National
Gay group works to change hearts, minds at CPAC
Amid the boos, GOProud finds support from young conservatives
GOProudās booth at last weekās Conservative Political Action Conference was, like most others at the event, a simple setup.
At the back of the booth was a cardboard wall with the groupās name repeated in red, white and blue lettering. On a table were clipboards with sign up sheets, a roll of āDraft Cheney 2012ā stickers and a handout describing the groupās mission.
āGOProud represents gay conservatives and their allies,ā it says. āGOProud is committed to a traditional conservative agenda that emphasizes limited government, individual liberty, free markets and a confident foreign policy.ā
The setup, in hindsight, might have been too simple. Jimmy LaSalvia, the groupās executive director, at one point looked longingly at a neighboring booth for the Citizens in Charge Foundation, a group dedicated to instituting the referendum process in each state. The motif for the booth included beach toys and fishing nets with dollar bills.
āWe should have had a gimmick like that,ā he said. āThat would have brought more people over.ā
Still, the āDraft Cheneyā stickers caused at least some passers by to stop. The problem? Most people in the CPAC exhibition hall were unaware of GOProudās mission as a gay group. Asked by one attendee whether Cheney would really run in 2012, Chris Barron, GOProudās board chair, responded enthusiastically.
āI donāt know, but can you imagine a better person to send off in a debate with Barack Obama?ā he said. āIād pay money to see that!ā
It was a tough crowd for GOProud. As LaSalvia and Barron greeted convention attendees and explained the organizationās outlook to those who were interested, they found themselves having to navigate a sometimes-hostile environment.
Brochures handed out by the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family & Property, ostensibly a Catholic organization, encouraged people to ākeep our military cleanā and āoppose the homosexual agenda for the military.ā
āHomosexual vice represents the opposite of this military honor,ā says the document. āIt violates natural law, epitomizes the unleashing of manās unruly passions, undermines self-discipline and has [been] defined as āintrinsically evilā by the Magisterium of the Catholic Church on numerous occasions.ā
At CPAC, GOProud was queer. And while some were OK with it, others were not.
āWhat are you guys about?ā
Tension at GOProudās booth mounted at one point when a woman with a determined look on her face stopped at the booth and announced she needed to air some concerns. Jon Fortin, a gay former Republican administration official who helped GOProud at CPAC, became noticeably tense as a nearby reporter grabbed his notebook.
āI just want to tell you guys that I believe gambling does harm to families,ā she said. āIt creates financial ruin and drives families apart.ā
Fortin quickly noted that the Poker Players Alliance, is actually next to GOProud, opposite the Citizens in Charge Foundation.
āOh,ā the woman said. āWell what are you guys about then?ā
Fortin explained GOProudās mission of advocating for items on the conservative agenda while simultaneously advancing some LGBT causes, such as repeal of āDonāt Ask, Donāt Tell.ā
In response, the woman said she had concerns about how gays serving openly would contribute to military readiness. She also wanted to know what arrangements could be made for straight service members who are uncomfortable being in close quarters with gays.
Fortin made an effort to allay her concerns by saying that repealing the law would simply allow gay troops already in the military to serve openly without being expelled from the armed services.
The exchange was among the most contentious moments at GOProudās booth. Others who approached either voiced support for their inclusion at CPAC, asked questions about the groupās agenda, or expressed their lack of interest or opposition by simply moving to the next booth.
That nothing more contentious occurred at the gay groupās booth could be taken as evidence that the conservative movement is shifting toward greater acceptance ā or at least greater tolerance ā of gays. Young conservatives, the largest demographic at CPAC, seem willing to include gays among the crowd, or are at least divided on the issue.
Remarks of two CPAC speakers and the accompanying audience reaction seem to best symbolize the state of gay inclusion among conservatives. Alexander McCorbin, a member of Students for Liberty, praised CPAC in his speech for allowing GOProud to participate in the conference.
