The GOP's Mixed Messages On LGBTQ Rights | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics

The GOP's Mixed Messages On LGBTQ Rights

From the most anti-LGBTQ platform to an openly gay convention speaker, it was an interesting show to watch

14
The GOP's Mixed Messages On LGBTQ Rights
ZeroFiltered

After unveiling a platform that was called “the most anti-LGBT platform in history” by Gregory T. Angelo, president of the best-known gay conservative group in the country, the Log Cabin Republicans, the GOP did something fascinating this week. Almost every night of coverage featured someone mention gay rights in a speech.

This started on Monday when former New York City mayor, Rudy Giuliani, stated that the Republican Party should "get the heck out of people's bedrooms" while acknowledging law enforcement of "every sexual orientation."

This was followed up on Wednesday night by various speakers. There was former House speaker Newt Gingrich who said that, “If our enemies had their way,” he said—referring to “radical Islamists”—“not a single woman in this room could define her future. If our enemies had their way, gays, lesbians and transgender citizens would be put to death, as they are today in the Islamic State and Iran.”

Texas Senator Ted Cruz, someone viewed as extremely socially conservative, followed this by stating that, “"Freedom means religious freedom, whether you are Christian or Jew, Muslim or atheist. Gay or straight. The Bill of Rights protects the rights of all of us to live according to our conscience." Finally, on Wednesday, the vice president for the Eric Trump Foundation, Lynne Patton, said that, “[Donald Trump] knows that LBGTQ lives matter.”

Then to finish it off on the last day of the convention, we had PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel making history as the first GOP convention speaker to announce he is proud to be gay. He stated that, "Every American has a unique identity. I am proud to be gay, I am proud to be a Republican, but most of all I am proud to be an American."

Still, even after this theme of some level of tolerance and acceptance of gay rights, there remain several questions. My main one is: How can you reach out to this group after years of policies that discriminated against them? Sure, you can get a bunch of people on stage and make them act like they care, by uttering a few sentences that mention that community’s right to live the way they should be entitled. However, I believe it goes much further than that. I believe that actions speak louder than words, and what is said in the party’s platform presents some walls that no convention speech can mend.

For those of you who have not viewed the GOP platform on LGBTQ rights, here’s a quick rundown. First, it states an intent to overturn the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision to legalize gay marriage in all 50 states. Second, it wants to make it legal to discriminate against LGBT people. Third, it wants to discourage gay couples from adopting children. And last, but not least, it wants to make “conversion therapy” legal for minors. All of these are serious discriminatory policies against the LGBTQ community and Log Cabin president Gregory T. Angelo wrote, “There’s no way to sugar-coat this: I’m mad as hell.”

While Trump may have stood up in his acceptance speech on Thursday night and mentioned LGBTQ rights, while tripping up somewhat on the letters, it does not go far enough. Especially considering that other speakers were not eager to even engage the topic in a serious manner in their remarks.

There was Trump’s potential VP selection and retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who stated that, “War is not about bathrooms.” This statement that was meant to criticize President Obama for spending time fighting about open bathrooms rather than ISIS. Along this line was Trump’s actual Vice-Presidential pick, Mike Pence, who has a long history of opposing LGBT rights.

After Trump mentioned the LGBTQ community on Thursday night, he made a point to say, “As a Republican, it is so nice to hear you cheering for what I just said.” Hopefully, this will not be something said by a major party nominee again because LGBTQ rights should not be a question, they should be real rights for real people. Right now, it’s uncertain where the conversation on LGBTQ rights for the GOP heads from here, but after a week of the most anti-LGBTQ platform and mixed messages from speakers, it is anyone’s guess.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
campus
CampusExplorer

New year, new semester, not the same old thing. This semester will be a semester to redeem all the mistakes made in the previous five months.

1. I will wake up (sorta) on time for class.

Let's face it, last semester you woke up with enough time to brush your teeth and get to class and even then you were about 10 minutes late and rollin' in with some pretty unfortunate bed head. This semester we will set our alarms, wake up with time to get ready, and get to class on time!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Painfully True Stages Of Camping Out At The Library

For those long nights that turn into mornings when the struggle is real.

909
woman reading a book while sitting on black leather 3-seat couch
Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash

And so it begins.

1. Walk in motivated and ready to rock

Camping out at the library is not for the faint of heart. You need to go in as a warrior. You usually have brought supplies (laptop, chargers, and textbooks) and sustenance (water, snacks, and blanket/sweatpants) since the battle will be for an undetermined length of time. Perhaps it is one assignment or perhaps it's four. You are motivated and prepared; you don’t doubt the assignment(s) will take time, but you know it couldn’t be that long.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 14 Stages Of The Last Week Of Class

You need sleep, but also have 13 things due in the span of 4 days.

677
black marker on notebook

December... it's full of finals, due dates, Mariah Carey, and the holidays. It's the worst time of the year, but the best because after finals, you get to not think about classes for a month and catch up on all the sleep you lost throughout the semester. But what's worse than finals week is the last week of classes, when all the due dates you've put off can no longer be put off anymore.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 20 Thoughts College Students Have During Finals

The ultimate list and gif guide to a college student's brain during finals.

63
winter

Thanksgiving break is over and Christmas is just around the corner and that means, for most college students, one hellish thing — finals week. It's the one time of year in which the library becomes over populated and mental breakdowns are most frequent. There is no way to avoid it or a cure for the pain that it brings. All we can do is hunker down with our books, order some Dominos, and pray that it will all be over soon. Luckily, we are not alone in this suffering. To prove it, here are just a few of the many deranged thoughts that go through a college student's mind during finals week.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

28 Daily Thoughts of College Students

"I want to thank Google, Wikipedia, and whoever else invented copy and paste. Thank you."

1373
group of people sitting on bench near trees duting daytime

I know every college student has daily thoughts throughout their day. Whether you're walking on campus or attending class, we always have thoughts running a mile a minute through our heads. We may be wondering why we even showed up to class because we'd rather be sleeping, or when the professor announces that we have a test and you have an immediate panic attack.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments