Rob Smith is a gay and Black conservative who’s made a name for himself by flouting his seemingly conflicting identities.
But that was before the online commentator was heckled with antigay slurs last December at a Turning Point USA event in Phoenix, Arizona. Now three months later, Smith says he’s leaving the Republican Party… for good.
In a nearly 25-minute video posted on X Twitter, Smith says the ugly incident prompted him to reconsider his political identity.
Politics, but make it gay!
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“I’m always going to be a right-leaning person, but I’m not going to identify as a Republican, conservative, etc because it’s whack. That’s what it is,” he said.
Now, the existence of homophobes and bigots in the Republican Party is hardly news. GOP party platforms across the country denounce gay people, with the Texas GOP calling homosexuality “abnormal.” With the rise of anti-LGBTQ+ backlash, gay Republicans are admitting failure in their quest to make the party more inclusive.
But Smith didn’t publicly express those views, until he was personally targeted. He says white nationalists, including Missouri state Rep. Chris Lonsdale, shouted homophobic and racial slurs towards him at the aforementioned December event.
Smith shared a fresh video of the episode Tuesday, which clearly shows Lonsdale, who was wearing a red tie and hideous plaid jacket, yelling “gay sex” and “f*****” towards him. (For what it’s worth, the recording didn’t capture any audible racial slurs.)
When Smith first posted the clip in December, he wasn’t greeted with a lot of sympathy.
“You got what you deserve. You chose to associate with a political party that is anti-black and anti-gay,” one person commented on his post.
“You chose to be a Republican despite knowing what they stand for. And now you want sympathy?” added someone else.
Related:
Gay Trump supporter cannot believe non-gay Trump supporters would treat him so disrespectfully
People on social media had little sympathy for him.
Smith, an Iraq war veteran, says he thinks Trump’s 2020 election loss emboldened antigay extremists to take over the party.
“Unfortunately, Trump’s loss in 2020 opened up the door for a very far-Right fringe in the party that has become louder and more powerful over the past few years, and it’s clear that officials and others with very large platforms do not care to speak up about this because they think these types will bring them back to power,” he said.
At the start of his renouncement, Smith threatens the group that hosted the affair in Phoenix, Republicans for National Renewal. He says their leader, Nicholas Fuentes, is a “deeply closeted homosexual.”
“Oh boy, have there been a lot of things slid into my inbox about that organization. That stuff is going to come out whenever it comes out,” he added. “Let me tell you something: if you’re involved in that organization, you might want to sleep with one eye open.”
Smith may not sleep with one eye open, but he does sleep with men. He’s finally realized that alienates him from the rest of the party.
Smith tells the story of a “right-leaning” gay friend who’s also denounced the GOP.
“He’ll say to me, ‘I don’t identify as a Republican like I identify as a constitutionalist, because how can I identify with these people?'” he said.
In 2018, Smith, who often rails against identity politics while never missing an opportunity to broadcast his own intersectionality, said coming out as conservative was harder than coming out as gay.
“Honestly, coming out as conservative has been more of an earth-shattering, life-altering move for me, personally, than coming out as gay was,” he said.
Back in 2020, Smith was among 50 or so LGBTQ+ Trump supporters who marched through West Hollywood, one of the gayest cities in the U.S.
But now, Smith is distancing himself from the MAGA movement. He says identifying as a gay Black man and Republican is incongruous.
“If you’re some straight white dude, OK, I completely understand—and this is nothing against straight white dudes, because I don’t hate anybody—but if you’re that, I understand how you can wave the red flag for the Republican Party,” he said.
Later, Smith said he thinks it’s far more difficult for Black people of any orientation to represent the GOP.
“If you are heterosexual and Black, I can kind of see—now there is a lot of cognitive dissonance that you have to operate with as a Black person that’s really going to be riding for Republicans,” he said.
In an apparent effort to denounce Democrats, Smith said he thinks Black people, or anybody, who identifies with any single political party must check their beliefs at the ballot box.
