Proposed Republican Unity Plank
Patrick Guerriero, Executive Director
Log Cabin Republicans
August 16, 2004
Good morning. I'm proud to be here as executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans, the nation's largest organization of Republicans who support fairness, freedom and equality for gay and lesbian Americans. We were founded over a quarter century ago, when courageous gay and lesbian Americans in California worked with Ronald Reagan to defeat a ballot initiative that would have banned gay teachers from public schools. Today we are here in the best tradition of Ronald Reagan, proposing a plank to our party's platform that unites our party and our country in these trying times.
We understand that Republicans of good faith can differ over divisive social issues, such as abortion, family planning and gay and lesbian issues. However, our platform should respect the GOP's diversity by acknowledging and respecting the variety of opinions on these complex and contentious issues.
We are not here today to tell those who disagree with us on issues relating to gay and lesbian equality they are not welcome in the party. We understand that there are a variety of opinions on these issues within the GOP and we respect and honor that diversity as part of a great tradition of strength for our Republican Party.
We are here today, however, to tell those on the far right that they do not own the Republican Party. This party belongs to no one person and no one group. It is time that our platform recognizes this reality.
We propose the following plank be adopted as part of the Platform of the Republican Party:
"We recognize and respect that Republicans of good faith may not agree with all the planks in the party's platform. This is particularly the case with regard to those planks dealing with abortion, family planning, and gay and lesbian issues. The Republican Party welcomes all people on all sides of these complex issues and encourages their active participation as we work together on those issues upon which we agree."
The Republican National Convention's announced lineup of primetime speakers includes former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Arizona Senator John McCain, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and New York Governor George Pataki. Additionally, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will open the convention. All of these speakers have long histories of supporting policies that respect the GOP's diversity. In particular, all of these speakers have opposed policies that marginalize and discriminate against gays and lesbians.
It is not enough to have these inclusive voices be the face of the Republican Party in primetime, if the platform only represents the exclusive voices of people like Gary Bauer, Jerry Falwell and Rick Santorum.
In 2000, one million gays and lesbians voted for President Bush, and millions of pro-choice men and women supported the President. In a year when the nation is so evenly divided, the President and our party must unite all Republicans. It is time for the Republican Party to concentrate on the issues that bring us together: lower taxes, strong national defense, personal responsibility and a commitment to individual liberty. It is time for the GOP to tell the far right that they are welcome in this party, but they are just one part of a diverse Republican Party
There is significant anger and frustration among fair-minded Republicans. For too long, we have watched as the radical right hijacked our party. For too long we have been asked to be loyal foot soldiers on Election Day, but to remain silent during the platform proceedings. There will be those on the far right who say that what we are doing here today is somehow disloyal. In fact, it is those on the far right who have been disloyal. The far right frequently "targets" fair-minded Republican officials and works to defeat them. It is the far right who has pushed a divisive social agenda on an already divided country. To be the majority party in America, the GOP must embrace people with different viewpoints and perspectives. We are here today representing the party's future. We are here today as fair-minded loyal Republicans, fighting back against the far right. This fight has just begun.
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