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January 2006
Gay/Republican Not Such Strange Bedfellows
Cincinnati's Log Cabin Republicans
By D.S. Meyers
Queen City Forum Magazine columnist
Fourteen people were lost today from Cincinnati. That’s on average. Fourteen will be lost tomorrow, and 14 each day this week and probably 14 on Saturday.
At least that’s the statistic I was given. Young people are leaving this town. As soon as high school is over, many become “former Cincinnatians.” It’s as if some maw is swallowing our precious young people.
But not everyone in that age bracket has vanished. On the contrary, there are a great many people left. Who are these people? What are they doing here? Why have they have given up the promise of a more swanky nightlife elsewhere to stay here in Cincy?
It seems that people with youth and vitality gather in the QueenCity like they do nowhere else. They talk politics in the bars over burritos. They talk about religion on any other day besides Sunday. They talk about the future like it’s already here.
But what are these causes? What’s so important about this town?
This is my series on the social and political organizations shaping a modern Cincinnati.
I was nervous about speaking with Ted Jackson, a founder of the Log Cabin Republicans. It seems a strange combination; members of the gay community who are Republican. It would prove to be an investigative challenge. So I was prepared to give this portion of the series my full attention. It’s one thing to interview a person I have never met over the phone. But it was yet another to interview someone on two very sensitive topics (put together): sex and politics.
It was a matter of not worrying. What was there to worry about? So there are members of the gay community who are also Republicans—not that there’s anything wrong with that. The fact is I’m comfortable enough in my own skin to handle this. Just because you talk to a Republican doesn’t mean you’re suddenly going to turn Republican.
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In speaking with Ted Jackson, it took no time to realize that he is very similar to other politickers I’ve spoken with—on all sides of the fence. There’s a genuine enthusiasm when the subject of politics comes up. It became apparent very early on in the conversation that Ted is a constant student of political history. Political history is something that backs up many of his responses. And each of the events he refers to, in the tone of his voice, were spoken with reverence. It’s as if each moment in history is a milestone that he holds in glorious awe.
He mentioned the Civil Rights Movement. He mentioned the cultural shift of the Republicans and Democrats in the 1960s. He talked about Reagan as a “Big Tent” consensus builder. So it took some wrangling to keep Ted focused before he went off on Christy Todd Whitman being a descendant of Abraham Lincoln’s wife.
The topics and history he brought up were all fascinating. And, indeed, I could have spun several different articles out of this single conversation. But there was the matter at hand.
First off, I was curious to know how the involvement of the Log Cabin Republicans influenced the repeal of Article 12. According to Ted, it was the other way around.“There was no ‘Log Cabin Republicans’ in the last election. We’ve only been around since January.” |
The Log Cabin Republicans are a national chapter of Republicans who are in the gay community. They were founded in California in the late 70s. At that time, there were anti-gay measures being brought to the ballot including the Briggs Initiative, which restricted homosexuals from teaching. When gay conservatives needed strong opposition, they turned to former governor and presidential hopeful Ronald Reagan. The bill was voted down. That’s when the Log Cabins got their foothold. And the movement has slowly grown nationwide.
Here in Cincinnati, this town has had its reputation as a conservative unfriendly city to African Americans, homosexuals, punk rockers, artists and generally wild freakers who live outside the box. So it’s a surprise to hear that this town’s ready for the Log Cabins.
But, according to Ted, repealing Article 12 was a big step in the right direction. It seems to signal that, no matter what their political affiliation, people are ready to move this town past the crippling reputation of our closed-minded past. This includes a bid for the 2012 Olympics that may have been turned down in part because of our unfriendly image toward minorities and gays.
Notwithstanding Article 12, how do being gay and being a Republican fit together?
“An oxymoron? Is that it?” asked Tina Espy rhetorically. She’s been a member since day one. “I do get the ‘You’re kidding, right?’ But I explain what I believe in, and nine out of ten people go, ‘Oh, I do agree with that.’”
