LGBTQ conservatism in the United States

Map of state and local GOP chapters who either oppose, support, or have no position on the issue of same-sex marriage

  Chapter opposes same-sex marriage

  Chapter supports same-sex marriage

  No position on same-sex marriage

LGBT conservatism in the United States is a political and social movement rooted in the LGBT community that aligns largely with the American conservative movement. The LGBT community has generally fallen to the left of the right-wing conservative movement, and has predominantly favored itself on the side of liberalism and progressives. LGBT conservatism emphasizes fiscal conservatism, libertarian conservatism, neoconservativism, strong patriotism, capitalism, and free markets.

History

Republican Party pre-Stonewall riots

In November 1952, President-elect Dwight D. Eisenhower designated Arthur H. Vandenberg, Jr. as his Appointments Secretary. He immediately began performing those duties, then in January took a vacation in Florida "because of ill health." "Close associates of General Eisenhower," reported the New York Times, "said there was no basis for speculation that Mr. Vandenberg's absence meant that he might not take office with the new Administration. They said he was 'a little bit under the weather'." On January 13, 1953, however, a week before Eisenhower's inauguration, the White House announced that Vandenberg was taking a leave of absence for health reasons.

The New York Times now reported Vandenberg "was granted an extended leave of absence because of ill health. He suffers from an undisclosed 'blood condition' and said it would be some months before he could hope to assume his White House duties." In April he resigned his position blaming "an attack of stomach ulcers." He told the press that he was uncertain of his prognosis and "the uncertainty was unfair to the President." He said that rumors of trouble between himself and the President were "definitely not true." Instead he planned to work for IBEC again. It was later revealed that J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI agency’s director, had come into possession of compromising material about Vandenberg, information he was keeping as part of the Sex Deviates Program.

In the 1966 United States election, Stewart McKinney was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives, the first known bisexual member of a state legislature and the Connecticut General Assembly. In 1969, McKinney became the Minority Leader in the Connecticut House of Representatives, the first known bisexual Minority Leader of a state legislature and the Connecticut General Assembly.

Republican Party post-Stonewall riots

In 1972, San Francisco's Gay Activists Alliance disbanded and formed the Gay Voter's League, a group that campaigned for the reelection of President Richard Nixon In October 1972, representative of the Committee to Re-elect the President addressed gay voters on behalf of Richard M. Nixon's campaign in San Francisco. The event was organized by the Gay Voters League of San Francisco.

The first chapter of what would become the national Log Cabin Republicans (LCR) formed in 1978 to fight California's Briggs Initiative, a ballot initiative that would have banned homosexuals from teaching in public schools. The chapter worked diligently and successfully convinced Governor Ronald Reagan to publicly oppose the measure.

During the 1984 United States House of Representatives Republican primary for Iowa's 4th congressional district, Rich Eychaner became the first openly gay candidate for federal office in the United States, but lost the primary to Robert R. Lockard.

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Michael A. Hess was a lawyer, deputy chief legal counsel and later chief legal counsel to the Republican National Committee. He was an important figure in the redistricting battles during the 1990 United States Census, and was admired for his integrity and pursuit of justice on this issue.

Presidency of Ronald Reagan

On the 1980 campaign trail, he spoke of the gay civil rights movement:

My criticism is that [the gay movement] isn't just asking for civil rights; it's asking for recognition and acceptance of an alternative lifestyle which I do not believe society can condone, nor can I.

No civil rights legislation for LGBT individuals passed during Reagan's tenure. Additionally, Reagan has been criticized by some LGBT groups for allegedly ignoring (by failing to adequately address or fund) the growing AIDS epidemic, even as it took thousands of lives in the 1980s. Reagan's Surgeon General from 1982-1989, Dr. C. Everett Koop, claims that his attempts to address the issue were shut out by the Reagan Administration. According to Koop, the prevailing view of the Reagan Administration was that "transmission of AIDS was understood to be primarily in the homosexual population and in those who abused intravenous drugs" and therefore that people dying from AIDS were "only getting what they justly deserve."

In 1981, during Nancy Reagan's 60th birthday party, White House interior decorator, Ted Graber, spent a night in the Reagans' private White House quarters with his male lover, Archie Case.

On August 18, 1984, President Reagan issued a statement on the issue of same-sex unions that read:

Society has always regarded marital love as a sacred expression of the bond between a man and a woman. It is the means by which families are created and society itself is extended into the future. In the Judeo-Christian tradition it is the means by which husband and wife participate with God in the creation of a new human life. It is for these reasons, among others, that our society has always sought to protect this unique relationship. In part the erosion of these values has given way to a celebration of forms of expression most reject. We will resist the efforts of some to obtain government endorsement of homosexuality.

Mr. Reagan made the comment in response to a questionnaire from the conservative publishers of the Presidential Biblical Scoreboard, a magazine-type compilation of past statements and voting records of national candidates.

In 1988, the Republican Party's nominee, Vice President George H. W. Bush, endorsed a plan to protect persons with AIDS from discrimination.

Presidency of George H. W. Bush

As President, George H. W. Bush signed legislation that extended gay rights. On April 23, 1990, George H. W. Bush signed the Hate Crime Statistics Act, which requires the Attorney General to collect data on crimes committed because of the victim's race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity. It was the first federal statute to "recognize and name gay, lesbian and bisexual people." On July 26, 1990, George H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

On November 29, 1990, Bush signed the Immigration Act of 1990, which withdrew the phrase "sexual deviation" from the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) so that it could no longer be used as a basis for barring entry of immigration to the U.S. for homosexuals.

In a television interview, Bush said if he found out his grandchild was gay, he would "love his child", but tell him homosexuality wasn't normal and discourage him from working for gay rights. In February 1992, the chairman of the Bush-Quayle campaign met with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. In May 1992, he appointed Anne-Imelda Radice to serve as the Acting Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. Losing ground in the 1992 Republican president primary to President Bush's far-right challenger, Pat Buchanan, the Bush campaign turned to the right, and President Bush publicly denounced same-sex marriage. The 1992 Log Cabin Republican convention was held in Spring, Texas, a Houston exurb. The main issue discussed was whether or not LCR would endorse the re-election of President George H. W. Bush. The group voted to deny that endorsement because Bush did not denounce anti-gay rhetoric at the 1992 Republican National Convention. Many in the gay community believed President Bush hadn't done enough on the issue of AIDS. Urvashi Vaid argues that Bush's anti-gay rhetoric "motivated conservative gay Democrats and loyal gay Republicans, who had helped defeat Dukakis in 1988, to throw their support behind Clinton."

In 1992, the City Council passed the "The Health Benefits Expansion Act", which was signed into law by the Mayor of Washington, D.C. The bill, which established domestic partnerships in the District of Columbia, became law on June 11, 1992. Every year from 1992 to 2000, the Republican leadership of the U.S. Congress added a rider to the District of Columbia appropriations bill that prohibited the use of federal or local funds to implement the Health Care Benefits Expansion Act. On October 5, 1992, Bush signed the H.R. 6056 into law, which included the Republican rider to the appropriations bill.

The 1992 Republican Party platform adopted support for continuing to exclude homosexuals from the military as a matter of good order and discipline. The 1992 Republican Party platform also adopted opposition to including sexual preference into anti-discrimination statutes.

On November 3, 1992, Survey by Voter Research & Surveys, a consortium of ABC News, CBS News, CNN, and NBC News, found 14% of gay, lesbian, or bisexual voters voted for George H. W. Bush.

Presidency of Bill Clinton

In 1994, Bush pledged to veto any effort to repeal Texas's sodomy law, calling it "a symbolic gesture of traditional values."

In August 1995, the campaign of Republican presidential candidate, Bob Dole, returned the Log Cabin Republican's $1,000 campaign contribution. The campaign returned the contribution after openly lesbian columnist, Deb Price, of the Detroit News, asked about it after she saw it on a public report from the Federal Elections Commission. The campaign sent a written statement to Price saying that Dole was in "100% disagreement with the agenda of the Log Cabin Republicans." The finance office of the campaign had solicited the contribution from LCR. At the event where it was given, Dole had personally spoken with LCR's then-executive director, Rich Tafel, about the group and about AIDS legislation it was promoting in the Senate. Weeks earlier, Dole agreed to co-sponsor the legislation after a meeting with Tafel at the campaign's headquarters. It resulted in a front-page story in The New York Times, penned by Richard L. Berke, then-chief political reporter for the daily.

As reporters, including Berke, were seeking confirmation of the story before it broke, Dole's finance chairman, John Moran, asked Tafel not to speak to the press and that Tafel's "steadfastness and statesmanship at this moment will be handsomely appreciated in the long run by the campaign." Tafel refused.

