a massive split as moderate and libertarian members of the Party disowned the conservative wing. And it’s pretty safe to say the legislation will never find a sponsor.
But the problem for socially-conservative Republicans is the growing movement toward social tolerance and approval of homosexuality, mostly thanks to Millennials. According to a recent Pew Research poll, 61 percent of Republicans under the age of 30 support same-sex marriage. The percentage favoring same-sex marriage decreases significantly as the age increases. Only 22 percent of Republicans over age 65 support same-sex marriage.
The Republican Party cannot afford to alienate these young voters, as they are the future of the GOP. If the far-right wing of the Party continues to push any sort of legislation that marginalizes homosexuals, young conservatives — especially those who lean more libertarian — will switch to another party. Some of them might join the Democratic Party, in spite of disagreeing with them on economic issues. Others might seek out a third party such as the Libertarian Party, potentially paving the way for that party to replace the Republicans as the major Party on the right side of the aisle. Still others will become independents, choosing not to identify with the major parties.
If the Republican Party continues to alienate young people with its socially conservative approach to gay marriage, it is driving itself to irrelevancy. The Republican Party needs to stop appealing to the far-right social conservatives. Its future depends on it.
