Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel has released an apology email to the group’s members following backlash after McDaniel championed an outreach program to queer voters.
Metro Weekly reports that McDaniel announced the launch of the RNC Pride Coalition earlier this month, an outreach initiative aimed at courting LGBTQ voters. Queer people generally lean Democratic with their politics following years of demonization by the Republican party. Go figure.
McDaniel’s announcement before a seminar hosted by Log Cabin Republicans–a group of gay GOP voters–infuriated fellow Republicans. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene blasted the initiative on Twitter.
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“Using people for their identity is what the Democrats do, not Republicans,” Taylor Greene tweeted at McDaniel. “This actually hurts the Log Cabin Republicans by grafting their fundraising & weakens their effectiveness.”
Using people for their identity is what the Democrats do, not Republicans.
This actually hurts the Log Cabin Republicans by grifting their fundraising & weakens their effectiveness.
And don’t forget, @GOPChairwoman the rainbow is God’s sign.https://t.co/MRFN709sS4
— Marjorie Taylor Greene ?? (@mtgreenee) November 10, 2021
“And don’t forget, @GOPChairwoman the rainbow is God’s sign,” Taylor Greene added, apparently a dig at the “sinful” nature of queer people.
Taylor Greene wasn’t the only one to voice her ire. Evangelical Christian leader Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council, also attacked McDaniel. “The leadership of the RNC is moving the party in a direction that is incompatible with religious freedom, and many of the things that we see parents fighting for across the country,” Perkins said in a radio interview. He also called on McDaniel to resign over the initiative.
In her apology email, McDaniel reassured members of the RNC that the party had not changed its opposition to marriage equality or support of religious exemptions from recognizing the civil rights of LGBTQ people. She also took responsibility for not warning RNC members before announcing the creation of the RNC Pride Coalition.
“I want to reiterate that we should have done a better job of communicating this information to you ahead of time and I apologize for any problems this may have caused for you,” McDaniel wrote. “I never want to put you in a position where you do not have all of the facts, and I am sorry that happened in this situation. We will do better, I promise.”
“We are simply replicating and continuing the outreach structure set up by the Trump campaign,” McDaniel continued, making reference to the “Gays for Trump” movement during the 2020 Election. “Making further inroads for future elections is important, especially for close races. That is why we are doing this.”
Good luck with that. For over 40 years the Republican party has demonized the LGBTQ community as everything from deviant to sick to predatory. Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush did little to abate the AIDS crisis, referring to the disease as a “behavior-based” illness. George W. Bush proposed a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in 2004–a position the party continues to advocate. Donald Trump targeted transgender people, removing protections in schools, housing and healthcare previously established by the Obama Administration. He also supported the right to discriminate against gay and bisexual people on religious grounds.
Somehow, we don’t think McDaniel apologized the right people.
Bosch
Being kind to people is “incompatible with religious freedom.”
jax florida
No surprise here. We know what the republican party is and we know what the log cabin republicans are.
maddog
Just another missing chink from between the logs of the Republican’s Cabin.
barryaksarben
Yet another example of the “BIG TENT” the republicans keep saying they have, Everyone is welcome under their tent with the small exemptions of poc, gays. lesbians, feminsts or any religion other than their fake christianity
Max
that tent also excludes truth-tellers, probably their most loathed category of folks.
James
LOG CABIN REPUBLICANS ARE ALL PSYCHOPATHS. EVIL SICK LOSERS.
ThatGuy22
As if the RNC already isn’t steeped in white identity politics. They already *do” use people for that identity.
Fahd
I can’t believe that any self-respecting gay person would ever sincerely believe they have a place in the Republican party.
cuteguy
Log cabin Republicans makes as much sense as Jewish Nazis or Black Klansmen.
Toofie
I just don’t know why Log Cabin people want to belong to a party that CLEARLY doesn’t want or respect them? The fact the Republican platform still clings to being anti-gay marriage 6 years later shows you all you need to know.
