A rift between the Republican Party of Texas and the state’s top gay and lesbian conservative group is creating an opportunity for Democrats to lure away an important voting base ahead of the 2020 elections.
The Democratic Party of Texas hopes to woo members of the Texas chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans, a national gay and lesbian organization with state offices across the country, after a top Republican state leader compared its members with murderers and fornicators in a now-deleted Facebook post.
âLCRâs unique identity is homosexuality which is in conflict with the principles & platform of the Republican Party,â wrote Sue Evenwel, a member of the State Republican Executive Committee. âThe party would also not allow express advocacy groups for murders, burglars, adulterers or fornicators, yet there may be some among us dealing with those issues who are also Republicans working and voting for our candidates.â
Log Cabin Republicans have struggled to gain meaningful inclusion in the state’s Republican Party after more than a decade of rejections from GOP leaders in Texas. They have consistently been denied the opportunity to host a booth at the state’s annual convention, even though 74% of Texas Republicans under the age of 30 believe gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to marry. The Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage.
Abhi Rahman, the director of strategic communications for the Texas Democratic Party, highlighted efforts made by his party to create an inclusive political alternative to the GOP, including the creation of a constituency organizer who will work to advance the civil liberties of gay and lesbian people in Texas.
âThe Texas Democratic Party is open and inclusive, and we welcome anyone who wants to fight for issues that matter to all of us ⦠regardless of what divides us,â Rahman told the Texas Tribune. âWe are creating a movement that’s diverse and inclusive that defeats Republicans up and down the ballot in 2020.â
Several of the founding members of the Texas Log Cabin Republicans have switched party affiliation, including Paul Van Wupperfeld, who said fighting for the civil rights of gay people inside the Texas Republican Party is a âlost cause.â
âWhat I say to the gay Republicans who I meet is, âFigure out what your priorities are,ââ Van Wupperfeld said. âIf youâd rather trade your civil rights for a tax cut, that sort of says where your priorities are.â
The fallout from the Facebook post and the Texas Republican Party’s continued rejection of the Log Cabin Republicans is set to stir controversy at May’s nominating convention, where retired Army Lt. Col. Allen West, who is running for the chairmanship, has suggested creating a more inclusive state party could undermine the mission of the party.
“You can make the tent bigger, but at some point, the stakes will get pulled out of the ground, and the tent will blow away,” West told Scott Braddock of Quorum Report.
But some gay members of the Texas Republican Party have scoffed at the idea of switching allegiances. Marco Roberts, secretary of the Log Cabin Republicans of Texas, still believes it is easier being a gay Republican than Democrat, saying, “The pressure from our own [LGBT] community is a lot worseâ than what he has experienced in the state GOP. Roberts also noted that the state party opposes “any criminal or civil penalties against those who oppose homosexuality out of faith, conviction, or belief in traditional values.”
As Republicans fret over shifting demographics that could possibly turn Texas blue, losing the top gay and lesbian representatives in the state could spell serious trouble in state and federal races this November.
