Posted on 04/17/2002 12:08:37 PM PDT by paltz
Growing up in the middle-class Boston suburb of Melrose, Mass., Patrick Guerriero feared that his sexual orientation would thwart his political ambitions, especially as a budding young Republican. But unlike generations of gay and lesbian conservatives before him, he refused to stay in the closet.
Much to his surprise and relief, Guerriero’s candor actually may have played to his advantage. Not long after coming out to family and friends in 1990 at age 22, he was twice elected mayor of his hometown. Voters then sent him to three consecutive terms in the state legislature. This January, Guerriero achieved his greatest measure of political acceptance yet when Massachusetts’s acting governor, Republican Jane Swift—no doubt noting his perfect record in elections—named him her running mate for lieutenant governor. At press time Swift had pulled out of the race, but Guerriero is soldiering on with his candidacy.
“The people of Melrose got to know me as a decent athlete and active citizen volunteer who fought for improvements in civil life,” 34-year-old Guerriero tells The Advocate. “They judged me by my character and my record. I think that voters today are a lot less concerned about the sexual orientation of their leaders than they used to be, and this is true not just in my state but across the country. They want to know where I stand on the issues. There is no question this a good thing for this country.”
“Guerriero’s race is really a battle of wills in the [GOP],” says Brian Bond, executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, a Washington, D.C. political group. “Patrick represents inclusion and the future of the GOP. But even in liberal Massachusetts he’s going to have to defeat the naysayers and lingering homophobia within the party structure. Whether he wins the nomination will tell us a lot.”
Bond says gay and lesbian progress in the party is primarily a function of geography. “We are seeing Republican progress for inclusion in New England, the entire East Coast, as well as the more libertarian West,” he added. “The challenge is the entire midsection of the country, from the Midwest through the Bible Belt and all the way down to the Gulf. These areas are still not inclined to gay candidates, and there is a lot of resistance.”
Guerriero is just the highest-profile of droves of gay conservatives coming out and running for office, challenging a party that just one decade ago featured a procession of right-wing speakers declaring “culture war” against homosexuality at its national convention in Houston. “There’s definitely progress, but it tends to be measured in inches rather than miles,” says Hastings Wyman, editor of the journal Southern Political Report. “We’re seeing gay people coming out everywhere, from the White House to the statehouse, but since the culture of the [GOP] has long been hostile to the concept of identity politics, people are still pretty cautious about it. There is still a pretty strong Republican closet.”
Indeed, many conservatives contacted by The Advocate for this issue declined to be interviewed on the record, citing everything from privacy concerns to the negative reaction of voters to the fear of being fired. While the GOP may not exactly be the Gay Old Party yet, this new breed of gay conservative is breaking down barriers anyway. Like Guerriero, they tend to be young, unapologetic, and lacking in patience either for the closet or for the notoriously antigay right wing of the GOP. “People like Patrick are simply refusing to run closeted,” declares Abner Mason, Swift’s openly gay chief policy adviser. “Just the opposite. They say, ‘This is who I am, but it’s not all I am. Vote against me if you dare.’ ”
Religous cons: He's going to hell
Social Cons: He sounds nice, but we'll pray for his soul
Other Cons: Oh Get over it, everybody.
Always interesting and literate, even if you don't agree with him.
The press defines conservative as liberal who wants a tax cut.
But did they forget about being profamily [husband, wife, etc.], abortion, opposition to special treatment for sexual lifestyles, quotas, etc.?
Melrose is a quiet, beautiful suburb about 7 or 8 miles north/west of Boston, and it has some of the most beautiful victorian architecture in the state. It has its rough areas, but you can't buy into a single family home in Melrose for under $275,000---unless you want to live in a dump by the railroad tracks.
Only this leftist mag would portray gays as being 100% leftist up til now. IMHO, there has always been a significant percentage of this voter block voting Republican, and yes, even conservative Republican.
It is kinda funny - I thought the gays wanted government out of people's bedrooms - and yet people that run for office as GAY Republicans or GAY Democrats are out there telling everyone what they do in their bedrooms.
They seem to have two conflicting needs. First, to be sure everybody knows what they do in their bedrooms. Second, for everybody to be accepting of them as individuals.
The former conflicts with the latter. There are two employees where I work that give the impression that possibly they might be gay. Neither makes an issue of it, and I don't ask. In fact, I don't care. Their orientation has nothing to do with our work relationship whatsoever. Shove it in my face, and then it becomes part of our work relationship. I will care then, as they've forced me to.
being profamily [husband, wife, etc.], abortion, opposition to special treatment for sexual lifestyles, quotas, etc.?
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