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GOProud Gay Conservatives: Born This Way?

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Have you ever wondered if, just as people are “born this way,” to be gay, they may also be “born this way” to be conservative or liberal? Studies show that indeed, people may be genetically predisposed to become liberal or conservative. So, can we fault our gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender brothers and sisters if they are born Republican? (Can we fault them also for being birthers?)

Perhaps not, but that doesn’t give them the license to attack without cause their fellow Democratic, Liberal, Progressive, Independent, or even Republican/Conservative gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender brothers and sisters. And the anti-Left rhetoric and hate — especially unprovoked — coming from GOProud, its founders, and supporters, is unacceptable.

GOProud claims it is, “committed to a traditional conservative agenda that emphasizes limited government, individual liberty, free markets and a confident foreign policy. GOProud promotes our traditional conservative agenda by influencing politics and policy at the federal level.” No mention in there of constant anti-Left and at times, anti-gay hate.

READ: Gay And Straight Teen Suicide Attempts Higher In Conservative Regions.

Coincidentally to Mike Signorile’s excellent post today in the Advocate, calling GOProud — the gay Tea Party Republican group — “self-loathing,” this past weekend I “hung out” in a conversation on GOProud’s Facebook page.

READ: GOProud On NPR Again Attacks “The Gay Left” As “The Most Intolerant”

Jimmy LaSalvia, GOProud’s co-founder, who has said, “Our organization’s number one goal between now and November 2012 is defeating Barack Obama,” posted a link to the Advocate’s review of an NPR interview with LaSalvia, about which I had also written. I was appalled at an initial comment by a reader in the thread, which said,

“If the Left and the Democrats really supported equality for gays, they could have proved it by repealing DOMA and passing ENDA when they had control of Congress and the White House. They didn’t, because they don’t. They were dragged kicking and screaming into repealing DADT. Obama is viciously anti-gay. Gays who are conservatives and/or Republicans are fiscal conservatives. There is plenty of support for gay equality among fiscal conservatives. Our battle for equality is with social conservatives on the Right AND the Left who believe in imposing their values through the coercive powers of government.”

(emphasis mine.)

Wow. Just wow.

 


“If Obama and the Democrats supported equality for gays, Prop. 8 would not have passed and gays would have federal equality right this minute.”



 

Usually I don’t bother with these social media battles — I used to, but realized what a time-suck they are. But I could not help myself!

“I’m so sorry. I was under the obviously false impression that Obama signed the Hate Crimes bill into law, and that he refused to defend DOMA, and that he is the first president to even mention positively and consistently the LGBT community,” I responded, rather infuriated. “I must have read the news wrong today when I thought I saw that Obama’s DOJ today encouraged an LGBT supportive environment in schools I missed the news that detailed how John Boehner decided to not spend $500+ million unappropriated tax dollars on defending DOMA, and how he is pushing for ENDA to pass, along with the DREAM Act. And how could I have missed the news when Newt Gingrich fought tooth and nail against Bill Clinton and the Democrats against DOMA and DADT? I guess my Wall Street Journal subscription must have expired when Denny Hastert railed against Bush and fought to get ENDA passed, and begged George W. to not use marriage equality as a wedge issue to drive his base of rigious bigots to the polls. Thank you for straightening me out.”

And true to their leaders’ behavior, the fireworks ensued.

But what I was honsestly surprised at was the level of ignorance and the embrace of misinformation that almost every person who commented exhibited. Evidently, even gay Republicans watch Fox News, which, as we know, is responsible for the highest level of misinformation in the cable news world.

Some more ignorance from the GOProud group:

“What exactly has Obama done for gay america?”

“Don’t say he brought an end to DADT, because that’s a joke. If he wanted that done, it would have been done while he had the entire 3 branches of gov’t.” (No, the President cannot control all three branches, which include the Supreme Court — especially not this Supreme Court!)

“If Obama and the Democrats supported equality for gays, Prop. 8 would not have passed and gays would have federal equality right this minute.” (Um, Obama was a Senator when Prop 8 passed, and Prop 8 is a state referendum, not a federal issue. There was little he could have done, aside from speak out more than he did. And, Prop 8 and DOMA are not the same. Wow.)

“The Left exploits and abuses gays without shame and you lap it up and beg for more. And you get the worst of all worlds because not only do you support people who believe it is their holy duty to kill you for being gay — Muslims and illegal immigrants from anti-gay and anti-feminist cultures — AND put THEIR interests ahead of those of gays — you also are fighting the fiscal conservative principles that provide the financial liberty that gays need to survive because of employment discrimination. Why are you such a self-loathing doormat?” (Pot. Kettle. Black…)

“The “gay left” have hijacked the gay movement…”

“The left is too focused on “social justice” issues.” (Right… Where are the jobs, Mr. Boehner? And why have Republicans introduced over 600 anti-abortion bills this year alone?)

