One group I never “got” are the “Gay Republicans.” But two news stories, one in the New York Times, and the other in the Washington Post, have revealed that this seemingly incongruous category, which I assume must be small to begin with, contains a wide array of identity and political positions. One division stands out: there are gay Republicans who continue to support Bush, and those who do not.
On the one side are the Pink Pistols whose motto is, “Armed gays don’t get bashed.” They would rather have guns than constitutional protections (except for the right to carry a concealed weapon). On the other side are the Log Cabin Republicans, who worry that,
If any anti-gay amendment becomes part of the U.S. Constitution, thousands of families for generations to come will be treated as second class citizens.
And they are running an expensive ad campaign to make their point.
Of the two, the Log Cabin group seems to be much more established. They were even able to pressure Bush into meeting with them when he was running in 2000:
Bush got off to a rocky start with the Log Cabin Republicans in 1999, when, as a candidate, he said he would probably not meet with the group because it would “create a huge political nightmare for people.” He reversed himself months later and met with some of the group’s local members, and senior administration officials briefed 200 Log Cabin members earlier this year.
They clearly have some clout.