“Honestly, I can say the same thing about a Black person who’s riding with Democrats hardcore,” he stated. “For you to really, truly, wrap yourself up into either of the political parties that exist right now in this country, you have to ignore so many things, and be silent about so many things, to make sure your team wins. For me, that is what I’m moving away from.”
Responses to Smith’s announcement indicate he won’t be missed.
“Not wаtching that. Good riddance,” someone replied.
Ouch.
Looks like the Log Cabin Republicans will have to make do with one less member.
Related:
Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis can’t stop racking up humiliating losses in Florida
The Florida governor’s crusade against LGBTQ+ folx is finally facing resistance.
abfab
“Honestly, I can say the same thing about a Black person who’s riding with Democrats hardcore,” he stated. “For you to really, truly, wrap yourself up into either of the political parties that exist right now in this country, you have to ignore so many things, and be silent about so many things, to make sure your team wins. For me, that is what I’m moving away from.”
—
Honey, we have a two-party system. Work with it. Deal with it. You still have some waking up to do if you think being an Indy or a Greener, etc, etc. is going to work for you, but hey, knock yourself out.
inbama
A typical woke white hypocrite telling a black guy to “deal with it” is not all that different from a Southern Neo-Confederate telling blacks they should “get over” slavery.
It’s all shades of white supremacy.
abfab
I’m going to say the same exact thing to a white guy, that being you. Deal with it.
Stop making shit up about race @imbama.
dbmcvey
Hey, inbama, you’ll never be accepted either.
abfab
The Log Cabin Club would love imbama. He’s wishy washy.
Kangol2
Inbama’s analogy is faulty many times over but will he grasp why? I doubt it.
As for Rob Smith, as I wrote the last time Queerty posted about him, he used to write for this site, a fact that is strangely missing from this report. Also, he wasn’t as far to the right back then, but seemed to lose it around the time Don the Con became president. Why Smith shifted so far to the loony right I’ll never know, but as he saw up close, the homophobic and racist elements in that party can’t control themselves, no matter how good of a little right-wing soldier he was.
Also, the anti-LGBTQ crowd has long played key roles in the GQP. Smith may be too young to recall it, but in 2004, George W. Bush waged his campaign in part in conjunction with the GQP’s push to ban gay marriage in states all over the US.
Openminded
““For you to really, truly, wrap yourself up into either of the political parties that exist right now in this country, you have to ignore so many things, and be silent about so many things, to make sure your team wins.” NO TRUER WORDS EVER SPOKEN
barryaksarben
entitled gat white man who has never done one damned thing. for the movement who probably never come out to. the family til mom and dad were dead and never ever came out at work. Log Cabin republicans are. just this plus more self hatred. This guys new conversion is as phony as any so called first conversion to a republican
ZzBomb
“Unfortunately, Trump’s loss in 2020 opened up the door for a very far-Right fringe in the party that has become louder and more powerful over the past few years”
No honey, this goes back further. Try 2012 when the right went apoplectic when they couldn’t fathom “how the black man got re-elected” (their words). And then started the tea party as some answer to Obama and that’s when the wheels started flying off the bus. We went from having actual policy discussions to nothing more than mud slinging contests. And now it’s so bad, that Joe Walsh, one of the founding members of the tea party, no longer identifies as a Republican b/c of how crazy and cultish they have become.
Mr Smith, I welcome you back to the world of sanity with open arms. We might not agree on everything, but we can agree that the far right has none of our best interests in mind and build from there.
abfab
The Tea Party! How GAY was that! It was filled with drag queens dressed up like pirates or something.
swingbozo
I was shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you, when the party of racist homophobes acted like a bunch of racist homophobes.
Mack
Who would have thunk?
abfab
Poor bastard—I’ve seen naive before but this one takes the cake! And eats it too! Maybe the Log Cabin Queens can convince him to join. That group could use a little flava…Talk about stale, white bread..
