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The Log Cabin Republicans is a federated political organization in the United States with state chapters and a national office in Washington, DC. The group consists of gays, lesbians and bisexuals who are also supporters of the Republican Party. On January 1, 2003, Patrick Guerriero succeeded Rich Tafel as the leader of the Log Cabin Republicans. Guerriero faced sharp criticism from both the left and the right. Guerriero stepped down as leader of the Log Cabin Republicans on September 1, 2006 to lead the Gill Action Fund. He was replaced by Tim Schoeffler. Patrick Sammon is the current executive vice president and runs its day to day operations. History The name of the organization is a reference to the first Republican President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, who was supposedly born in a log cabin. The current name of the national organization is Log Cabin Republicans. There was an unsubstantiated story that the Board dropped the word "Republicans", rumored due to IRS implications. The official website's banner still states Log Cabin Republicans. However, many of the persons involved in Log Cabin Republicans are also involved in The Liberty Education Forum a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational charity and the formation of the Liberty Education Forum might have led to the rumors and speculation. The California organization had initially popularized the Log Cabin Republicans name so the national organization adopted the Log Cabin Republicans name as well. The California group initially proposed to name themselves Lincoln Club, but found that name was already in use by another California Republican organization. Thus, an alternate name was chosen that still invoked the memory of President Lincoln: Log Cabin Republicans. Historical accounts by biographers that some characteristic of Lincoln's individuality indicate that he may have been open-minded or even gay surfaced long after the organization was formed, and did not contribute to the choice of the name. The organization originally featured a portrait of Lincoln on its website and other publicity material. The name Log Cabin Republicans has been harshly criticized by other LGBTI groups because it does not specifically identify the organization as representing persons who self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersexual. However, such harsh criticisms have not been launched against The National Stonewall Democrats nor its local chapters. The Briggs Initiative and Ronald Reagans Legacy There were many "gay Republican" groups and organization through the country beginning in the '70s. The most prominent of these, in 1977 California, founded Log Cabin Republicans, as a rallying point for Republicans opposed to the Briggs Initiative, which for a time was winning in polls conducted prior to the election with about 61% of voters supporting it while 31% opposed it. The extreme right state legislator John Briggs was pushing Prop 6, the ballot initiative describing it as an inititive that would "would defend your children from homosexual teachers." Meanwhile, in San Francisco, Supervisor Dan White, was leading the campaign for the passage of the Briggs Initiative. It was the first attempt to restrict gay and lesbian rights through a ballot measure. However, it is historically significant that the polls changed in the opponents favor when former Governor Ronald Reagan, later President opposed the measure. Reagan opposed the California ballot initiative sponsored by religious conservatives that would have barred homosexuals from teaching in the public schools. As legend has it, Reagan penned an editorial for a major California newspaper in which he opposed the initiative. The timing is significant because he was then preparing to run for president, a race in which he would need the support of conservatives and moderates who felt very uncomfortable with homosexual teachers, however Reagan chose to state his convictions. However, in the fall of 2006, a committee of Log Cabin Repulicans began researching the the legend of the Reagan editorial and the Briggs Initiative and utilized the services of a student worker, Grant Grays, at the Tretter Collection in GLBT Studies at the University of Minnesota Libraries. Grays discovered that there was no editorial penned by Reagan but rather he sent a letter to a pro-Briggs Initiative group in which he opposed the initiative. The entire text of Reagan's letter of opposition was never printed in the public media. The most extensive excerpts from his statement were reprinted in the San Francisco Chronicle of September 24, 1978 where it was revealed that the future President opposed the Briggs Initiative. Reagan's letter also allegedly stated, “Whatever else it is, homosexuality is not a contagious disease like the measles. Prevailing scientific opinion is that an individual's sexuality is determined at a very early age and that a child's teachers do not really influence this.” If true, this was a remarkably progressive thing for a politician, especially a conservative one about to run for president, to say in 1978. In the end the Briggs Initiative was defeated by over one million votes and would have prevented gay men and lesbians from being public school teachers in California. Even John Briggs' home territory, the conservative Orange County, rejected the measure. Without Reagan's personal, forceful opposition to Briggs it's likely the measure would have passed. There is, however, no public acknowledgement of Reagan's historic stance on the Briggs Initiative at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. Currently that same committee of Log Cabin Republicans are involved in searching for a copy of the actual letter and working towards having Reagan's involvement in the defeat of the initiative recognized at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Log Cabin Today Since 1977 Log Cabin has expanded across the United States and has 68 chapters in 37 states and the District of Columbia. It claims to have thousands of members but does not release membership figures. It has a staff of lobbyists in Washington, D.C., holds an annual convention, and raises funds which it donates to Republican officeholders and candidates whom it considers sympathetic to gay and lesbian rights issues. Some believe the group has been diminished in recent years as the 2004 Republican Party Platform made "defense of marriage" a political hot button issue similar to the deficit in the 90's, the Iranian hostages in the 80's and the Panama Canal in the 70's. However, some believe the organization is growing in states such as California because Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, while vetoing a controversial gay marriage bill in 2005 (which would have been the first such legislatively enacted law in the United States), has generally signed many progressive pro-gay and lesbian legislative bills into law. Platform The Log Cabin stresses its loyalty to the Republican Party. "We are loyal Republicans," its website says. "We believe in low taxes, limited government, strong defense, free markets, personal responsibility, and individual liberty. Log Cabin represents an important part of the American family — taxpaying, hard working people who proudly believe in this nation's greatness." But Log Cabin dissents from