Pundits accused Dole of being a "flip-flopper and a hypocrite." Editorials ran in major newspapers, including the Washington Post, The New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and the Times of London, condemning Dole's action, joined by radio commentators Rush Limbaugh and Don Imus. Under the pressure, Dole admitted during an October 1995 press briefing on Capitol Hill that he regretted the decision to return the check, and that his campaign was responsible for it without consulting him. "I think if they'd have consulted me, we wouldn't have done that, wouldn't have returned it," Dole said. Dole later told Washington Post editor and author Bob Woodward that the LCR episode was a "mistake" because the decision to return the check "gets into Bob Dole the person. It's not so much about Bob Dole the candidate. It's the person. Is he tolerant? Does he tolerate different views? Tolerate someone with a different lifestyle?" He added, "This is basic, this is what people ought to know about you. Are you going to just do this because it sounds good politically?"

LCR's leadership met with Dole's coalitions manager to discuss an endorsement after Dole's reversal. Among various items, Tafel demanded there be no gay bashing in the speeches from the podium of the 1996 Republican National Convention, nor any anti-homosexual signs on the convention floor. He also wanted to see a gay person address the convention and a public request from Dole's campaign for the LCR nod. On the closing night of the Convention, Stephen Fong, then-president of the San Francisco chapter, spoke at the dais as part of a series of speeches from "mainstreet Americans," but was not publicly identified as gay. Nevertheless, his presence on the podium for the organization and for the gay and lesbian community "was something that would have been unimaginable four years earlier," Tafel later wrote. Two days later, Dole spokesperson Christina Martin told a reporter that the campaign "welcomed the endorsement of the Log Cabin Republicans." LCR voted to endorse Dole for President, and then-Republican National Committee chairman Haley Barbour approved the use of the RNC's press briefing room for Tafel, LCR's convention delegates and officers of its national board to announce their decision.

Later in the campaign, Tafel met with Dole's chief aide Sheila Burke, and the remaining demands LCR made for their endorsement were met. In a statement released by LCR, and confirmed to reporters by the campaign, Dole had pledged to maintain an executive order prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation in the federal workforce and full funding for AIDS programs.

On November 5, 1996, Survey by Voter News Service, a consortium ABC News, CBS News, CNN, FOX News, NBC News and the Associated Press, found 23% of gay, lesbian, or bisexual voters voted for Bob Dole.

On November 7, 2000, Survey by Voter News Service, a consortium ABC News, CBS News, CNN, FOX News, NBC News and the Associated Press, found 25% of gay, lesbian, or bisexual voters voted for George W. Bush.

In 1997, Governor Bush signed into law a bill adding "A license may not be issued for the marriage of persons of the same sex" into the Texas Family Code.

In a 1998 Texas Gubernatorial election political awareness test, he answered no to the questions of whether Texas government should include sexual orientation in Texas' anti-discrimination laws and whether he supports Texas recognizing same-sex marriage.

In 1999, the Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Act, which would have increased punishment for criminals motivated by hatred of a victim's gender, religion, ethnic background or sexual orientation, was killed in committee by Texas Senate Republicans. Governor Bush was criticized for letting the hate crimes bill die in a Texas Senate committee. Bush spokesman Sullivan said the governor never took a position on the bill. According to Louvon Harris, sister of James Byrd, said that Bush's opposition to the bill reportedly revolved around the fact that it would cover gays and lesbians. The governor's office "contacted the family and asked if we would consider taking sexual orientation out of the bill, and our answer was no, because the bill is for everybody. Everybody should be protected by the law." said Harris. In a 2000 presidential debate, Al Gore would attack Bush for allowing the bill to die in committee, with Bush responding Texas already had a hate crimes statute, and nothing more was needed. George W. Bush also stated his opposition New Jersey Supreme Court ruling that said the Boy Scouts of America must accept gays in their organization. "I believe the Boy Scouts is a private organization and they should be able to set the standards that they choose to set," Bush said. Bush would also express his support for bans on gay foster parenting and adoption.