āIn the name of freedom, I would like to also thank the American Conservative Union for welcoming GOProud as a co-sponsor of this event,ā he said. āNot because of any politics, but because of the message that it sends: If what you truly care about is freedom, limited government, and prosperity, then this symbol is a step in the right direction, and look to the student movement for support!ā
The audience received McCorbinās words with a mixture of boos and applause. But what caused more controversy took place a few moments later when Ryan Sorba, co-founder of California Young Americans for Freedom, took the stage.
āI want to condemn CPAC for bringing GOProud to this event!ā he shouted, drawing more boos than McCorbin received, but still some applause. Sorba continued his tirade against gays and their pursuit of civil rights.
āCivil rights are granted in natural rights,ā he said. āNatural rights are granted in human nature. Human nature is a rational substance in relationship. The intelligible end of reproductive act is reproduction. Do you understand that?ā
Despite more boos from the audience, Sorba continued. āThe lesbians at Smith College protest better than you do!ā And after apparent disapproval from Jeff Frazee, executive director of Young Americans for Liberty, Sorba countered, āYou just made an enemy out of me, buddy.ā
When asked moments later for his reaction to Sorbaās comments, LaSalvia gave a measured response.
āI think the audience speaks for itself,ā he said. āThatās all I have to say about that.ā
LaSalvia later noted that Sorbaās remarks were possibly a boon for collecting signatures on GOProudās signup sheet. During the first two days, the group netted about 100 signatures; nearly 200 people signed up in the days following Sorbaās tirade.
No other event at CPAC hit quite as hard an anti-gay note as Sorbaās tirade.
Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness and a leading national voice against gays serving openly in the armed forces, held a press conference to warn about the danger of ending āDonāt Ask, Donāt Tell,ā but her event wasnāt officially sponsored by CPAC.
And her message was blunted when conservative activist Liz Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Richard Cheney, told Talking Points Memo following her speech at the podium that itās time to end the ban on open service.
Even an official CPAC panel dedicated to social issues was largely free of anti-gay rhetoric and instead advocated a more general advancement of largely undefined traditional values.
One exception came when panelist Tim Goeglein of Focus on the Family Action advocated for the Manhattan Declaration, an agreement among religious groups that proclaims, among other things, that marriage is for life and between one man and one woman.
Longtime social conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly praised the 31 state constitutional amendments that banned same-sex marriage throughout the country ā comments that drew significant applause from her audience. In particular, she praised the amendment Ohio voters approved in 2004.
āGeorge Bush could not and would not have been elected in 2004 if it had not been that the marriage amendment was on the ballot in the state of Ohio, which turned out to be the crucial state in that election,ā she said. āSo that has been very good for Republican victory.ā
LaSalvia said after Schlaflyās speech that Bushās victory could be attributed to any number of different factors.
But the venom found on stage was lacking among those who visited GOProudās booth in the exhibition hall. Brett Dinkins, a 19-year-old student from the University of Missouri, signed up to join GOProudās list while sporting a golden āBluntā pin on his lapel indicating his support for Republican candidate Roy Blunt in Missouriās upcoming U.S. Senate race.
Dinkins said he wanted to sign the list to show how the conservative movement is ājust getting away from the traditional, close-minded thoughts and moving forward to the age that weāre definitely in now.ā
āThey probably get a lot of heat from people sometimes, so itās good that theyāre actually out here at the biggest conservative gathering doing it,ā he said.
At one point, a representative from the National Rifle Association visited the booth, and he and LaSalvia shared memories of how the groups worked in tandem last year to get a failed concealed weapons amendment passed in the Senate. The NRA official wasnāt able to stay long, though, and soon returned to his booth.
Several candidates seeking to oust traditionally pro-LGBT lawmakers also visited GOProudās booth in search of support. LaSalvia said he received a visit from a Republican challenging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and John Loughlin, the GOP candidate who seems poised to challenge gay Democrat David Cicilline in Rhode Island this fall for Congress.
Sean Bielat, whoās the likely Republican candidate to take on gay Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), also made an appearance to seek the gay groupās help. He emphasized that heās running on fiscal issues and that he and GOProud should ākeep in touch.ā
There was even a surprise visit from lesbian MSNBC talk show host Rachel Maddow, who toured CPAC as part of her trip to D.C. She asked LaSalvia about the āobjectionsā to GOProudās presence.