ScottOnEarth
Could it be more blatant when these jackasses refer to “religious freedom” as their reason for opposing LGBTQ+ rights? It’s a clear euphemism for BIGOTRY. And here’s my favorite quote in this article: “Queer people generally lean Democratic with their politics following years of demonization by the Republican party. Go figure.” The demonization continues…
raddguy
Identifying with the enemy is an unfortunate symptom of the authoritarian mindset. I feel sorry for them.
bambamboom777
It’s clear that homophobia is just as rampant as ever in the GOP. They’ve just been too busy attacking other groups and fighting invisible threats and imaginary battles conspiracy theorists have convinced them exist. Just in the last few weeks Michael Flynn has been speaking in favor of declaring Christianity the official and only permitted religion in the U.S., while also arguing Trump followers have the right to overthrow the legitimate government. School boards across the country are voting to ban all books that mention anything to do with lgbtq issues, CRT, slavery, feminism, inequality, the labor movement, voting rights, civil rights, First Nations Issues, Global Climate Change – basically anything they don’t like they want all copies destroyed. And they want to ban teachers from even discussing topics that they don’t approve of, which is basically everything they perceive as not being on their side of the Culture Wars. So you can discuss persecution of christians, the horrors of abortion, and how the Pilgrims brought civilization and greatness to America. But don’t mention issues that kids are dealing with, like bullying, poverty, racism, lack of opportunities, bigotry, violence, legal inequities, healthy air and water, quality of life, etc. And today’s typical Republican makes Jesse Helms and Jerry Falwell seem rational by comparison. These people are out touch with reality and they don’t care. They’re living halfway in an alternate reality. They’re not going to get any better. Right-wingers always have to take it a step further, because without constant battles and threats to whip up hysteria, they have nothing but narrow-mindedness, ignorance, bigotry, grievances, and false beliefs. They don’t even know who they are anymore or what they believe in. They just repeat whatever the loons and conspiracy nuts tell them to believe. How a major party could be so easily driven off the rails and hijacked by an authoritarian personality cult is going to be the subject a lot of books, documentaries, and debates for a very long time. Sad thing is some of his delusional followers are still claiming he won the election. LOL I guess they thing if you just keep saying something is true over and over everyone is going to believe it. And apparently they define truth not as based on objective fact, but rather what people have been convinced to believe is true. It only matters to them what people believe is true. Objective truth to them is nothing more than irrelevant trivia. For fundamentalist, bigoted, anti-science ideologues who blindly follow an obnoxious dishonest conman who wants to end democracy and replace it with a nepotistic dictatorship that departs from our historical norms of supporting democracy, human rights, rule of law and freedom. And somehow millions of people think this is a good idea. These people are not right in the head. They don’t care who they hurt, how unethical and morally reprehensible they must be to win, and have no concern over the effects their actions will result in. They just want to win even if it destroys us.
Mack
If you’re not white, straight, blond haired, blue eyes, faked “christian” then the current Republican Party isn’t for you.
Den
I love that none of the expected and deluded right wingers are here making comments. There is simply no way to deflect or dissemble in this instance!
The intent and motives of the GOP are clear as day, the hypocrisy undeniable even to those few gay people (if the right wing commenters here are actually gay people) who share but try to hide it.
loren_1955
God forbid that the Republican party possibly represent all Americans. Having been a Republican most of my life, the last few years I have become appalled with the party and party leadership positions. They are un-American and anti-Christ…bottom line bordering on fascism. Earlier this year I left the party, could not stand being labeled as the rest.
Mack
“bordering on fascism”? Hell they’re there and past it.
jlw92675
Which party are you now?
Jon in Canada
Conservatism has not nor will it ever be a friend to LGBTQ people, let alone other minorities. The clue is in the name; they want to ‘conserve’ the straight white christian male power structure and they’ll do anything to ensure it. Homocons are just masochistic kweer kapos who beg for scraps from the table and call it equality and respect while engaging in a pathetic form of minstrel queer kabuki for their masters.
SDR94103
she has a face that only a mother manatee could love.
jlw92675
McDaniel is the head of the RNC, but not the party, unfortunately. McDaniel is more liberal than most in the Conservative GOP. The Republicans need to clean house of the crazy minded people, and stick to what the nation really wants, an all-encompassing Republican party. There is a long way to go before the GOP will be openly welcoming of the LGBT community, but I hope that it will happen. The party is too close to the religious right, to make any headway to diversity. I think that if the Republican party wants to expand, it needs to focus on its major strengths, being fiscally responsible (laughable right now), individual freedoms, and supporting our military. The GOP is fractured, just as the Democratic party is fractured, but the Democratic party has figured out ways to work together for the betterness (not a real word) of the nation. One thing that the GOP does great is lets there be Freedom of Speech, but up until it clashes with the Religious Right wing of the party. I think Ms McDaniel is/was trying to expand the GOP base, but caved to the Religious Right of the party. Like I said earlier, Ms McDaniel is more liberal than most in the GOP, and that should be a sign of at least part of the GOP is trying to change.