During the 2000 campaign he did not endorse a single piece of gay rights legislation. In a 2000 Republican presidential debate, George W. Bush, said he opposes same-sex marriage, but supports state's rights when it came to the issue of same-sex marriage. During the campaign he had refused to comment on Vermont's civil unions law. On April 13, 2000, Governor Bush became first presumptive GOP presidential nominee ever to meet publicly with gay Republicans in Austin, Texas. On August 4, 2000, Bush received the endorsement of the Log Cabin Republicans, the GOP's largest gay group, for president. He also received the endorsement of the newly formed Republican Unity Coalition. In a 2000 presidential debate with Al Gore, Bush stated he supported the Defense of Marriage Act and the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy. However, he stated that he opposed sodomy laws, a reversal of his position as governor of Texas.

The 2000 Republican Party platform included the statement: "We support the First Amendment right of freedom of association and stand united with private organizations, such as the Boy Scouts of America, and support their positions."

Presidency of George W. Bush

George W. Bush was either neutral towards or opposed gay rights as president. In his eight years of office, Bush's views on gay rights were often difficult to ascertain, but many experts feel that the Bush White House wanted to avoid bad publicity without alienating evangelical conservative Christian voters. Thus, he did not repeal President Clinton's Executive Order banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the federal civilian government, but Bush's critics felt as if he failed to enforce the executive order. He retained Clinton's Office of National AIDS Policy and was the first Republican president to appoint an openly gay man to serve in his administration, Scott Evertz as director of the Office of National AIDS Policy. Bush also became the second President, after President Clinton, to select openly gay appointees to his administration. Bush's nominee as ambassador to Romania, Michael E. Guest, became the second openly gay man U.S. Ambassador and the first to be confirmed by the Senate. He did not repeal any of the spousal benefits that Clinton had introduced for same-sex federal employees. He did not attempt to repeal Don't ask, don't tell, nor make an effort to change it.

In April 2002, White House officials held an unannounced briefing in April for the Log Cabin Republicans. On June 27, 2002, President Bush has signed a bill allowing death benefits to be paid to domestic partners of firefighters and police officers who die in the line of duty, permanently extending a federal death benefit to same-sex couples for the first time.

In 2003, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Lawrence v. Texas that sodomy laws against consenting adults was unconstitutional. President Bush's press secretary Ari Fleischer refused to comment on the decision, noting only that the administration had not filed a brief in the case. In 2004, Bush said "What they do in the privacy of their house, consenting adults should be able to do,"

Previously Bush said he supports state's rights when it came to marriage, however, after Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, on February 24, 2004, Bush announced his support for an amendment to the US Constitution banning same-sex marriage. Due to his support of the Federal Marriage Amendment, the Log Cabin Republicans declined to endorse the reelection of George W. Bush in 2004. Bush's defense of the FMA led the group to vote 22 to 2 against an endorsement of his reelection. The Palm Beach County chapter in Florida did endorse him, resulting in the revocation of their charter. On September 22, 2004, the Abe Lincoln Black Republican Caucus (ALBRC), a group of young urban Black gay Republicans, voted in a special call meeting in Dallas, Texas, to endorse President Bush for re-election. In an October president debate, Bush said he didn't know whether homosexuality is a choice or not.

The 2004 Republican Party platform removed both parts of that language from the platform and stated that the party supports anti-discrimination legislation.

On November 2, 2004, Survey by Edison Media Research/Mitofsky International for the National Election Pool (ABC News, Associated Press, CBS News, CNN, Fox News, NBC News), found 23% of gay, lesbian, or bisexual voters voted for George W. Bush.

In 2007, Bush threatened to veto the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007, which would have included sexual orientation in hate crimes, and Employment Nondiscrimination Act of 2007.

In September 2008, Log Cabin Republicans voted to endorse the John McCain–Sarah Palin ticket in the 2008 presidential election. LCR President Patrick Sammon said the most important reason for their support was McCain's opposition to the proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.

The 2008 Republican Party platform supported anti-discrimination statues based on sex, race, age, religion, creed, disability, or national origin, but the platform was silent on silent on sexual orientation and gender identity.

On November 4, 2008, Survey by Edison Media Research/Mitofsky International for the National Election Pool (ABC News, Associated Press, CBS News, CNN, Fox News, NBC News), found 27% of gay, lesbian, or bisexual voters voted for John McCain.

In December 2008, the Bush administration refused to support the U.N. declaration on sexual orientation and gender identity at the United Nations that condemns the use of violence, harassment, discrimination, exclusion, stigmatization, and prejudice based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Presidency of Barack Obama

On April 15, 2009, Jimmy LaSalvia and Christopher R. Barron co-founded GOProud. Margaret Hoover, a member of the advisory council, added her opinion into the mix, "GOProud has helped force gays out of the conservative establishment-- what I would call the 'conser-va-gentsia'--to take on these self-anointed leaders of social conservatism."

