The following is a guest commentary by Sen. Roy Ashburn originally posted at GayPolitics.com

Startled by the blurry reality of a red light glaring in my rear-view mirror at 2 am on the morning of March, 4, 2010, I knew my life was about to change.  The California Highway Patrol stopped me as I was driving drunk after leaving a gay club in Sacramento, California’s capital.   With my arrest and the media inquiry that followed, my deeply-held secret was no longer my own business.  My private life as a closeted gay man was now the public’s business, and I had a lot of explaining to do.

I should begin with an apology.  I am sincerely sorry for the votes I cast and the actions I took that harmed lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.  Just as important to me, I am sorry for not stepping forward and speaking up as an elected official on behalf of equal treatment for all people.  For nearly 26 years, the voters in my area of California trusted me as their elected representative.  I look back now knowing there is so much more I could have done to inform the public about LGBT  people and to fight for equal rights under the law.  Regrettably and selfishly, I took another path in my life and political career—I chose to conceal who I truly am and to then actually vote against the best interests of people like me.  All this was done because I was afraid–terrified, really–that somehow I would be revealed as gay.

My past actions harmed gay people.  In fact, all people are harmed when there is unequal treatment of anyone under the constitution and laws of our country.  I do not believe in discrimination, and yet my votes advanced unequal of treatment of gay people and promoted the suspicion and fear that limits people from being forthright and accepted in society.

Now, from what I have lived and learned, I want to do the best that I can to advance equality and freedom for all people.  Given the shame and confusion that many feel over their sexual orientation, perhaps my situation can serve as an example of both the harm that can come from denial and fear, and the opportunity to try to make things right.

Gay people being treated with respect and having the same opportunities for a good life regardless of sexual orientation should not be topics of political debate.  How can it possibly be that there is a partisan political divide over equal rights in America?  At a time when our country is deeply divided over the proper size and scope of government, when people are hurting in a bad economy and when we face real threats from terrorists determined to end our way of life, shouldn’t we be united on at least one principal–that equality for all Americans is fundamental to who we are as a nation of freedom-loving people?

Now, I am somewhat of a novelty in politics.  I am a gay Republican.  I have always been a Republican, even as an eight-year-old boy with an intense interest in campaigning, elections and government.  To me, Republican principles hold that each individual is special and unique; each individual should have the maximum freedom and opportunity under our Constitution; that government has no business in the private lives of our citizens.

If these truly are the guiding values of Republicans—how did we ever get into the situation where my party is viewed as the anti-gay-rights party?  Well, maybe because Republicans, including myself, have voted and acted to oppose equality and freedom for gay people.

It’s time for fair-minded Republicans to speak up for what our party really stands for—individual freedom and limited government.  If we truly believe the greatness of America is founded on the individual achievements of ordinary citizens acting with the maximum amount of personal liberty, then there should be no debate over where Republicans stand on the rights of LGBT Americans.

We stand for equality as well as opportunity.  We stand for individuals living their lives without fear or limits imposed by a powerful government.  We stand for a government of limited powers over citizens, including not being involved in the private lives of people.  These tenets of Republican ideology call for bold action by our party when confronted with the real-life issues of discrimination against LGBT people.

I am no longer willing, nor able to remain silent in the face of unequal and hurtful treatment of my community.  It may have taken me a strange, incoherent and long path to get here, but this is where I find myself as a gay Republican Senator.  It’s time for Republicans to find our way and fight for equal treatment for all people, especially the freedom to be unique and have our rights acknowledged and protected.

Roy Ashburn, a California State Senator, is in his final term in office representing District 18, which includes portions of Kern, Tulare, and San Bernardino Counties.

Posted: July 20th, 2010 under GOP Progress, On the Lighter Side.
Comments: 1

The Advocate interviewed Log Cabin’s Executive Director and published their article this week. In the piece, Cooper states:

 ”I didn’t choose to be gay, I chose to be a Republican. I am a Republican. I am also a gay man. There’s obviously a lot of work to do in education and communication on both sides. Republicans are voters, donors, elected leaders; you don’t have to be mutually exclusive, just like one does not have to be mutually exclusive as being a person of faith and being gay or lesbian, and the same can be applied with politics as well.”

Read the entire article at http://www.advocate.com/Politics/Politicians/King_of_the_Cabin/

Posted: July 2nd, 2010 under Chapter News, GOP Heroes, Log Cabin In Focus, On the Lighter Side.
Comments: none

NOTE: Guest blogger Matt Salmon is chairman of the Arizona Log Cabin Republicans  

In newspapers and blogs, on television and the Internet we are constantly bombarded by the idea  that being gay automatically means we must choose the Democratic Party and all Republicans are basically anti-gay. I understand that Republicans do not have the greatest track record on gay issues, but times are changing. The basic tenants of the Republican Party support gays and all of their rights and change is inevitable, but will take some hard work.