āWell, the bottom line is those objections came from the fringe of the fringe,ā LaSalvia said. āThere was one organization that pulled out. It was Liberty University.ā
āOh yeah,ā Maddow said. āTheyāre the people that said health care reform was going to mean mandatory sex changes.ā
LaSalvia noted itās ironic that Liberty University pulled out because both the school and GOProud participated in a Young College Republicans event together last year.
āMaybe you so spooked them at the event ā they were like, āNever again!āā Maddow responded.
āThe bottom line is the real story is people have been coming up to us saying, āWeāre so glad youāre here,āā LaSalvia said.
Even an encounter with the National Organization for Marriage, which had a display near GOProud, was relatively calm. At one point, CNN prompted a meeting between GOProud and the anti-gay group in the networkās coverage of GOProudās role at CPAC.
āWe can have a beer summit later,ā Barron joked during the exchange.
So if theyāre not at GOProudās booth, where are these conservatives who arenāt happy about the inclusion of gays in the movement? It turns out that theyāre somewhat evasive.
Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), notorious for remarks he made during his tenure in the Senate comparing homosexuality to bestiality, dodged a DC Agenda reporter after giving a speech that suggested Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen were āindoctrinatedā by political correctness into endorsing an end to āDonāt Ask, Donāt Tellā in congressional testimony earlier this month.
Santorum held the reporterās business card and peered at it through his glasses before he returning the card.
āIām actually late for something and I have to get going,ā he said. āSorry, but I canāt answer any questions.ā
Some college students with comparatively lower profiles seemed equally skittish when approached while examining an event map.
āIām with the press,ā said the reporter. āCan I ask you some questions?ā
āSure,ā one responded.
āI write for DC Agenda. Weāre a gay publication.ā
āIād rather not be part of that.ā
āWell, can I still ask you some questions?ā
āI donāt want to say anything.ā
To get some conversational traction, this reporter eventually resorted to identifying himself verbally as a member of the press and then handing his business card to each person following the conversation. The approach helped convention attendants find their voice.
John Daniel, a 19-year-old student from Florida State University, said heās against the inclusion of gays in the conservative movement.
āI think thereās nothing wrong with people being homosexual, I just donāt believe they should get married,ā he says. āAll of us are brothers in Christ, but Iām against them getting married.ā
When pressed about what he thought of GOProudās participation in CPAC, Daniel expressed similar reservations.
āIām glad that theyāre on our side for most things, but I donāt think that they should like ā I donāt know ā I donāt think that should be high on the agenda,ā he said.
Expressing similar reluctance to welcome gays as conservatives is Chase Bishop, a 21-year-old conservative Christian from Liberty University.
āI believe that gays are fine,ā he said. āI believe that they can express themselves, and theyāre still human beings, and they can give their political views ā but I think in the conservative movement, we need to keep the people that are not gay in leadership and help the gays come back to where they need to be.ā
More support for gay rights could be found among CPAC attendees who identify as libertarians, such as Kevin Brent, a 23-year-old D.C. resident.
āIt sounds funny, but gays are people, too, and they have the rights; they should [have the] freedoms to express themselves,ā he said. āI donāt really think itās a political issue and I think it gets way more attention than it should.ā
Margaret Marro, a 19-year-old libertarian and a student from Indiana University, said she was enthusiastic about gays in the conservative movement and GOProudās participation in CPAC. She said thereās ādefinitelyā a place for gays among conservatives.
āI think that gay and lesbian issues are very, very much a generational thing and I think that my generation is much more accepting,ā she said. āHonestly, I canāt wait until those social issues arenāt part of any partyās agenda because I think that economic issues are so much [more] important to this country than issues over anyoneās personal rights.ā
The real test for GOProud came during the groupās participation in a panel discussion. On Feb. 20, the group was slated to discuss the use of social networking technologies, such as Facebook and Twitter, to advance goals for conservative organizations.