Ann Coulter, self described "right-wing Judy Garland" and LGBT conservative icon.

On February 12, 2011, at the 2011 CPAC, during a question and answer segment, Ann Coulter spoke about GOProud and the importance of a gay presence in the conservative movement. During the segment she said "So for now, I'd just like gays to be part of conservatives the way women are and blacks are without-without a special designation." and ended with "Gays are natural conservatives."

The 2012 Republican Party platform removed the support for the exclusion of homosexuals from military service would remain in the Republican Party platform until the 2012 Republican Party platform, which removed that language from it. The 2012 Republican Party platform also contained language opposing the Obama administration from attempting to impose its "cultural agenda", including a "homosexual rights agenda" in other countries by restricting foreign aid. However, Republicans themselves have also frequently advocated for restricting foreign aid as a means of asserting the national security and immigration interests of the United States. The 2012 Republican Party platform supported anti-discrimination statues based on sex, race, age, religion, creed, disability, or national origin, but the platform was silent on sexual orientation and gender identity.

On June 20, 2012, GOProud endorsed Mitt Romney for president. On 23 October 2012, Log Cabin Republicans officially endorsed Mitt Romney for president. In a public statement, LCR said it support of Mitt Romney due to the "gravity of the economic and national security issues currently at stake." Moreover, LCR expressed its hope that Romney would reconsider his opposition to the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, but he did not.

On November 6, 2012, Edison Research of Somerville, New Jersey, for the National Election Pool, a consortium of ABC News, Associated Press, CBS News, CNN, Fox News, and NBC News, found 22% of gay, lesbian, or bisexual voters voted for Mitt Romney.

In 2013, former President George H. W. Bush served as a witness at a same-sex wedding of Bonnie Clement and Helen Thorgalsen, who own a general store together in Maine. In 2015 the Boston Globe reported that Bush "offered to perform the ceremony but had a scheduling conflict."

In June 2014, reports surfaced that the GOProud leadership had decided to dissolve the organization. Executive Director Matthew Bechstein issued a denial of the report, stating that it was untrue and that the organization would continue operating as it had. But the following day he admitted that "I posted what I had to on Facebook so I wouldn't scare our members and thwart our fundraising efforts. I wanted to mitigate a disaster." He then stated that GOProud did indeed plan to file dissolution papers with the government.

In October 2014, Speaker of the House John Boehner fundraised for Carl DeMaio, openly gay Republican candidate for the United States House of Representatives.

On February 28, 2015, California Republican Party officially recognized the Log Cabin Republicans, receiving overwhelming support for a charter at the state party's biannual convention in Sacramento.

On August 16, 2015, Republican National Committee rejected two anti-gay resolutions. The first one was that “schools that are teaching the homosexual lifestyle in their sexual education class also include the harmful physical aspects of the lifestyle.” The second, which would have encouraged Congress and states to pass laws in an effort to nullify Obergefell v. Hodges.

On September 20, 2015, California Republican Party in a near-unanimous vote removed anti-gay communications from its platform and added to the platform that "We support laws prohibiting discrimination in employment and housing based on race, ethnicity, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, disability, or religion."

Views

Foreign policy

Both LGBT and non-LGBT conservatives have common views when it comes to foreign policy. Both criticize state sanctioned discrimination against LGBT people by countries such as Iran and Russia, along with strong support for Israel, an LGBT friendly nation.

Social conservatism

In 2009, Christopher Barron said about GOProud that "I want pro-life gays to know they have a home here." In February 2011, responded to Tim Pawlenty calling for defunding the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, by stating that he would be better served talking about the need to defund Planned Parenthood and end federal funding for abortion. Ann Coulter, former member of GOProud advisory council and long time advocate of LGBT conservatism, stated that "The gays have got to be pro-life," because "As soon as they find the gay gene, guess who the liberal yuppies are gonna start aborting?" Jimmy LaSalvia is pro-life and warned the gay community should be pro-life because of the threat of selective abortions of gay fetuses.

