Gays in the GOP? David Loftus

Not being Republican or gay, I suppose I have no standing to offer an opinion on the question. To be honest, I might be more ashamed if I had to identify myself as a Republican than as a gay male. Just kidding. I know almost as many fine Republicans as I have gay friends. But seriously, it’s inconceivable to me that, no matter what his spiritual beliefs, a gay man could somehow believe he was doing right by God, the universe, or his karma by serving as a Republican public official and voting against gay rights.

I know, I know. Ashburn has claimed that he was voting to represent the views of the people who elected him, not his own. Personally, I’ve never agreed with this philosophy of representation. An elected official ought to make it his business to understand the complex issues that come before him better than the average person who voted for him; and if the combination of his knowledge and conscience says the best interests of his constituents diverge from their wishes, he should stand for the former. If our public officials don’t have to be any smarter or better informed than the average citizen, then we should just do away with legislators and Congressional representatives and vote on everything ourselves. But I don’t believe that. And I do digress.

Ashburn may indeed have expressed the wishes of a majority of his supporters, but he’s a liar. He lied to them (would they have elected him if they’d known from the beginning that he was gay?). More important -- one way or another -- he lied to himself. Perhaps he knew all along he was gay, but if he thought he could keep that separate from the rest of his life, if he thought the Republican Party was going to be just fine and dandy about his sexual orientation, if he thought he was on the side of the angels voting against both the civil rights of gays and his own heart . . . he was lying to himself.

Aside from that, speaking as a man whose father was killed by a drunk driver, I have to say that Ashburn should be far more ashamed of himself for driving drunk than having to admit he is gay.