A group of gay Republicans
Would tell the truth, they vowed;
These honest, gay, conservatives
Became the GOProud
They would not live life closeted,
Nor with the liberal crowd;
They bravely blazed a different trail—
They were the GOProud
With insight and intelligence
These gay men were endowed;
Their work insured Republicans
Respected GOProud
Conservatives are gathering
To celebrate out loud;
To celebrate out loud;
Among the groups responsible,
The mighty GOProud
But there are some conservatives
Who’d keep their brethren cowed;
They will not share the conference with
The sinful GOProud
Some say they pitch a giant tent—
Well, gays are not allowed—
The GOP has bigots, too,
Who shun the GOProud.
Their thoughts are fixed on heaven,
So their heads are in a cloud;
They’d rather miss the conference than
Accept the GOProud
So let the Christian Right demand
Their party wear a shroud;
I’m glad the mainstream GOP
Embraces GOProud.
In the “strange bedfellows” department, the Conservative Political Action Conference (next month, in DC), “the conservative movement’s largest gathering of the year” (NY Times) has lots of daddies. Including GOProud, the conservative gay organization (because the Log Cabin Republicans were more Gay than Republican, GOProud emerged as the more Republican than Gay alternative).
Now, I am not a Republican. But I am very happy to see the mainstream conservative groups sponsoring CPAC are ever-so-slightly more modern less medieval than the [predominately] church-based groups that have refused to share their Big Tent with fellow conservatives who agree with them on better than 90% of their agenda… but who love their fellow men a bit more literally than the bible-bangers can stomach.
The New York Times story focuses on the “Divisions On The Right”, but really, the “divisions” are very meaningfully different. And this is good news (sorta–bear with me here). Yes, conservative Christian Pinheads are Homophobic Assholes. This is Not News. What is news, though, is that a Gay group is a co-sponsor of the Conservative Political Action Conference. Yes, it should have happened with the Log Cabin Republicans, and yes, it should not have required even that. But movement is movement, even if it makes plate tectonics look like speed dating.
Oh yes. Me too! I'm glad that most Republicans support the GOProud… Further, the terribly stupid half-measure of Don't Ask, Don't Tell enacted by (Democrat) Pres. Clinton has GOT TO GO. We can't expect our service members to be honorable and honest in all other matters while forcing them to lie, even by omission, about who they are and who they love. I'm looking at you, John McClain, and I'm seriously disappointed at what I see.
Don't buy into that GOP strategy to blame Clinton for DADT – it was a step up from the existing policy. What? You think before Bill it was Pride Day in the army? Give me a break. It was Hunt Down and Kick Out – with a Dishonorable Discharge that pretty much ruined your life as far as employment went.