Several years ago I was a young, scared boy and I knew that I was gay, but growing up in a staunch Republican family was one more strong reason I could not be. At least, that is what I was taught by family, friends and the media. Somehow though, I do not think life was ever meant to be guided by the instructions found in a “Build Your Own Adventure” book. Where in life does it say at the bottom of the page:

“If you decide to be gay, you are democrat – turn to page 37.”
“If you decide to be straight, you can be anything – turn to page 12 for independent, 25 for republican, 37 for democrat…”?

I have often heard people say, “I just don’t get the idea of gay Republicans.” Personally, as one who has grown up as a gay man in a Republican family, I don’t understand why more of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community are not Republican.

I was recently reviewing the core ideals of the Republican Party: limited government, individual freedom, personal responsibility, strong national defense and free market economy and all of those basics support equality for GLBT individuals. Here’s why:

A limited government would keep the government out of restricting the right to marry from one person to another. Many individuals within the party have lost sight of what a limited government truly means, it is time to bring it back.

Individual freedom promotes the ideas of “life (to live it as we choose), liberty (so our choices are not limited), and the pursuit of happiness (to live it with whom we choose)” promised all Americans in the Declaration of Independence. All people should be allowed the privilege of making their own decisions where they do not infringe upon the same privilege of another.

Personal responsibility allows every person the ability to support themselves and the ones they love, i.e. adoption, hospital rights, legal rights.

A strong national defense would only be stronger from those GLBT men and women with integrity openly serving and honoring their loved ones and country.

A free market economy protects all business owners from government intervention.

To date, the Republican Party, as a whole, has not done much for equality, but what more have the Democratic congress and executive branch done? It seems they continuously make empty promises, which hurt those they promise to protect.

To be Republican is not to be anti-gay, nor is it necessarily socially conservative, and it is time for the community to open its mind and begin to allow people to be individuals. There are an increasing number of prominent members of the Republican Party coming out as supporters of equal rights for all, such as Laura Bush and Cindy McCain. Yet, it is no wonder that many people feel that they cannot be both, and that those who are both are anomalies, when they are constantly told that Democrats are pro-gay and Republicans are anti-gay. I have grown tired of it.

 Gays who are former Republicans often ask me how I can be a Republican as a gay man, to which I reply, “We are different. You see something you do not like and so you change your party. I see something I do not like and I work to bring about change from within.”

I am proudly gay and proudly Republican. After all, an elephant just doesn’t fit in a closet.

Posted: June 24th, 2010 under GOP Heroes, Log Cabin In Focus, On the Lighter Side.
Comments: none

This week a transcript of Barry Goldwater’s commentary on a military ban on openly gay service appeared in the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times.

 Barry Goldwater wrote a transcript in 1993 on his opinion and opposition to the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. The following are outstanding quotes from Goldwater on the issue.

 “The conservative movement, to which I subscribe, has as one of its basic tenets the belief that government should stay out of people’s private lives. Government governs best when it governs least – and stays out of the impossible task of legislating morality. But legislating someone’s version of morality is exactly what we do by perpetuating discrimination against gays.”

 “I served in the armed forces. I have flown more than 150 of the best fighter planes and bombers this country manufactured. I founded the Arizona National Guard. I chaired the Senate Armed Services Committee. And I think it’s high time to pull the curtains on this charade of policy.”

 “After more than 50 years in the military and politics, I am still amazed to see how upset people can get over nothing. Lifting the ban on gays in the military isn’t exactly nothing, but it’s pretty damned close.”

 “But most Americans should be shocked to know that while the country’s economy is going down the tubes, the military has wasted half a billion dollars over the past decade chasing down gays and running them out of the armed services.”

 “If I were in the Senate today, I would rise on the Senate floor in support of our commander in chief. He may be a Democrat, but he happens to be right on this question.”

Posted: June 1st, 2010 under From the Right, GOP Heroes, In Focus, Issues in Focus, On the Lighter Side.
Comments: 1

So we’re in the holiday season – for some a time of joy, others a time for patiently enduring family gatherings and frigid weather.  But this year, many LGBT Americans have a ready-made New Year’s resolution: do all that we can to reach out to those who voted, or would vote, to deny us our fundamental freedoms (like happened in California, Florida, Arizona and Arkansas this year).  If that’s on your wish list, I’ve got a suggestion for how to get started.

