Gays Make Right Turn

During the last year, political pundits have spent a great deal of time discussing American Jews' growing support for President Bush and the Republican Party. In particular, writers at the Weekly Standard and National Review have written at length about how Republicans are wooing traditional Democratic Jews into the conservative fold. Most agree that the shift can be attributed to Jews' support for the Bush Doctrine, especially as it applies to the current Arab-Israeli conflict. But there is another significant political shift that has been largely ignored by most analysts — the rightward shift of American gays.

During the 1992 presidential campaign, there was open acrimony between gay voters and the Republican Party. Some of these hard feelings stemmed from the liberal press' distortion of Patrick Buchanan's famous "culture war" convention speech. In that speech, Buchanan mentioned gay rights two times - first, when he referenced that the Democratic Party would not permit pro-life Governor Robert Casey to address delegates at their convention, but would allow "a militant leader of the homosexual rights movement" to speak, and second, when he announced his opposition to state-sanctioned gay marriage.

While the latter reference ruffled the feathers of some gays, it was hardly a call for jihad by the Republican Party (especially since the Democratic Party had also adopted an anti-gay marriage position). Nonetheless, the press - along with militant leftist gay leaders — was able to scare mainstream gays into believing that a second Krystallnacht was right around the corner if President George H.W. Bush were re-elected.

In 1996, Republican Presidential Candidate Bob Dole returned a $1000 check that his campaign had received from the openly gay Log Cabin Republicans. Apparently, he thought that such an action would solidify his support among some socially conservative Republican voters. The strategy backfired and little came of the entire affair, other than some unnecessary bad press.

By the 2000 campaign, gay rights issues were not discussed by the two major parties because each had virtually identical positions. Both Al Gore and George Bush endorsed the Defense of Marriage Act and Dick Cheney and Joe Lieberman voiced opposition to discrimination against gays in the workplace.

Despite the difference in tenor of the 1992, 1996, and 2000 presidential campaigns, the proportion of self-identified gays voting for Republicans has steadily increased. Self-identified gays have represented between 4% to 5% of all voters during the last four election cycles, a proportion double that of American Jews. In 1998, 4.2% of voters were self-identified gays (a figure likely to be understated due to the personal nature of one's sexual orientation) while 2.6% of voters were Jews.

In 1992, 23% of gays voted for the Republican candidate for the House of Representatives. That figure increased to 26% in 1994, 28% in 1996, and 33% in 1998. In 2000, over one-fourth of all self-identified gays voted for an unabashed economic and social conservative, George W. Bush. Though no polls have been released since September 11, there is anecdotal evidence suggesting that gays are extremely supportive of the war on terrorism and are identifying more with center-right politicians than the usual neo-socialist busybodies offered by the Democrats.

Why are gays marching rightward in their political affiliations? Four key explanations come to mind:

Recent technological advancements in medicine have resulted in the development of cocktail drugs that have increased both the life expectancy and quality of life of individuals living with AIDS. These drugs have been especially beneficial to American gays, who have higher rates of HIV infection than other demographic groups. Gays understand that the primary reason why these drugs are now available is the existence of our free market economy.

In a free market, a private pharmaceutical firm has a profit-incentive to develop an AIDS drug if there is consumer demand for that product. This is precisely what we observed in the 1990s. Firms were willing to invest in these life-saving drugs knowing that they would have the opportunity to earn a profit from their sales.

Today, there are radical gay leftists who wish to remove these incentives. Jon Bell, from Act-Up Philadelphia, recently summed up this position:

"All but the wealthiest will continue to have no access to life-saving medicine. The only acceptable plan from industry will guarantee affordability through cuts of 95% or more of the prices we pay."

If Mr. Bell were to get his wish, pharmaceutical companies would have little or no incentive to invent drugs that could improve the lives of people with AIDS. Though he may believe that his heart is in the right place, the policies he advocates would result in more misery and higher death rates.

American gays are turning away from the harmful, radical health policies advocated by Act-Up because they increasingly understand that the free market is the best hope for the creation of life-saving AIDS drugs. To that end, many gays are throwing their support to the Republican Party because the political right does a better job than the left at protecting the market from government intrusion.

Leftists have long been blaming America for every social and political ill on the face of the earth. Prior to September 11, organizations like the Human Rights Commission (HRC) and the Gay and Lesbian Association Against Defamation (GLAAD) missed no opportunity to whine about the so-called "oppression" of gays in America. They rarely, if ever, spoke of the savage individual rights violations that gays face in the Middle East. Most Arab countries imprison or execute individuals if they are suspected to have engaged in homosexual activity.

In Afghanistan, the Taliban government sanctioned that suspected gays be thrown off of mountaintops or crushed under stone walls. In Egypt, gays are routinely imprisoned, tortured, and killed. After a recent show trial in Saudi Arabia, three gays were beheaded after being charged with "immorality."