“I am certain that Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh and FOX NEWS do not hate Gays…absolutely certain. FOX NEWS is the only major media organization that presents the news through the prism of capitalism and limited government…I appreciate that bias.”

My reponse also included,

“YOU folks here are the Republicans. Why don’t you stop wasting your time bashing the Left, and start focusing on your Republican elected officials to support repeal of DOMA, and support ENDA, and stop trying to delay DADT repeal.
The Left is FAR from perfect. But we’re trying. Like I said, what Republican elected officials are working to repeal DOMA, working to make ENDA happen, working to get DADT certified? If you folks, and your illustrious leaders Jimmy and Chris would stop bashing the Left and maybe partner with us, together we could get things done.
Honestly, it’s pretty embarrassing that we all share something in common and yet we can’t put aside our differences and fight the real opposition – the people who are actively oppressing us.
I hope someday that will happen. But until the bashing and name-calling stop, it won’t.
Pity.”

I also chided,

“just stop the Glenn Beck parroting and start getting your side to do its job.
The left is too focused on social issues?
The GOP has introduced over 600 anti-abortion bills this year alone.
Get on the damn phone and call your elected representatives and tell them to focus on creating real jobs, not abortion, not banning same-sex marriage, not anything but jobs. Have you?”

Born this way? Perhaps. But you have to admit, it takes a lot of self-loathing, as Signorile wrote, to be gay and against the right of LGBT people to marry, to be in favor of DOMA, to be against ENDA. It just does.

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Marjorie Taylor Greene Says She’s ‘Done Supporting’ The GOP: ‘Party Betrays Its Voters’

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Former Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said on Monday that she is “done supporting” her former party—but don’t expect her to join the Democratic party anytime soon.

Greene announced her disillusionment with the GOP on Monday afternoon in a tweet.

“Tucker is not the only one who is done supporting the Republican Party. There is A LOT of us that are absolutely fed up and will not support a party that betrays its voters and country. That does not mean we are turning into Democrats either. But we are DONE with the America LAST Republican Party,” Greene wrote.

She referred to comments made last week by pundit Tucker Carlson. Carlson appeared on the Can’t Be Censored podcast Thursday, saying he would refrain from supporting either major party, and admitted “I’m not sure what I’m going to do.”

READ MORE: ‘Gaslight America’: Marjorie Taylor Greene Blasts Trump Ahead of His Trip to Georgia

“How could I or any American voter support a political party that’s not loyal to the United States. That puts the interests of a foreign country above those of its own citizens. It’s not possible to vote for people like that, and I’m not going to,” Carlson said, according to Mediaite, referring to America’s long-time ally Israel.

Greene famously broke with President Donald Trump earlier this year when she called for the release of the FBI files relating to disgraced financier and sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein. A former staunch ally of Trump, the two started trading barbs. Greene resigned from the House this January. Greene has long called for an isolationist foreign policy, criticizing America’s involvement in Ukraine as well as the current conflict with Iran.

Given that Greene said she has no plans on moving leftward in her politics, it’s unclear if she will refrain from voting or if she’ll throw her lot in with a third party. While American politics are primarily driven by the two major parties, a number of smaller parties also exist.

Greene may find a home in the Libertarian party, the third-largest party by voter registration. The Libertarian party has drifted rightward since its founding in 1971. While initially economically conservative but politically liberal, after 2022, the paleolibertarian Mises Caucus gained control of the party. Paleolibertarianism was developed by anarcho-capitalists, and embraces cultural conservatism. Some of the most widely known paleolibertarians include former Representative Ron Paul and the current president of Argentina, Javier Milei.

Third parties struggle to gain traction in the United States. The closest a third party has come to widespread support was the Reform Party, founded by H. Ross Perot during the 1996 presidential election after he won 18.9% of the popular vote in the 1992 presidential election as an independent candidate. Reform won 8.4% of the popular vote in the 1996 election, but no third-party or independent candidate has been as successful as Perot since.

However, the electoral college makes it difficult for a third-party presidential candidate to be elected at all. Third-party presidential candidates are often seen as spoilers for the major candidates. Perot is often believed to have won votes away from President George H.W. Bush in 1992, giving the election to President Bill Clinton. In 2000, Green Party candidate Ralph Nader was similarly accused of acting as a spoiler for Vice President Al Gore, leading to the election of President George W. Bush.

Third parties, however, have a better track record in down-ballot races. For example, Kshama Sawant won election to the Seattle City Council in 2014 as a member of the Socialist Alternative party. She held office until 2024, when she declined to seek reelection. She is currently running for a seat in the House of Representatives as an independent.

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Donald Trump Says Iran ‘Will Agree to Major Weapons Inspections’ to Ensure ‘Nuclear Honesty’

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President Donald Trump announced on Monday that Iran “will agree” to allow weapon inspectors into the country in a slightly confusing social media post.

“Everybody is fully aware that Iran will agree to have Major Weapons Inspections in order to ensure ‘Nuclear Honesty’ long into the future,” the president wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

Vice President JD Vance has been handling the negotiations with Iran to end the military conflict started by the United States and Israel at the end of February. Vance said earlier today that inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency would be allowed to enter Iran. The inspectors could be in the country as soon as Monday, according to the Washington Post.

READ MORE: Large Majority of Americans Say Iran Conflict Should End, Hasn’t Met Any of Trump’s Goals

Trump’s wording, however, is somewhat hard to parse. When he says “everyone is fully aware,” is Trump referring to Vance’s Monday announcement that had been widely reported? Or is Trump attempting to cast doubt, suggesting Iran may somehow be pulling a fast one, allowing inspections to provide cover for a weapons program?

Either way, the allowing of weapons inspectors into Iran is similar to what former President Barack Obama’s administration negotiated for in 2015. The Obama-era deal called for IAEA inspectors to make sure Iran was complying with the deal, and was not developing nuclear weapons. But in 2018, after Trump ended the agreement, Iran started to block IAEA inspectors from parts of their nuclear program. Since then, IAEA inspectors do not know the status of Iran’s enriched uranium, according to the Washington Post.

One year ago from Monday, the U.S. struck Iranian sites believed to hold stockpiles of enriched uranium. Since then, Trump has claimed that the strike “completely and totally obliterated” the country’s nuclear enrichment facilities, however, this has never been verified. Even at the time, the Pentagon said that Iran’s nuclear program had only been “degraded…by two years.” Trump’s national intelligence director testified prior to the strike that there was no evidence that Iran’s existing nuclear program was meant to build weapons, according to the Military Times.

Iran has long promised not to build or obtain nuclear weapons. In 1970, Iran signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty which deemed the country a non-nuclear state.

While Trump has warned that Iran could have a nuclear bomb “within six months,” the first report from the International Atomic Energy Agency since the Iran conflict started says that there has been no major change to the country’s nuclear program, according to Reuters.

Image via Reuters

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Federal Judge Quashes ‘Retaliatory’ Subpoenas Against Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz

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Six grand jury subpoenas were quashed by a federal judge Wednesday, when it was decided that the subpoenas were filed to retaliate against Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s administration and the city governments of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz of the District of Minnesota made his ruling public on Monday, granting the motion requested by the Minnesota officials to quash grand jury subpoenas related to Minnesota declaring itself to be a “sanctuary” state.

Last December, the Department of Homeland Security deployed over 3,000 agents to Minnesota as part of the largest immigration-related operation in the department’s history, Operation Metro Surge. After the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by DHS agents, the state of Minnesota as well as the twin cities challenged Operation Metro Surge in court, prompting President Donald Trump to rail against the local officials on social media.

READ MORE: Trump Dangles Another Insurrection Act Threat for Minnesota

Days after Minnesota, Minneapolis and St. Paul filed suit, news reports revealed that the Department of Justice had begun to investigate Walz and Minnesota Mayor Jacob Frey. Trump administration officials said that by not supporting the actions of DHS, Walz and Frey were breaking the law.

The Minnesotan officials argued that the subpoenas were “issued as part of an unconstitutional effort to coerce” them into working with DHS and ICE.

Judge Schiltz found that though grand juries traditionally “have broad investigatory powers,” the subpoenas had exceeded those powers. Schiltz agreed that the subpoenas were in violation of the Tenth Amendment, allowing states some degree of autonomy from the federal government.

Schiltz wrote that he had “no doubt” the subpoenas were issued for the “forbidden purposes” of attempting to “harass” or “coerce” Walz and Frey “into taking official action…. a blatantly unlawful and unethical use the grand-jury process.”

“On the one hand, the evidence that the challenged subpoenas were issued for unlawful reasons is overwhelming. On the other hand, the Department has struggled-without success-to identify a single plausible investigatory justification for the subpoenas,” Schiltz wrote, pointing out that the “public record… is replete with direct evidence of the Trump administration—including the highest-ranking officials of the Department—threatening and attempting to punish states and localities that have adopted ‘sanctuary’ policies.”

“To be clear, the Court agrees with the Department that a grand-jury subpoena need not be supported by probable cause. At the same time, a grand-jury subpoena cannot be issued for an improper purpose. The fact that connections between the information sought in the subpoenas and any possible criminal violation range from extremely weak to nonexistent only adds to the overwhelming evidence that these subpoenas were not issued to investigate, but to harass, coerce, and retaliate,” Schiltz added.

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