Like Ted, Tina comes from a family with conservative values. She told me the story of when she first told her father that she was gay. Her father, whom she categorizes as “so conservative he makes Rush Limbaugh look liberal,” is a die-hard. When she broke the news to him, he began to cry.
“This was a man I’d only seen cry twice. And when I asked him if he was okay, he said he was relieved—he thought I was going to tell him I was pregnant.”
Her political views align with many of the Republican Party’s platforms. According to their Web site, the Log Cabin Republicans stand for anti-crime measures, fiscal responsibility, smaller taxes and smaller government. But those are not issues that have to do with being gay.
“We have conservative values on many issues. Our sexual orientation is only one slice of the whole pie…We’re just not willing to give up our ideals based on that one slice.”
But what happens when those ideals conflict with sexual orientation?
With a strong conservative Christian movement in our government today, one can only wonder how that works. The mood in the United States is one of old-fashioned family values—not that there’s anything wrong with that. (Note: That’s the last time I’ll use that phrase in this article).
But the national result of the last gay issue on the ballot indicates the country does not accept gay marriage yet. Even though the country seems to be moving forward on some gay issues, there is still a lot of prejudice out there. And much of it does come from the Republican Party.
So how in the world do you see eye to eye with the party? What propels these people? It seems to be a determination that stems from first coming to terms with a sexuality that has been shunned. Then it comes down to making a place in the political party that many in the gay community already grew up with.
“We’re not going down without a fight,” says Ted. “Many of us have been Republican (in our families) for generations. I’m not willing to give up without a fight.”
“Once you get down to the smaller points, you find that people are a hodgepodge of different views and opinions,” says Tina. She went on to sum it up another way. “There are extremists on both ends—right and left.”
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Oftentimes, these extremists are people who blindly go along party lines and would rather lose an argument than keep an open mind. Many of us know of such a person who is a bleeding heart for universal health care or No Child Left Behind or tax cuts or the war in Iraq. Everyone knows the type. Generally these are the stubborn Republicans or Democrats who just clam up saying, “Well, we’re just going to have to agree to disagree.”
“But most people are rational,” Tina insists.
The biggest misconception is that all Republicans are anti-gay. It’s true that some of the furthest Republicans on the right are, indeed, anti-gay. But Tina was quick to point out that whether she’s talking to a family-oriented Republican or a die-hard Democrat, it really depends on the person.
Log Cabin Republicans are dedicated to breaking down harsh views against them because they are faced with these opinions on all sides. And it’s not solely from within the Republican Party. There’s the general public’s opinions on gay people…and then there’s the gay community’s opinion of Republicans. |
I went for the sensitive question. I asked Tina which was more difficult: admitting to being gay or admitting to being a Republican?
Tina didn’t need much time to think about it. “It’s harder to come out as a Republican to your gay friends than as a gay person to a Republican.”
She chuckled when she told me a story that served as an example.
“At our first kick-off party at Carol’s Cafe, I arrived early to put up signage. There was a couple there having a drink (a man and a woman). The guy asked, ‘What’s a Log Cabin Republican?’ When I explained, he said, ‘Well, as long as you’re a Republican.”
“It’s not about misconceptions about Republicans or Log Cabin Republicans. It’s a misconception about gay people in general.” Ted put a fine point on it. The way he looks at it, most people think that gay people don’t have conservative political views. That’s just not accurate.
And, to him, that’s why there’s a space in the Republican Party for the gay community. It’s a philosophy of walking where the fire is the hottest. After all, we’re talking about a party that covers a diverse spectrum. Here we have gay issues sharing a political stage with conservative family values—most notably from the Christian conservatives. So wouldn’t it make more sense to be a Democrat?
“For inclusion, it’s going to take votes on both sides of the aisle. So it makes sense that we organize in the Republican Party.”
What makes it easy, says Ted, is that not all Republicans are against gay people. “Some are, some aren’t. You never know until you have a conversation and build a relationship.”
Not only that, but it’s a misconception to believe that all Democrats are on board with gay rights. According to Ted, voters seem to be split 50/50 across the aisle. Half of Democrats and Republicans support gay issues (such as gay marriage) and half of voters in both parties are against.
