A Republican U.S. Congressman is reportedly urging his colleagues to not support any gay congressional candidates. Rep. Randy Forbes of Virginia, according to Politico, has been working to deny gay candidates access to the multi-million dollar resources of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), which invests in Republican congressional candidates. The NRCC is responsible for creating the 2008 wave of new “Young Guns” in Congress.
“Forbes has waged a lengthy crusade to convince his colleagues and the National Republican Congressional Committee brass they shouldn’t back some gay candidates. His efforts on Capitol Hill were described to POLITICO by more than a half-dozen sources with direct knowledge of the talks,” Politico reports.
On Wednesday, Forbes told POLITICO he thinks “GOP leaders can do whatever they want to do,†in terms of giving money to gay candidates.
He said he is more concerned about members being asked to contribute to the campaigns. The NRCC is partially funded by collecting tens of millions of dollars from House Republicans, who pay dues to the organization.
“There would be a different situation if they tried to force other members to give money,†Forbes said.
Asked whether he would have a problem with the NRCC donating money to DeMaio, Forbes said, “That’s a little different situation.â€
“I don’t think they’ve done that yet,†Forbes added.
Some of those gay candidates include Massachusetts Republican Richard Tisei and California Republican Carl DeMaio.
Think Progress adds that “Forbes is one of the co-sponsors of the so-called ‘Marriage and Religious Freedom Act,’ which would provide a license to discriminate against same-sex couples for all businesses with a religious affiliation. Unsurprisingly, he has previously refused to implement nondiscrimination protections for gay employees in his own Congressional office. He also supports a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage throughout the entire country. In 2007, he opposed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act on the House floor, arguing that protecting gay people from being fired for their identities could somehow “destroy the institution of marriage.'”
Rep. Forbers, by the way, is the Founder and Co-Chairman of the Congressional Prayer Caucus.
Here’s Congressman Forbes talking with anti-gay preacher Lou Engle and hate group leader Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, at the 2009 FRC Prayercast:
//www.youtube.com/embed/DxVPOO3p7nc
He told Perkins that prayer is “absolutely huge” in the shaping of public policy.
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Image, top, via Rep. Forbes’ Facebook page