Gays Flock to NY Conservative Party to Save Senator Mark Grisanti

The Log Cabin Republicans and GOProud have always been at the center of some controversy; some say it’s indefensible and crazy to belong to a party that’s been responsible for so much of the legal discrimination we experience, some say that the only way to change the system is to be inside it, and some feel like your political party doesn’t have to have anything to do with your sexual orientation. The latest chapter in the story of queers and the Republican party, however, complicates all of those a little bit.

In Erie County, New York, over 250 GLBT voters have recently registered as members of the Erie County Conservative party, some switching party affiliations. The Conservative party strongly opposes same-sex marriage; the current Republican senator, Mark Grisanti, campaigned on his opposition to marriage equality. But now, the queer community of Erie County is trying to save him in re-election.

Even though Grisanti opposed same-sex marriage in his campaign, when New York’s marriage equality law came to a vote, Grisanti supported it, and voted for equality. Now he’s risked losing his base of support, and the Conservative vote, without which he may very well lose the next election. If he lost his seat, there’s a good chance he would be replaced by someone less supportive of the queer community. So queer activists are flooding the Conservative party, hoping that their votes can keep Grisanti in office.

For most gay Republican groups, other conservative values, like limited government and fiscal conservatism, are generally upheld even when the fact that their members are gay means that they’re often more socially liberal. But in Erie County, it feels like a clear-cut case of “if you can’t beat them, join them.”

“There’s an old phrase my dad used to use,” said Kitty Lambert-Rudd, a same-sex marriage activist. “If you can’t beat them, join them. And once you’re in, take them over and throw them out.”

MARK GRISANTI

But it’s also a case study in what it can mean for politicians who stick their necks out to help the queer community, even going so far as to buck their own party: they win a lot of loyalty. It’s true that they might risk the support of their own party, but the people to whom their support actually makes a difference won’t forget. Threatening politicians who support gay issues with ruining their chances of re-election is a old trick that groups like NOM or Protect Marriage use all the time. If people are paying attention to what’s happening in Erie County, they’ll see that there’s also public sentiment in the opposite direction, working hard to protect people who have treated us fairly. If the Erie County queer voters do manage to keep Grisanti in office, or maybe even manage to create enough attention around their campaign, then perhaps other politicians will take note and begin to wake up to the political possibilities of supporting the queer community.

REPORTER: Would you call this payback for the Conservative Party?

LAMBERT: No. Not at all.

REPORTER: What would you call it?

LAMBERT: Wake up. Wake up. We have not bothered you. We simply have asked for equal representation under the existing law. And you’ve targeted senators that allowed us to be Americans and represented equally. Wake up.

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Rachel

Originally from Boston, MA, Rachel now lives in the Midwest. Topics dear to her heart include bisexuality, The X-Files and tacos. Her favorite Ciara video is probably "Ride," but if you're only going to watch one, she recommends "Like A Boy." You can follow her on twitter and instagram.

Rachel has written 1142 articles for us.

6 Comments

  1. I am a gay, republican, autostraddle reader and I (typically) vote this way because the overall republican agenda has more in common with my views than the overall liberal agenda. However, I simultaneously fight for the so-called liberal causes that are near and dear to my heart (specifically queer equality). Additionally, live in an open minded city (NYC) where even my fellow conservatives aren’t overtly restricting.

    • the ideas of the republican party may be appealling to many people, but pls take a good look at what the republicans are acutally doing lately, blocking the job bill, trying to kill medicare and the list go on. still appealling?

      • Actually, yes. I would like to see both programs as they stand replaced with some of the ideas that the GOP are suggesting. It isn’t that I want the elderly, the poor and the unemployed to be shit out of luck, it is just that I think there are better ways of achieving the goals.

      • *raises eyebrow* Since I didn’t agree with the jobs bill (I don’t think that we can spend our way out of a recession) and some Democrats voted that bill down as well, just fyi. Yes, yes I still do find the Republicans appealing. Do you really think I would call myself a Republican or a Conservative without knowing exactly what that means?

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