conservative Republican views on matters relating to gay and lesbian rights. "We also believe all Americans have the right to liberty, freedom, and equality," it says. "Log Cabin stands up against those who preach hatred and intolerance. We stand up for the idea that all Americans deserve to be treated equal-regardless of their sexual orientation." Log Cabins criticism of President Bush The 1992 Log Cabin Republican convention was held in The Woodlands, Texas, north of Houston. It was the first time LCR had such a large presence of the major national press at a convention. The big issue was whether or not LCR would endorse the reelection of President George H. W. Bush. Although the initial vote was divided, the Texas delegation appealed for the group to put its mission of equality above partisan loyalty and went on to lead the group in unanimously voting to deny Bush the endorsement. Although Log Cabin supported the election of George W. Bush in the 2000 presidential election, in September of 2004 LCR's board voted to withhold its endorsement of President George Bush's reelection, Bush's support of Federal Marriage amendment being one of the significant reasons, although LCR tried to avoid criticizing Bush by name, preferring to attack the influence of the "radical right" on the Republican Party. Since then LCR has been critical of many actions (and inactions) of the Bush Administration. LCR said: "The radical right has drawn Republican leaders into a culture war as the 2004 election approaches. With polls against them, the radical right has responded with more desperate rhetoric. They're using fears about gay civil marriage in their effort to engineer a public backlash. Scare tactics have failed in the past. They will fail again. That's because most Americans understand the meaning of freedom. It is not reserved for the select few. We all have the right to freedom and personal liberty." In 2000 a United States Presidential poll showed that roughly seventy percent of self-identified gay and lesbian voters (roughly four percent of those polled) supported Democratic Party Presidential candidate Al Gore, with roughly twenty percent supporting Republican Party Presidential candidate George W. Bush. Another five percent voted for Green Party Presidential candidate Ralph Nader. In light of these and other polls that have asked participants their sexual orientation it is felt that most gay and lesbian Americans support the Democrats, but that a sizable minority will support the Republican Party or some minor political party such as the Green Party or the Libertarian Party. Criticism of Log Cabin Many social conservatives and Christian evangelicals in the Republican Party refuse to recognize Log Cabin as part of the party, and many Republican office-holders refuse to meet with them or respond to their initiatives. In March 2004, for example, Kansas senator Sam Brownback said that Log Cabin's activities in support of same-sex marriage were "hurting the party they claim to support." He commended Bush for what he called "his bold and principled stand in support of a constitutional amendment protecting marriage." In May 2004 the Republican Party's North Carolina state chairman Ferrell Blount said that he would not allow the Log Cabin Republicans to purchase a booth at the party's State Convention. "I reviewed what the Log Cabin national Web site was advocating and promoting," said Blount, "and in my opinion, it is diametrically opposed to the values of the North Carolina Republican Party ... As state party chairman, I support the definition of marriage as being a union sanctioned by God between a man and a woman. That is what the Republican Party talks about in its platform and will talk about this weekend." On September 8, 2004, the Log Cabin Republicans chose to withhold endorsement of President Bush in the 2004 election on the grounds of his support for the Federal Marriage Amendment. Although conservative Republicans have distanced themselves from the group, Log Cabin has made allies with moderate Republican groups such as Christine Todd Whitman's It's My Party Too, Ann Stone's Republicans for Choice, The Republican Majority for Choice, The WISH List (Women In the Senate and House), Republicans for Environmental Protection and The Republican Main Street Partnership. In 2005, these groups united to do political combat with the Religious Right, and to re-assert the role of moderates and liberals within the Republican party. Homosexuality and The Republican Party The Republican Party has traditionally shied away from gay rights. President George W. Bush joined a large number of Republicans in both houses of Congress to call for a Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. In addition, the GOP has long been home to the evangelical Christian voting block, most of whom view homosexuality as a sin, and worked to retain anti-gay sodomy laws before they were overturned as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. In the past many gay Republicans have been forced to hide in the closet for fear of how their party would react. In 1981 a major politcal force in DC was The National Conservative Political Action Committee (NCPAC), headed by Terry Dolan, a closet gay man whose sexuality was an "open secret." Also, former Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) resigned in 2006 in a scandal over his inappropriate behavior towards young teenage male Congressional pages, and revealed his homosexuality through his lawyer only after leaving office. Openly gay D.C. activist and fund raiser Michael Rogers, runs blogactive.com, actively seeks to expose closeted gay Republicans who vote against gay civil rights. His work has has included exposing two high level officials with the RNC, Jay Banning, the RNC’s chief financial officer and director of administration, and Daniel Gurley, the RNC’s national field director and deputy political director. Each confirmed they are gay only after being "outed" for being gay and working against gay rights. He has long posted on his website the open secret that Mark Foley was a gay man who voted against gay civil rights measures. Patrick Sammon, the current executive vice president of Log Cabin Republicans issue the following statement on October 10, 2006, on their web-site in response to the Foley scandal, which, in part stated: "We support efforts to have an outside investigation to thoroughly examine Foley's wrongdoings and the Congressional leadership's response. It's important to find out if Congressional leaders responded appropriately to his behavior. . .We also criticize those who are using this scandal to push their outing efforts of gay Republicans. Log Cabin unequivocally opposes outing. I am unaware of a single forced outing that led to passage of one piece of pro-gay legislation. Coming out on your own terms with courage is a positive catalyst for change. Forced outings don't advance our movement because they're motivated by vengeance and they distract us from what's really important. Those who are trying to out gay Republicans should be ashamed. ¶The mission of Log Cabin Republicans is more important now than ever before. Working from inside our Party with loyalty and integrity is the best way to make the GOP more inclusive. We will never achieve equality without Republican votes." See also | |||||||
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