Go see Milk, and take your family with you.  Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (who also worked with Republicans Against 8 to craft two of our anti-8 web ads) has created a masterpiece of a film that deserves to be seen far and wide.  With a significant focus on the fight against the anti-gay Briggs Initiative (the same initiative whose opposition gave rise to Log Cabin when our founders worked to obtain Gov. Reagan’s opposition to that discriminatory law) it couldn’t be more relevant to today’s debate.  And with many of us looking for some way to connect with our families this holiday season, it couldn’t come at a better time.

See the film, get inspired, and share this part of our collective story… a story that most people, even our best straight allies, just don’t know.  Then share your own story.  That’s how real change will be made.  Give it a try – you’ve gotta have hope.

-posted by Casey Pick

Posted: December 29th, 2008 under On the Lighter Side.
Comments: none

Editors Note: This message comes from longtime Log Cabin member Ted Jackson, who is working to elect John McCain & Sarah Palin in Nevada as a coalitions director.

I have been working to elect John McCain, Sarah Palin and the GOP ticket in Nevada as a coalitions director.  The stakes are high out here as the Battleborn state’s five Electoral College votes may decide the next president of the United States.  Our volunteers have been great, working hard to reach every voter they can by telephone or face to face on their doorstep.  Last Tuesday I came into work and was told that Kelsey Grammer and John Ratzenberger were coming to visit our volunteers on Friday.  WOW!  I was a huge fan of Cheers in the 80’s and Frasier in the 90’s.  The only thing missing was mine, and everyone’s, favorite character “Norm.”

Then the light bulb went off in my head.  We Republicans like a challenge, and so I created a competition to recruit volunteers and make sure that “Norm” was at our Friday phone bank with his friends from Cheers. I challenged our volunteer leaders to recruit 75 new volunteers for Friday’s phone banking shift and if they reached that goal…I would dress up and play the part of “Norm.”  Being a hefty guy I new I could pull off the act!

Well the volunteer leaders excelled beyond expectation and recruited 200 volunteers at 2 separate locations!  The offices were packed with excitement and not just for Hollywood’s conservative elite, but with fervor for electing John McCain, Sarah Palin and the GOP ticket!

It was a lot of fun.  I wore a brown curly wig, short tie in Norm’s usually style and of course carried around my mug of root beer. The best part of playing Norm was when Kelsey and John arrived.  They had heard about our contest, but were expecting an over-ambitious characterature of their friend.  When Kelsey saw me he doubled over laughing, and John stood speechless in the doorway. Both referred to me as “George,” meaning the actor George Wendt who played “Norm,” as they commented that I am much taller but look just like him in the face with the brown curly wig.

These guys were awesome as they greeted volunteers and thanked them for their dedication to the campaign.  They both spoke eloquently about our nation’s need for financial recover and defending our freedoms and their belief that John McCain is the standard bearer that could get it done.  Both got on the phones themselves, and John Ratzenberger noted important it felt to be making personal calls to voters for this important campaign.  He even said he would do more when he returned home to CA.

The day was a lot of hilarious fun.  By the end of the day John Ratzenberger and I joked that after the campaign I could come to Hollywood and star in his new film Son of Norm.  The opening shot would be of myself on a horse atop a hill…looking like Norm…with a keg of beer strapped to my back.  Kelsey would of course return as Frasier, but in this episode of the next Cheers generation Frasier would fill the plot as the Bond-like villain, working to take over the beloved tavern “Cheers” complete with an exotic tiger at his side.

All fun aside though…the goal of the day was to reach out to thousands of voters in one day, and we certainly accomplished it!  Our volunteers were great and our Hollywood guests re-inforced the need for old fashioned grassroots connection with the voters to elect John McCain and Sarah Palin.  I am extremely thankful to these guys, and even more so to our fantastic volunteers who rose to the challenge of making me Norm for a day!

Please take to heart the message in this story, that whatever we do in the next 20 days, make sure we do the most important work to elect our candidates, even if it means rolling up the sleeves and getting muddy in the grassroots…and have fun doing it!  

-posted by Ted Jackson

Posted: October 17th, 2008 under Chapter News, Elections, From the Right, GOP Heroes, GOP Progress, In the News, Log Cabin In Focus, On the Lighter Side.
Comments: none

A gay Chicago newspaper called “Outlines” published an election guide in 1996, which reveals something interesting about Democrat Barack Obama.  In his ‘96 run for the Illinois State Senate, he said that he was in favor of same-sex marriage.  He must have changed his mind, because he is opposed to same-sex marriage today.