Demographics

An April 2016 SCRUFF New York primary survey among gay men and 3 transgender people showed Hillary Clinton with 56.99% support among gay registered Democratic men, with Bernie Sanders receiving 31.63% gay registered Democratic men and all three registered Democratic transgender people. Hillary Clinton’s support with gay Democrat men in New York is stronger than her support among the state’s Democrats overall. Bernie Sanders lead among gay registered Democrats age 18-24, with 73% supporting Bernie Sanders, but this group only comprises 5% of the overall gay registered Democratic respondents in New York. Upstate New York survey respondents are 30% more likely to support Bernie Sanders than in the New York City metro area, but Hillary still leads by double digits both upstate and downstate. Among the rest of respondents, 4.44% of gay registered Democrats were undecided, 3.92% of gay registered Republicans support Donald Trump, 1.7% of gay Republicans support John Kasich, 0.39% of gay registered Republicans support Ted Cruz, 0.52% of gay registered Republicans were undecided, 0.26% of gay registered Republicans supported other candidates, 0.13% of gay registered Democrats supported an other candidate.

A February 11, 2016 survey of nearly 700 readers of the Georgia Voice found that Hillary Clinton won 54% of the vote, Bernie Sanders won 40.5% of the vote, 5.5% said they would be voting for one of the remaining Republican candidates..

A February 2016 SCRUFF in-app survey among the 1,116 Republican-affiliated gay men from the United States and Puerto Rico found that 38.8% supported Donald Trump for president, 19.1% supported Marco Rubio, 8.7% supported John Kasich, 6.1% supported Ted Cruz, 4.5% supported Jeb Bush, 2.2% supported Ben Carson, 8.8% supported other candidates, and 12.4% of respondents were undecided.

A February 2016 Community Marketing & Insights survey from 46 states found that among LGBT Americans found that 48% supported Hillary Clinton, 41% supported Bernie Sanders, 2% supported Donald Trump, 1% supported John Kasich, 1% supported Marco Rubio, 4% were undecided, and all other candidates revived less than 1% support.

A 2014 Gallup survey, conducted January 2 to June 30, 2014, found 21% of LGBT Americans are Republican or lean Republican and 20% identify as conservative. It also found that 18% of LGBT Americans age 18 to 34 years old and age 35 to 54 years old are Republican or lean Republican, compared to 29% among LGBT Americans over the age of 55 years.

A 2012 Gallup survey, conducted June 1 to September 30, 2012, found 13% of LGBT Americas are Republican, 20% identity as conservative, 22% plan or lean towards voting for Mitt Romney. LGBT Americans who support Mitt Romney tend to be older, white, more religious, and more likely to be married. Romney's LGBT supporters are nearly twice as likely as Obama's LGBT supporters to be seniors aged 65 or older (19% vs. 10%, respectively). Nearly nine in 10 LGBT Romney supporters (87%) are white, compared with two-thirds of LGBT Obama supporters (66%). Nearly two-thirds of LGBT Romney supporters (63%) say that religion is important to them, and more than 45% say that they attend a church, synagogue, or mosque at least once a month. Among LGBT Obama supporters, 43% say religion is important to them, and 31% go to church at least once a month. Nearly half of LGBT Romney supporters (49%) are married or living with a partner, compared with 39% of Obama LGBT supporters.

Terminology

Many LGBT conservatives are described or have described themselves as homocons and gayocons.

Dan Savage referred to members of GOProud as "house faggots". This is in reference to the term house nigger, a pejorative term for a black person, used to compare someone to a house slave of a slave owner from the historic period of legal slavery in the United States.

Organizations

Gay Voter's League

Main article: Gay Voter's League

GOProud

Main article: GOProud

Republican Party

Main article: Republican Party (United States)

Abe Lincoln Black Republican Caucus

Main article: Abe Lincoln Black Republican Caucus

Log Cabin Republicans

Main article: Log Cabin Republicans

LGBT conservatives

Senate

Main article: List of LGBT Americans in the United States Congress

Photo	Senator	State	Party	Term	Notes
	Larry Craig	Idaho	Republican	1991–2009	Outed in 2007