The panel took place the morning after Sorba made his remarks. LaSalvia, who represented GOProud on the panel, said he didnāt expect much fallout.
āThis is a room full of tech people,ā he said, āso I think weāll be pretty calm here.ā
But LaSalvia appeared anxious. He laughed nervously as he talked to other panelists, and had his arms wrapped before him as he chewed on his thumbnail. The first to speak of the three panelists, LaSalvia recalled that he and Barron relied on the Internet to advance their message when GOProud opened shop.
āWe knew that we had to use to the best of our ability ā and on very little money ā technology to organize our organization and start it from scratch,ā LaSalvia said. āWe still continue to use a mix of a database and contact management software that we paid for ā¦ and then we use Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and the free stuff.ā
He went on to relay an anecdote about how the group used Twitter last year to put pressure on Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) for voting against the concealed weapons amendment and comparing passage of the measure to imposing same-sex marriage on Missouri.
āWe know that Sen. McCaskill is famous for being a Twitterer,ā he said. āWe knew that that was going to be the secret weapon in this particular thing, and so, again, it was me in a coffee shop and my colleague in his living room in Georgetown with our laptops ā and we started talking to her on Twitter.ā
LaSalvia said he sent links to McCaskill on their press release and the remarks she made and that the information was re-Tweeted āthousands of times.ā
āThe Second Amendment community was mad at her,ā he says. āThe gay left was mad at her, and the Twitter universe was going nuts, and she was trying to respond to people from this committee hearing. And I thought, āOK, we lost yesterday, but at the very least, weāre giving her a bad day,ā and we have an election issue.ā
Among the audience, people were listening intently. No one appeared concerned about being lectured by a gay group or hearing about same-sex marriage ā except for perhaps an older man in the audience who had his arms crossed before him. No questions emerged regarding the groupās involvement at CPAC; people instead want to learn about the best ways to use technology to advance their organizations.
LaSalvia told the crowd to keep as much information as possible on people in their databases, including where potential supporters were first encountered. He said if people interested in their groups first expressed interest during, for example, an art fair, that information should be included in the database.
The panel discussion ended promptly after one hour and LaSalvia seemed happy with how it went.
āIt went very well ā exactly as I had expected,ā he says. āWeāre all trying to do the same thing, weāre all different organizations and we have common needs and common concerns.ā
Still, LaSalvia cursed himself for using an art fair as a place for conservatives to meet supporters.
āI wish I hadnāt used the gayest example that I could think of.ā
Federal Government
US Census Bureau testing survey on LGBTQ households
Agency proposing questions about sexual orientation and gender identity
The U.S. Census BureauĀ is seeking public comment on a proposed test of sexual orientation and gender identity questions on the American Community Survey. The test would begin this summer and continue into next year.
The Census Bureau published the request as a Federal Register notice. In its press release the agency noted that the ACS is an ongoing survey that collects detailed housing and socioeconomic data. It allows the Census Bureau to provide timely and relevant housing and socioeconomic statistics, even for low levels of geography.
As part of the process for adding new questions to the ACS, the Census Bureau tests potential questions to evaluate the quality of the data collected.
The Census Bureau proposes testing questions about sexual orientation and gender identity to meet the needs of other federal agencies that have expressed interest in or have identified legal uses for the information, such as enforcing civil rights and equal employment measures.
The test would follow the protocols of the actual ACS ā with one person asked to respond to the survey on behalf of the entire household. These particular questions are asked about people 15 years of age or older. Households are invited to respond to the survey online, by paper questionnaire or by phone.
TheĀ current Federal Register noticeĀ gives the public a final opportunity to provide feedback before the Census Bureau submits its recommendations to the Office of Management and Budget for approval. The public may provide feedback through May 30Ā online.
The White House
Judy Shepard to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom
Nancy Pelosi is also among this year’s honorees
Beloved LGBTQ advocate Judy Shepard is among the 19 honorees who will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the U.S., the White House announced on Friday.