Kangol2
Psst: Don’t tell Tim Scott, Byron Donalds, etc.
glennmcbride
He’ll probably still vote for Trump. All the deplorables do, even the black gay deplorables.
abfab
Vey sad creatures. MAGA!
MAKE AMERICANSS GULLIBLE AGAIN!
KiraNerysRules
Man plays with fire. Lives to tell others who know fire hurts that fire hurts.
abfab
Good one.
radiooutmike
I’m unsure where he thought he would fit in.
I can understand his reasoning that blacks may be taken for granted by the Democratic Party since it *seems* like they vote solidly Democrat without reason?! I don’t get it, but I can understand why some black people would question that.
But where does leave him? He isn’t obscenely wealthy or head a large multinational firm. That’s one strike. He’s black. That’s two strikes. He’s gay. That’s three.
ZzBomb
I think black people largely vote democratic b/c the democrats aren’t actively purging voter registration rolls, prevent and obstruct access to voting in majority black districts, gerrymandering so that black districts stand apart from other districts in their state (Alabama) thus denying them the representation they deserve, or advocating that “slavery was actually a good thing b/c it taught them life skills.”
Also doesn’t help when every couple years or so one Republicans says the quiet part out loud and their desire to bring back slavery.
People typically, or eventually as Rob Smith here did, take notice when you repeatedly try screwing them over.
ZzBomb
Oh and lest we forget how Trump fomented racial tensions after the killing of George Floyd. Encouraging violence against racial minorities and protestors seeking racial equality and equity.
That could also be part of it as well.
inbama
@ZzBomb,
Well, we finally agree on something.
Middle class Blacks in my city are unashamed gun-owners. They proudly tell you they will protect their families and their property, and as racist as Republicans here are, from the cases I’ve followed, the “stand-your-ground” laws have always been enforced in favor of the homeowner regardless of race.
I still can’t stand the thought of a gun in my home, but the one time I needed police, they took ten minutes to get here. As my gun-owning neighbors point out, “By that time, you could’ve been dead.”
ZzBomb
@inbama
Well shit, I didn’t think hell would start freezing over so soon!? /s
Glad we can find common ground on something. 🙂
Mack
@ZZBOMB. I recently saw a video on one of the news site with a black man supporting RFK Jr because the Democrats wasn’t pushing reparations for the blacks and not enough being done in Congress to help the blacks. Unfortunately too many people don’t realize that because one party has control of one house and the Presidency they don’t always get what they want. Even though we’ve had the majority on paper in the Senate, we’ve had two who bend more with the Republicans than with the Democrats. But if they want to support RFK Jr, then they should be prepared to suffer the consequence when Trump wins because of the vote bled from Biden. I have no sympathy for them at this point.
ZzBomb
@ Mack,
Something I was saying back in 2016 and then again in 2020, and I have started to repeat again this year is:
You can’t always get what you want, but would you rather move forward and keep what you have or lose it entirely altogether?
I had several women in 2016 say to me directly they would sacrifice their reproductive rights to prevent Clinton from being elected b/c they bought into all the lies, come back and say they regret ever protest voting now in light of the Dobbs decision. We saw first hand now how quickly we can lose things we took for granted b/c of the attitude of “I’m taking my toys and leaving.” Democracy is messy, democracy is hard, but ultimately democracy is about compromise and not some “winner take all” contest.
abfab
@imbama…the thought of you with a gun…oh my.
Kangol2
“Without reason”? Are you out of your f*cking mind? Like, maybe open a history book before making such an uninformed comment in the future!
RoyM
Another MAGA douche got exactly what he deserves.
monty clift
Even when they are targeted and harassed from their own “side,” they still never learn. Somehow they blame it on “lefties are the real bigots” (e.g., Dave Rubin) and continue begging for that crum of validation that they will never get.
inbama
You mean the “soft bigotry of low expectations?”
