Texas GOP chooses anti-gay intolerance over liberty and political success

Broadly speaking, the Republican Party has made tremendous strides when it comes to gay acceptance over the last decade. In fact, a strong majority of GOP voters now support anti-discrimination protections for gay people, and a slim majority now support same-sex marriage as well. But this progress has been uneven, and in some places, intolerance and bigotry still reign within the GOP.

Texas is the prime example, unfortunately. The Texas state GOP just made waves for its decision to prohibit the Texas Log Cabin Republicans, a group representing LGBT Republicans, from having a booth at its convention. This decision is counterproductive and backward. A party truly about individual freedom and liberty should have room in its tent for both religious conservatives with traditional views on homosexuality and gay Republicans.

What’s more, a political party’s job is to win elections, and the Texas GOP is openly rejecting a group that wants to support them, agrees with them on most issues, and wants to defeat the Democrats, all because they can’t stomach the thought of having gay people in their party.

I wonder how that will play out with LGBT voters in the next state election?

“It’s clear that inclusion wins, which makes the Texas Republican Party leadership’s decision to exclude the Texas Log Cabin Republicans from their convention not just narrow-minded, but politically short-sighted,” Log Cabin Republicans President Charles Moran said.