House of Representatives

Main article: List of LGBT Americans in the United States Congress

Photo	Representative	State	Party	Term	Notes
	Stewart McKinney	Connecticut	Republican	1971-1987	Died (Complications due to AIDS) Out to several friends, but not to the media or his constituents.
	Robert Bauman	Maryland	Republican	1973-1981	Came out after time in Congress
	Jon Hinson	Mississippi	Republican	1979-1981	Came out after time in Congress
	Steve Gunderson	Wisconsin	Republican	1981-1997	Outed on the floor of the House in 1994
	Larry Craig	Idaho	Republican	1981–1991	Outed in 2007
	Jim Kolbe	Arizona	Republican	1985-2007	Came out in 1996 after voting for the Defense of Marriage Act
	Michael Huffington	California	Republican	1993-1995	Came out as bisexual in 1998, the first bisexual to have been elected to Congress.
	Mark Foley	Florida	Republican	1995-2006	Came out after congressional page incidents.
	Ed Schrock	Virginia	Republican	2001-2005	Outed in 2004

U.S. State Legislators

California

• State Senator and Assemblyman Roy Ashburn - served 1996-2010; came out in 2010

Massachusetts

• State Representative Althea Garrison – served 1993–1995; first transgender person elected to a state legislature in the United States.
• State Representative Patrick Guerriero - served 1993-1997; first openly gay elected Republican of a state legislature
• State Senate Minority Leader and State Representative Richard Tisei – served 1985–2011; came out 2010 as first Republican gay member of a state legislature

Minnesota

• State Senator Paul Koering – served 2003–2011; first openly gay Republican elected state legislator in Minnesota

Missouri

• State Representative Zachary Wyatt – served 2010-2013; came out in 2012

Pennsylvania

• State Representative Mike Fleck - severed 2007–2014; came out in 2012

Ohio

• State Representative Tim Brown – served 2013–present; first openly gay elected Republican state legislator

Wisconsin

• State Assemblyman Todd Novak - served 2015-present; first openly gay Republican elected state legislator in Wisconsin

Mayors

Arizona

• Mayor of Tempe, Arizona Neil Giuliano (R) - served 1994 - 2004; first openly gay elected Republican mayor (came out in 1996)

California

• Mayor of Redondo Beach, California Mike Gin (R) - served 2005 - 2013

Massachusetts

• Mayor of Melrose, Massachusetts Patrick Guerriero (R) - served 1998 - 2001
• Mayor of Attleboro, Massachusetts Kevin Dumas (R) - served 2004 - present

New Jersey

• Mayor of Chatham Borough, New Jersey Bruce Harris (R) - served 2012-present; first openly gay elected African American Republican mayor
• Mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey Don Guardian (R) - served 2014-present

New York

• Mayor of Plattsburgh, New York Daniel Stewart (R) - served 2000 - 2006

Local Officials

Arizona

• Sheriff of Pinal County Paul Babeu (R) - served 2009–2017
• Tempe, Arizona Vice-Mayor Neil Giuliano (R) - served 1990–1994

District of Columbia

• District of Columbia Council member David Catania (R/I) - served 1998-2015

California

• San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis (R) - served 2004 - present
• San Diego City Council member Carl DeMaio (R) - served 2008 - 2012
• President, Los Angeles Board of Public Works Kevin James (R) - served 2009-present

New Jersey

• Chatham Borough Council member Bruce Harris (R) - - served 2004 - 2012

New York

• Plattsburgh City Council member Daniel Stewart (R) - served 1994 - 2000

Others

• Christopher R. Barron, GOProud cofounder
• Bruce Bawer, writer
• Dale Carpenter, legal commentator and Earl R. Larson Professor of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Law at the University of Minnesota Law School
• Marc Cherry, television writer and producer
• Scott Evertz, president of the Wisconsin Log Cabin Republicans
• Richard Grenell, 2012 Mitt Romney presidential national security spokesman
• Michael A. Hess, chief legal counsel to the Republican National Committee
• Daniel Innis, academic and businessman
• Caitlyn Jenner, athlete
• Fred Karger, 2012 Republican US presidential candidate
• Jimmy LaSalvia, GOProud cofounder
• Abner Mason, former president of the Log Cabin Republicans
• Ken Mehlman, 61st Chairman of the Republican National Committee
• Terry Dolan, co-founder and chairman of the National Conservative Political Action Committee
• Don Norte, gay rights activist
• Kevin Norte, gay rights activist
• Justin Raimondo, author and the editorial director of Antiwar.com
• Andrew Sullivan, author, editor and blogger
• Peter Thiel, entrepreneur, venture capitalist, hedge fund manager, and social critic
• Norah Vincent , writer
• Stephen Perkins, editor and writer

See also

• Gays for Trump
• LGBT conservatism