LOL. There is something to it, and Kendi and Robin DiAngelo are pretty nuts. But as I live in Alabama, I would never call the Social Justice Warriors, however misguided and hypocritical, the “real bigots.”
abfab
Are you bragging or complaining about this state you live in………
Alabama passes sweeping bill that would prohibit diversity, equity, and inclusion at public schools and universities
By Shirin Faqiri, CNN
3 minute read
Updated 7:08 PM EDT, Tue March 19, 2024
Kangol2
Ibram X. Kendi is many things but “nuts” he ain’t. The caricatures of him are “nuts,” and your belief in them is nuts, but his book Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America is a superb historical overview. Have you read it? I doubt it. Nuts!
inbama
@Kangol2
When I was an undergraduate in one of New Jersey’s first Black History classes, we used John Hope Franklin’s tome. That same year, I spent Saturday mornings with radical Catholic nuns tutoring kids in East Harlem.
You can take Kendi and nonsense like “punctuality is white supremacy” and shove it your virtue-signaling butt.
Kangol2
Inbama, I see you can’t 1) read or 2) write without advocating violence, so why don’t you take your own advice and shove your nonsense where the sun doesn’t shine yourself!
abfab
Next @imbama will tell the world that he was a Sister Of Perpetual Indulgence. Excommunicated because he was such a judgy, pompous asshole.
flip-the-bird-Boston
I identify as a pro-social, environmentalist liberal. A society as wealthy as America’s can provide for those in need and we’ll be better for it in many dimensions. A society that does not respect the environment that they are a part of is doomed to fail. A democratic society should treasure a diversity of lived experiences, if it wants to succeed and its stated democratic promise.
Regardless of my ideals or who’s on the ballot, the Democrats are the only party who recognize my humanity. Jamie Raskin has a project as a part of his electoral campaign to engage and educate more young people about the American, democratic process called Democracy Summer.
BeaglePower
I don’t have any compassion for him or anyone in that kind of situation. Vote for the party that won’t kill you and make your voice and wants heard.
Dansktex
No one will ever fit one party perfectly. I have always been fiscally conservative because I grew up very poor family (living in public housing). Therefore, I adopted fiscally conservative personal budgeting to avoid being that poor myself. During one brief period, I voted for a Republican who was middle-of-the-road. But having more money (voting based on tax rates) is one of the least important reasons for determining how anyone should vote. So much more of my life is affected by non-money issues–quality of life, non-discrimination, freedom to be me, etc. And voting for a candidate/party that is now positioned to pass laws that take away personal freedoms and to force everyone to live they way they say and think they should live is definitely one to run from even if you don’t like everything about the other party.
dbmcvey
Growing up poor doesn’t automatically make someone fiscally conservative. Sometimes people realize that these public programs benefited them, even saved their lives, and are happy that these programs still exist to help others who are in the same situation.
abfab
Social services and (uh oh, cover your ears Republicans!) SOCIALISM, is all around us. I don’t have the time or the interest to create the complete list for the few right wing trolls who lurk. They can do thier own research, one hopes.
scotty
shades of christian walker LOL
abfab
OMG that was a mess. How soon we forget.
Chrisk
So like most republicans aka selfish priks. He doesn’t get it until it affects him personally.
Also I always say the independents are just really republicans that are embarrassed with the brand.
PubisHairus
I’ve never voted for a Republican and I’ve voted in every single election (presidential, primaries, runoffs, special, municipal, etc.) since I was eighteen. I might be a homosexual, but I won’t do that!
“Please clap.”
CNY1983
same here. i could never imagine being so dull, offensive, lonely, and desperate for attention to vote republican.
SUPREME
he needs to realize that tumbleweed head is not his friend.
abfab
POS must cut ties with his salon that performed over-priced special effects on his face and hair. A huge part of his punishment.
dman
“Smith, an Iraq war veteran, says he thinks Trump’s 2020 election loss emboldened antigay extremists to take over the party…”
Obviously he wasn’t paying too much attention to what Trump was doing while was in office.
abfab
Young Republicans are just as brain-dead as the old ones.
