Gay conservatives are “morally bankrupt racists” and “bigoted trash.”
At least, that’s how one left-wing trans activist, writing for The Advocate, described the LGBT conservative group Log Cabin Republicans after they endorsed President Trump for reelection last week.
It wasn’t just one writer at a left-wing outlet that came unhinged at the idea that some gay people are breaking with the liberal monolith. A liberal writer at the Daily Beast accused Log Cabin Republicans of “reality-defying” and “gaslighting” for their argument that Trump has been good enough on LGBT issues to earn their endorsement. And an unhinged ThinkProgress screed essentially accused Log Cabin Republicans of being anti-LGBT, and (falsely) called Trump “the most anti-LGBT president since Reagan.”
After Log Cabin Republicans spokesman Charles Moran appeared on MSNBC Saturday to discuss the endorsement, an outpouring of vitriol flew their way online. Here’s just a sample of the nastiness that came from supposedly “tolerant” liberals enraged by the idea that not all gay people toe the line they’ve decided limits acceptable thought.
History will always remember how your kind sold out our community to a racist, queerphobic regime.
— Jonathan D. Lovitz (@jdlovitz) August 16, 2019
The Log Cabin Republicans’ endorsement of Trump is truly despicable & shameful, although sadly not surprising. Luckily, they don’t speak for 99% of LGBTQ Americans who are fully aware of all Trump has done to reverse steps towards #LGBTQ equality. ?️? https://t.co/TL4olmvf12
— Jon Cooper (@joncoopertweets) August 16, 2019
Log Cabin Republicans just endorsed Trump’s re-election saying ‘He met his commitments to LGBTQ Americans.’
1. Trump hasn’t kept a commitment to anyone including his 3 wives.
2. LCR’s need to check their privilege, racism and transphobia at the door.
3. Raise the fucking bar.
— Dana Goldberg (@DGComedy) August 16, 2019
The more I think about your smirking face this morning, the more I am convinced that somebody is paying you off. No thinking, rational person could not recognize blatant homophobia…in you, Trump and for God’s sake Pence and his CONVERSION THERAPY.
— Ann (@alf27900) August 17, 2019
Your endorsement of a president that turns his back on the lgbtq+ community is disgraceful.This must be a money thing just like the rest of the @gop.$$$$ your end is coming too
— kathline (@kat65667) August 17, 2019
I spoke with Moran, and he told me that the backlash has been even worse than expected:
The Trump campaign is glad to have them. In an exclusive statement responding to Log Cabin Republican’s endorsement, Trump campaign National Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told me: “President Trump’s policies are working for all Americans, and this is more proof that the American people recognize his successes.”
Trump has many flaws, but homophobia isn’t one of them. As I’ve written previously, he’s unquestionably the most pro-gay Republican president, and many of the various cries of anti-LGBT bias in Trump administration policies are exaggerated, unsubstantiated, or absurd, with only a few examples of actually questionable policies. When you add this to the president’s vocal support for the gay community and widespread support among Republicans, it’s perfectly understandable and, frankly, common sense that Log Cabin Republicans would endorse him.
The left-wing backlash to their endorsement, while predictable, betrays the veneer of so-called tolerance. If the far left truly believed in “progress,” they would celebrate that enough consensus has emerged around gay rights issues that many gay people increasingly feel free to support either party.
If anything, the unhinged vitriol reveals that the activist left is deeply scared by gay Republicans. They know that as more gay people think for themselves and tolerance grows in the GOP, the Democrats will surely lose their monopoly on the LGBT vote — something progressives will say anything to stop.