“So you can’t go with a stereotype that Democrats are with us and Republicans are against us, ” he says.
Of course, that’s generally how stereotypes work. It starts with a pre-conceived notion and then evolves into an insinuation behind a label. And there are enough stereotypes to go around.
The stereotype of Republicans is that they’re “cold and heartless”. The stereotype of the gay community is that they’re “promiscuous and irresponsible”. The stereotype of the Log Cabins is that they’re “traitors to the gay community”.
Tina is well aware of the opinions that surround her.
“A good portion, 80 percent—no, maybe 70 percent (of the gay community) associate with the Democratic Party. People assume that Bush or Cheney—pick whichever Republican you want, that this person is what the party is. But, really, it comes down to talking to people: What you think, what you believe. That’s the way to get rid of misconceptions. You just need to get out there. That’s how you dispel that.”
Ted related the story of volunteers who went out canvassing for the Article 12 repeal last year. The two volunteers were in Mt. Lookout—a traditionally conservative neighborhood. They came to a house with Bush/Cheney yard signs all over their yard. With some trepidation, they knocked on the door. The married couple who answered gave their whole-hearted support for the repeal. They pointed out that their son was gay and that it was a very important issue to them.
The lesson that Ted spoke of was that any person shouldn’t make snap judgments about political affiliation any more than a person can about race, creed or sexual preference.
“You just can’t say, ‘I can’t go to this door because it’s a Republican’s or a Democrat’s or a white person’s or a black person’s.”
To Ted, the issue of being gay is non-partisan. And he makes it a point to say that he supports gay Democrats. It’s a matter of having respect for gay issues whether a person is a Democrat or Republican.
“We’re not going to advance our own cause until we in the gay community come to respect that. The gay community is diverse. We need to understand that ourselves. It’s a matter of ‘I know you have different views. I respect that.’ So keep pushing buttons. Keep pushing the issues.”
So what does the future hold for the Log Cabin Republicans? With an organization numbering around 300 locally, the ground work has been formed. Their board elections are coming up. But even before the first anniversary of this organization, there are plans to take the Log Cabin Republicans to the next level.
Ted mentioned that he would like to see an outreach to the African American community. He also mentioned continuing strong support for the gay pride parade. But largely the efforts will go to growing the Log Cabins, recruiting in the gay community young members who share their conservative political views.
“We have lots of members over 50…We’re thinking about growing towards a younger audience. Many of our board members are in their late 20s, early 30s.”
I thanked Ted for his time. I also thanked him for his candor with such sensitive issues. “Very few people are as open about being a Republican as you are,” I joked. But his answer was devoid of humor.
“That’s normal. I’ve never had a religious fundamentalist say the kind of things (about being gay) that I’ve heard (from the gay community about being Republican). We’re leery about letting people know we’re Republicans.”
That surprised me. And I think right there a few of my misconceptions were dissolved.
Tina says that, locally, it’s about talking to people and diffusing similar misconceptions. When that happens, it will change outside misconceptions about Cincinnati. Because outside of sexual preference or political ideal, at the end of the day we are all still Cincinnatians contending with a larger opinion about all of us together—and how we get along within this community.
“I don’t think Cincinnati’s a place that people have been to,” observes Tina, who has lived in Los Angeles, Germany and Philadelphia. “The Log Cabins are interested in changing the temperature of the city. The potential is there to overcome some issues.”
Issues that go beyond sexual preference or political affiliation.
For more information on the Cincinnati chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans, their Web site is: www.cincinnatilogcabin.org. The national chapter is at www.logcabin.org.
click for D.S. Meyer's archives in QCF Magazine's The Columns and The Features
D.S. Meyers writes “RenaissanCinnati,” a column that lifts up the rock that is the establishment in Cincinnati and finds what lurks beneath. What is growing? What is dying? His column is regularly featured in QCF Magazine.
Contact Information
· dsm@queencityforum.com
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