GOProud Gay Conservatives: Born This Way?

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.