The mother of Matthew Shepard, who was killed in 1998 in the country’s most notorious anti-gay hate crime, she co-founded the Matthew Shepard Foundation with her husband Dennis to raise awareness about anti-LGBTQ violence.
The organization runs education, outreach, and advocacy programs, many focused on schools.
In a statement shared via the Human Rights Campaign, Shepard said, āThis unexpected honor has been very humbling for me, Dennis, and our family. What makes us proud is knowing our President and our nation share our lifelong commitment to making this world a safer, more loving, more respectful, and more peaceful place for everyone.
āI am grateful to everyone whose love and support for our work through the years has sustained me.
āIf I had the power to change one thing, I can only dream of the example that Mattās life and purpose would have shown, had he lived. This honor reminds the world that his life, and every life, is precious.”
Shepard was instrumental in working with then-President Barack Obama for passage of the landmark Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2009, which was led in the House by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who will also be honored with a Presidential Medal of Freedom during the ceremony on Friday.
Also in 2009, Shepard published a memoir, “The Meaning of Matthew: My Son’s Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed,” and was honored with theĀ Black Tie Dinner Elizabeth Birch Equality Award.
“Judy Shepard has been a champion for equality and President Bidenās choice to honor her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom is a testament to what sheās done to be a force of good in the world,” HRC President Kelley Robinson said in a statement.
“A mother who turned unspeakable grief over the loss of her son into a decades-long fight against anti-LGBTQ+ hatred and violence, Judy continues to make a lasting impact in the lives of the LGBTQ+ community,” she said. Ā
“It is because of her advocacy that the first federal hate crimes legislation became law and that countless life-saving trainings, resources and conversations about equality and acceptance are provided each year by the Matthew Shepard Foundation,” Robinson said. “We are honored that Judy is a member of the HRC family and know that her work to create a more inclusive and just world will only continue.”
Other awardees who will be honored by the White House this year are: Actor Michelle Yeoh, entrepreneur and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Jesuit Catholic priest Gregory Boyle, Assistant House Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), former Labor and Education Secretary and former U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.), journalist and former daytime talkshow host Phil Donahue, World War II veteran and civil rights activist Medgar Evers (posthumous), former Vice President Al Gore, civil rights activist and lawyer Clarence B. Jones, former Secretary of State and U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), former U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) (posthumous), Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky, educator and activist Opal Lee, astronaut and former director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center Ellen Ochoa, astronomer Jane Rigby, United Farm Workers President Teresa Romero, and Olympic athlete Jim Thorpe (posthumous).
National
United Methodist Church removes 40-year ban on gay clergy
Delegates also voted for other LGBTQ-inclusive measures
The United Methodist Church on Wednesday removed a ban on gay clergy that was in place for more than 40 years, voting to also allow LGBTQ weddings and end prohibitions on the use of United Methodist funds to āpromote acceptance of homosexuality.ā
Overturning the policy forbidding the church from ordaining āself-avowed practicing homosexualsā effectively formalized a practice that had caused an estimated quarter of U.S. congregations to leave the church.
The New York Times notes additional votes “affirming L.G.B.T.Q. inclusion in the church are expected before the meeting adjourns on Friday.” Wednesday’s measures were passed overwhelmingly and without debate. Delegates met in Charlotte, N.C.
According to the church’s General Council on Finance and Administration, there were 5,424,175 members in the U.S. in 2022 with an estimated global membership approaching 10 million.
The Times notes that other matters of business last week included a “regionalization” plan, which gave autonomy to different regions such that they can establish their own rules on matters including issues of sexuality ā about which international factions are likelier to have more conservative views.
Rev. Kipp Nelson of St. Johns’s on the Lake Methodist Church in Miami shared a statement praising the new developments:
āIt is a glorious day in the United Methodist Church. As a worldwide denomination, we have now publicly proclaimed the boundless love of God and finally slung open the doors of our church so that all people, no matter their identities or orientations, may pursue the calling of their hearts.
“Truly, all are loved and belong here among us. I am honored to serve as a pastor in the United Methodist Church for such a time as this, for our future is bright and filled with hope. Praise be, praise be.ā