Bosch
“But Smith didn’t publicly express those views, until he was personally targeted.”
This is a common feature of American republicans, isn’t it? I didn’t know the leopards would eat MY face!
abfab
The Log Cabin Republican Club can release and share with us (but they won’t) the number of (a rough estimate would suffice) African Americans who have jumped ship.
They wouldn’t even have to explain the reasons for thier departures. Only an idiot would question why.
abfab
Not that I am enjoyng this thought, but Paris Dennard does come to mind. Another confused soul.
GayEGO
Forget Trump! You cannot believe anything he says! The GOP needs to get their Trump damaged brains fixed and move on up to today’s reality – Marriage Equality is the law of the land! Smith needs to recognize that there are those religious nuts who still believe the world is flat and gays are dements!
Kangol2
I hope you do realize that there are many–MANY–in the GQP who want to make “Marriage Equality is the law of the land” a thing of the past! Don’t put it past them!
abfab
A reminder:
The man Trump called ‘my African American’ is leaving the GOP
By Kate Sullivan, CNN
Gregory Cheadle, of California, told “PBS NewsHour” he believes the Republican Party is pursuing a “pro-white” agenda and using black people like him as “political pawns.”
Trump said, “Look at my African American over here,” at a California rally.
Cheadle pointed to the recent attacks by Trump on four congresswomen of color, when he told them to “go back” to where they came from, and on Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, when the President called Baltimore “a disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess.”
“When you look at his appointments for the bench: White, white, white, white, white, white, white,” Cheadle told PBS. “That to me is really damning to everybody else because no one else gets a chance because he’s thinking that the whites are superior, period.”
Kangol2
Some like Cheadle and Smith wake up but there are diehards, like Tim Scott (I found a “wife,” Donny Demento, pick me!) and Byron Donalds (I hate with the GOP insults Black people but I still come crawling back!) and Clarence Thomas (White liberals at Yale made me feel inferior so I take out that rage on Black people and everyone else and my wife Ginny just runs amok), etc. who can’t seem to shake off their MAGA stupor.
abfab
And Paris Denard. The cream of the crop! Gay as a picnin basket but still in deep denial. What a mess that one is.
abfab
Vivian Childs, Laverne Gore and Kimberly Klacik — all Black Republicans — launched campaigns in urban Democratic strongholds across the country in the hopes of winning a seat in Congress.
In interviews with ABC’s “Good Morning America,” they each described feeling alone in their primary races and expressed frustration over the lack of support from their own party. They urged the GOP to reach out to candidates and voters of color.
(good luck with that, ladies)
Leah Wright Rigueur, the author of “The Loneliness of the Black Republican,” told, “GMA” that Black candidates face a “vicious circle” when they run as Republicans because they are often met with skepticism and opposition in their own communities.
(and rightly so)
abfab
The ‘quagmire’ facing Black Republican women who run for Congress
Only one Black Republican woman has even been elected to Congress.
-ABC
QUAGMIRE! The perfect word.
Fahd
It’s sad to me that he tries to find nuance in all this or false equivalencies (no the Democrats are not just as bad).
The Republicans hate him because of his sexual orientation and because of the color of his skin. Republicans are obsessed with and driven by”identity politics” while denouncing “identity politics”. – hypocrisy is their everyday m.o. The whole idea of “taking back our country” is the backlash against Obama (President while Black).
The Republicans are driven by homophobia, racism and other deep-seated prejudices. That’s it and don’t try to complicate it or find nuance.
abfab
Excellent observations, Fahd. And all true.
AndyManX85
Wow, you’ll never be accepted by the MAGATS and GOP? Guess what? We don’t want you either.
Invader7
He only realized this now ?