This revelation comes after Obama’s campaign manager, Steve Hildebrand, said that Obama is not likely to speak out against anti-gay marriage initiatives in Florida.  “He feels it might not be appropriate for him to tell Floridians how to vote since he is not a Floridian,” Hildebran told the gay political blog Bilerico.

Also, in case you missed it a while back, Obama backpedaled on his primary campaign promise to end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” saying now that he won’t try to repeal the policy on his own.

Is this the “change we can believe in?”  Sounds like Bill Clinton all over again.

Posted: October 10th, 2008 under Democrats, Elections, In the News, On the Lighter Side.
Comments: none

Sex columnist Dan Savage, somehow qualified to be a political pundit, appeared on “The Agenda with Joe Solmonese” on XM Satellite Radio to discuss his experience at the Republican National Convention. 

It’s a pretty outrageous interview.  Not because Savage is funny.  But more because he is racist and spews mostly lies in the interview.  Listen to the whole thing

After talking about how “nasty” the RNC was, he says, “That’s what is so staggeringly Republican about the whole convention…just how dishonest and what a nasty bit of work it was.”

But then Dan himself proceeds to make dishonest and nasty claims about the RNC and, in particular, Log Cabin Republicans.  Let’s explore those lies.  Here are the most outrageous points Savage makes (in italics), with my response following each.

“We had two days of a convention that were, you know, pardon my French, but they basically boiled down to ‘who does that n-word think he is?’”

Really?  I’d be curious to see what transcripts of the convention you have.  In fact, I’m sure most national news outlets would be interested in getting their hands on those transcripts.  You’re the one who seems to be racist, Dan.

Host: “I want you to talk a little bit about the time you spent with the gay Republicans, the Log Cabin Republicans…”

[Laughter]

Dan Savage then mocks gay Republicans and the hate many of us receive from gays on the Left by saying (sarcasticly), “and how they have suffered…practically Selma, Alabama the way they suffer.”

Is that supposed to be funny?  And he’s calling Republicans racist?

“The Republican Platform is even further to the right…on gay rights…than the one written four years ago under George Bush when the Log Cabin Republicans declined to make an endorsement.”

Simply untrue.  Try actually reading the platform before you talk about it.  This year’s platform makes no mention of civil unions–a big step forward from 2004 when, not only marriage, but civil unions were the target of opposition in the platform.

Then, he dismisses gay Republicans by saying, “There aren’t that many of them.” 

“They [Log Cabin Republicans] had a Big Tent Event…there were not that many people at it…fifteen tables and a bunch of empty ones toward the back.  it was very sad.”

Buy a better watch next time you need to “cover” an event, Dan.  (He arrived 15 minutes before the two-hour event ended, which is probably why he found some empty seats.)  Log Cabin had a bigger presence and more people at this convention than any other Republican convention before.

“It’s time for them to fold up their freakin’ big tent and realize that being a social liberal and a fiscal conservative means you’re a Democrat.”

Wow.  For dismissing gay Republicans for being so few in number, you sure do get riled up when you talk about us.

Solmonese:  “So, at that event, which I know is where they announced their endorsement of McCain, did somebody show up, either from the party or the campaign?”

Dan:  “Yeah, they sent Larry Craig.”

[Laughter]

“There were a couple people there from the Republican National Committee, but no.”

Larry Craig?!?!  BRILLIANT!  Nevermind the fact that this guy gets paid for this kind of recycled comedy…but, it’s simply untrue that there was no one there from the campaign.  The campaign’s national political director, Michael DuHaime, showed up to accept the endorsement.  Of course, Dan wouldn’t have known that because, again, he arrived 15 minutes before the event ended.

Also, no mention from Savage that Steve Schmidt, McCain’s Senior Campaign Adviser, spoke to Log Cabin members during the convention as well.

Isn’t it usually when people realize they’re losing that they desperately lie about the other side?  Boy, the Left is sounded desperate, aren’t they?

-posted by Scott Tucker

Posted: September 12th, 2008 under Action Alert, Democrats, Elections, From the Right, GOP Progress, In the News, Log Cabin In Focus, On the Lighter Side.
Comments: none

Our big event in Minneapolis for the RNC…

-posted by Scott Tucker

Posted: August 25th, 2008 under Chapter News, Elections, From the Right, GOP Heroes, GOP Progress, In the News, Log Cabin In Focus, On the Lighter Side.
Comments: none

…but because it’s so cool, I thought you’d like to see!

-posted by Scott Tucker

Posted: August 25th, 2008 under Elections, From the Right, GOP Heroes, GOP Progress, In the News, Log Cabin In Focus, On the Lighter Side.
Comments: none