If all goes according to plan, the Republican Party will hold a love fest of a national convention in New York next month, just as their Democratic rivals did in July. But not if a small group of socially progressive Republicans stand in their way.
The Log Cabin Republicans, a national organization of gay GOP members, has announced its intention, along with Republicans for Choice and the Republican Youth Majority, to call on the national Republican Party to adopt a "Unity Plank" in its 2004 platform. The plank does not call on the party to endorse gay marriage, gays in the military, government-funded contraception, the Harvey Milk School, partial-birth abortion, or any other controversial policy proposal. The plank, in its totality, reads simply:
"We recognize and respect that Republicans of good faith may not agree with all the planks in the party's platform. This is particularly the case with regard to those planks dealing with abortion, family planning, and gay and lesbian issues. The Republican Party welcomes all people on all sides of these complex issues and encourages their active participation as we work together on those issues upon which we agree."
If the Republicans have any sense, they will accept this innocent proposal from these unfairly marginalized members of their own party. After all, the headline speakers at the convention are Governor Schwarzenegger of California, Governor Pataki of New York, and Rudolph Giuliani, the former New York City mayor - all of whom support gay rights. But don't hold your breath.
Considering what they have had to endure, gay Republicans could easily be considered the most loyal members of the GOP. For when it comes to the issues that directly affect gays the Republican Party has been nothing but hostile. The party's leaders have continually opposed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would make it illegal under federal law to fire someone simply because that person is gay. Currently, this practice is legal in 36 states. Congressional Republicans have consistently opposed allowing gays to serve openly in the armed forces, at a time when the most qualified individuals are needed to defend the country. And the Republican Party, led by Mr. Bush, has sought to write discrimination into the Constitution by means of the Federal Marriage Amendment.
Despite all this, the Log Cabin Republicans are only requesting that a straightforward, three-sentence plank be included in the party's 2004 platform that would make gay Republicans feel welcome within the party whose candidates they vote for, whose ideals they believe in, and whose treasury they help fund.
Is it too much to ask? Apparently so, because leaders of the Log Cabin Republicans have yet even to receive credentials to attend the convention.
Social issues are divisive, and the party's hard-line stance against gays is not only failing to win over voters - only 4 percent of whom say gay marriage is a decisive issue for them - but it will become a political liability down the road as homophobic public policies become increasingly anachronistic with young people. The polls bear this contention out, and Karl Rove would do well to pay attention. In 2000, Mr. Bush nearly split the 18-to-29-year-old vote with Mr. Gore. But in a recently released Washington Post-ABC News poll, Mr. Kerry now leads the president among that same demographic by a 2-to-1 margin. While the war and the economy are paramount in creating this shift, the one glaring issue that separates this age group from older voters - who are evenly split in the presidential race - is gays.
If the Republican Party wishes to have a future, it must come to grips with the fact that its stances on issues related to homosexuality, while perhaps not strategically risky right now, will prove disastrous in the future if they do not evolve. Voters under 30 are "gay friendly." Half of us support gay marriage and a sizeable majority of us support full legal rights via civil unions. We can claim more openly gay friends, relatives, and coworkers than any other generation of Americans. We view any remark that hints of anti-gay animus with the same mix of disdain and ironic bemusement as we do retrograde comments endorsing racial supremacy.
Young people take pride in our acceptance of gay people and are confident that despite the bitter debate homosexuality is causing in our country now, most Americans will share our point of view within the next 20 years. If Republicans have any idea what is good for them as a party, they will get hip with the times.