They rank among the most embattled political factions. And it's not
just because as a local chapter of a conservative grassroots
organization, they represent a bubble of red in the tsunami of blue
that is Manhattan. It's that after years of being on the firing line
of America's culture wars, gay Republicans are becoming more than just
a political anomaly.
They may also be an endangered species.
Branded traitors by many who share their sexual preference, and
attacked as immoral by many of their own political persuasion, these
gay men and women seek strength in dwindling numbers as members of the
Log Cabin Republicans. At least one evening a month, they meet at
local bars throughout the city to bond with others over their unique
balancing act -- being openly homosexual and unabashedly conservative.
"It was easier to come out as gay to Republican friends than it is to
come out as a Republican to other gays," said Brian Graybow, a member
of the New York group's governing caucus.
"I'm afraid of where the Republican Party has been heading in recent
years,
particularly with respect to Christian fundamentalism," said James
Saunders,
a tax attorney and longtime Log Cabin member. "It makes it uncomfortable
to
be a Republican."
But leaders of the Log Cabin Republicans believe that the current
presidential election represents a chance to turn the page on the
divisive
Bush years. After declining to endorse President George W. Bush in 2004,
the
organization has thrown their support behind Senator John McCain's
candidacy.
"The McCain-Palin ticket represents perhaps the most gay-friendly
Republican
ticket in history," said Brian Graybow, a member of the group's governing
caucus, in explaining the Log Cabin's endorsement.
At the local level, the New York City chapter of the Log Cabins is using
excitement surrounding the 2008 presidential election to reinvigorate an
organization that had become moribund during the past five years. In May,
Log Cabin launched a redesign of its website and began hosting monthly
receptions to bolster membership. Their efforts are paying off. Ranks
swelled to over 1,000, and the organization's political action arm has
raised $75,000 on behalf of four state assembly candidates who are
supportive of gay rights.
While Log Cabin's leadership is feeling sanguine about the direction of
the
Republican Party, many members at the ground level are more cautiously
optimistic.
"I do not agree with the Republican party on gay issues," said Kent
Michaels, a research analyst at Goldman Sachs. "In fact, their attitude
is
truly reprehensible. But the Democratic Party hasn't stepped up on that
issue either."
Michaels, however, went on to say that he could never vote for Obama
because
of his views: "He wants to redistribute the wealth. The ability to get
really, really wealthy is part of the American Dream."
Michaels exemplifies the kind of hybrid Republican that Log Cabin
gatherings
typically attract. The crowd of sixty partygoers watching the debate
tended
to be affluent, white, and overwhelmingly male. Economic issues and tax
policy were of paramount importance, leading them to typically vote
Republican (although a smattering sat out the last election). Most,
however,
were less orthodox in their conservatism than other party faithful, even
as
everyone in the barroom voiced support for McCain.
"I believe that McCain can better handle entitlement issues," said Carlo
Aprea, a hedge fund manager.
"McCain is an example of somebody who put country before everything
else,"
said Dr. Abraham Uncyk, who has been a fan of McCain since he ran in the
2000 presidential primary. "I've been waiting eight years to vote for
him."
For Aprea, Uncyk and their fellow Log Cabin members, McCain's views on
the
economy and international relations make up for his opposition to gay
rights. While most expressed dismay that McCain was not more supportive,
a
few bridled when asked if gay issues factored into their decision.
"I cannot stand narcissistic gay people who think that the world revolves
around gay issues," said Reynolds Butler, a Brooklyn-based librarian. "I
mean right now we are fighting against Islamo-terrorists who plan to take
over the world."
The fiery Butler, who came to event decked out in a McCain-Palin t-shirt,
exhibited passion throughout the course of the debate. He heckled Senator
Joesph Biden for being "weak on terror" and cheered lustily when Gov.
Palin
repeated the mantra, "drill, baby drill.
Only one other person matched his intensity. Gioia Ambrette.
As one of only seven women at the bar, Ambrette, with her booming voice
and
cackle, made certain that what the female Log Cabins lacked in numbers,
they
more than made up for in volume. Her sarcastic quips ricocheted off the
walls of the tiny room, overwhelming the comments of the other, equally
spirited members.
"When was the last time he was in Scranton?" hooted Ambrette, her arm
draped
over her partner of thirty years, as Biden recounted his childhood spent
in
Pennsylvania steel country.
Four decades ago, Ambrette would have been shocked to have found herself
at
a gathering like this. As a college student, she was a self-described
"crazy
hippie leftist," caught up in the anti-Vietnam War movement. As her
voicemail business grew, she became irate over the amount she was
spending
on taxes and found her allegiances shifting to the party of Reagan.
It hasn't been easy. Until she started coming to Log Cabin meetings last
summer, Ambrette confesses she never felt safe to express her political
views freely.
"Gay liberals are the most intolerant people in the world," Ambrette
said.
"Once they find out you are conservative, they drop you like a hot
potato."
Graybow echoes Ambrette's sentiments, noting "It was easier to come out
as
gay to Republican friends than it is to come out as a Republican to other
gays."
Part of what Ambrette and Graybow's gay friends may be responding to is
the
sheer novelty of finding a gay Republican.
Recent studies have shown that over the past eight years, the gay vote,
which represents about 5 percent of the vote nationally, has become
almost
exclusively Democratic. In just three weeks, as many as 90 percent of gay
voters are likely to pull the lever for Senator Barack Obama, according
to
polling by Kenneth Sherrill, Professor of Political Science at Hunter
College.
It wasn't always this way. In the past, gay voters were not a monolithic
constituency. Studies conducted in the 1990s by the late Robert Bailey, a
Rutgers University public policy professor, demonstrated that one-third
of
gay voters supported Republicans in 1998. But that began to change with
George W. Bush's election in 2000 and, in particular, with his reelection
campaign in 2004.
As part of its strategy, the Bush re-election campaign stoked anti-gay
prejudices by maneuvering to have marriage amendments placed on the
ballot
in swing states such as Ohio, in an effort to bring out evangelical
voters.
This year, despite the fact that marriage bans will be on the ballot in
such
electoral-rich states as California and Florida, the war in Iraq and the
economy have dwarfed social issues.
Log Cabin members were hopeful that McCain's reluctance to resort to
these
types of polarizing tactics derived from a greater willingness on his
part
to support gay rights. As evidence, they cite McCain's opposition to the
federal marriage amendment and his recent interview with the Washington
Blade, a gay magazine - the first time in the publication's history that
a
Republican presidential nominee has ever agreed to answer their candidate
questionnaire.
Scott Tucker, Communications Director for the national Log Cabin
Republicans
believes that this election represents a chance to push the Republican
Party
to be more sympathetic to gay rights issues.
"We believe it's conservative to support relationship recognition," said
Tucker. "We are calling for the Republicans to return to the basics: free
trade and open markets. We are urging the GOP to return to those issues
that
unite us rather than those that divide us. And Senator McCain has been
willing to hear us out on these things."
In arguing that little has changed, other left-leaning gay groups such as
the Stonewall Democrats and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force point
to
McCain's opposition to hate crime legislation and civil unions and his
endorsement of the army's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.
They have a point. Though the McCain camp has been more solicitous of the
Log Cabins than past Republican candidacies, sending top strategist Steve
Schmidt to accept their endorsement in person and calling the group from
time to time for advice, it is notable that there is no section on the
McCain's website devoted to gay issues. In contrast, Sen. Obama's
campaign
has devoted enormous resources to courting gay voters by forming an Obama
Pride group numbering in the tens of thousands and appearing with other
Democratic primary candidates at a gay rights voter forum last fall.
Though part of a shrinking subset of the American electorate, as the
debate
commenced, the Log Cabin Republicans at the Sheraton came together to
show
their solidarity. They pumped their fists in the air, stomped their feet
and
hollered words of encouragement while washing down wings and burgers with
martinis and beer.
The loudest cheers, however, were reserved for Gov. Palin's answer to a
question regarding benefits for same-sex couples. While Gov. Palin
reaffirmed her opposition to gay marriage, she did state: "No one would
ever
propose, not in a McCain-Palin administration, to do anything to
prohibit,
say, visitations in a hospital or contracts being signed, negotiated
between
parties."
Good enough for the crowd at the Sheraton. Their catcalls of approval
were
so uproarious that they drowned out Sen. Biden's follow up. After the
debate
ended and members made their goodbyes, many were still talking excitedly
about Gov. Palin's response.
But a few remained wary. James Saunders admitted that he still harbors
doubts regarding his allegiance to the GOP. Yet he hopes that one day
soon,
perhaps under a McCain administration, the party will return to the big
tent
philosophy it once espoused.
"I'm an Episcopalian and I'm a Republican," said Saunders. "But that can
be
difficult today, which is a shame. The Bible tells us that God created
everyone in his own image.
"Shouldn't that include homosexuals?"