What has the HRC and GLADD said about these atrocities? Almost nothing. In fact, many of the leftists affiliated with these organizations have been openly critical of the United States' war on terrorism and the upcoming war in Iraq.

Mainstream gays are beginning to understand that their political leadership is comprised of shrill, socialist anti-Americans who are willing to ally themselves with foreign governments that execute gays in order to enhance their domestic political power. How else can one explain how the HRC and GLAAD can support "zero tolerance" for gay-related hate crimes in America while at the same time finding political solidarity with murderous Islamists and sadistic dictators like Saddam Hussein?

President Bush has provided a clear vision of the necessity to destroy the evildoers in the Middle East before they destroy us. And it is a vision that is increasingly appealing to mainstream gays.

Gay individuals are increasingly becoming the wealthiest taxpayers in the nation. According to the 2000 Census, average household income for gay men is $85,400, more than double the national average (note, however, that this figure does not take into account that gays tend to live in geographic regions with higher costs of living). Moreover, gay households are 3.4 times more likely to have incomes greater than $250,000.

With liberals constantly calling for the rich to be soaked with higher taxes, gay voters are increasingly turning away from the party that wishes to confiscate their wealth. Mainstream gays have a libertarian strand in their philosophy that wishes to keep the state out of their private affairs — that includes their wallets.

A February 2001 nationally representative poll of gays conducted by the Gill Foundation found that 60% of gay Americans rate tax policy as "important to them personally." In addition, a May 2001 Luntz poll found that 72% of gays agreed that the federal death tax is "discriminatory" and 82% support its repeal. Gays are speaking loud and clear on these economic issues — they prefer smaller government. This is good news for the Republican Party.

Surely, one of the reasons for the increase in gay support for Republicans is that those individuals who identify themselves as gay today are different than those who did so, say, 10 years ago. In large part due to public efforts by political pundits like Andrew Sullivan and organizations such as the Independent Gay Forum, self-identified politically active gays are no longer cookie-cutter leftists. Today, right-wing gays are more comfortable "coming out of the closet" and voicing their political views because there are many more public figures who share their positions.

The lessons of the last 10 years reflect that the Republican Party will continue to win the votes of American gays not by pandering to them, but rather by sticking to a consistent philosophy that appeals to all voters - one that emphasizes individual liberty and personal accountability.

Homosexuality is immoral, Indecent, abhorant, and repugnant. It is a stain on our society, and must never ever be tolerated.

So are adulterers, liars and thieves..according to the same Bible you quote to condemn homosexuals.
Guess you would apply all your fire and brimstone condemnations to Mayor Giuliani and, Newt Gingrich and others right?

Doubtful, marijuana use has drastically increased since criminalization, and in the Netherlands barely rose after legalization and is now on the decline.

Even if use did increase, it wouldn't increase that much, and it is still less harmful than alcohol, and you wouldn't have to spend 20 billion a year on taxes and probably make a lot off taxing it.

This is EXACTLY the way Conservative gays want it. My state legislator is a conservative gay male, as is his partner.

They support President Bush and Matt Salmon for governor. They don't want government to get involed in their relationship in ANY way, pro or con. They fault the "Gay Fascist Agenda" for turning more Americans against gays.

Capital offenses? You are plain nuts. First you'd be executing probably half the nation, probably more for fornication. Second, how do you expect people to ever come to Christ if you are killing them all. Third, how do you plan to prosecute with evidence of all these people. Fourth, who is going to pay for all that mess.

I believe Adultery, Fornication, Blasphemy, and Homosexuality should all be capital offenses.

So then you believe Mayor Giuliani, Newt Gingrich and hosts of other adulters should be executed along with homosexuals.
Even Jesus told those who brought an adulteress before Him to be stoned. "Let he who is without sin among you cast the first stone".
Instead of spending your time condemning others, you should be thanking God He is allowing you to live.

So our forefathers were idiots?

Before the Founders The Puritans had the very laws I am talking about. The Founders had the very laws I am talking about.

So I ask you were our founders idiots? Were the Puritans Idiots? How about John Calvin in Geneva?

Jesus has the power to forgive, Jesus had the right to tell the adulteress she was forgiven because Jesus is Almighty God. He also said "Go and Sin no more." Liberals like to leave that part off.

Jesus did not advocate libertarianism or anarchy like liberals try to make it seem.

Morality is vital to a nation's future. Our Founders understood this and established laws against immorality.

"Man, considered as a creature, must necessarily be subject to the laws of his Creator, for he is entirely a dependent being....And, consequently, as man depends absolutely upon his Maker for everything, it is necessary that he should in all points conform to his Maker's will...this will of his Maker is called the law of nature. These laws laid down by God are the eternal immutable laws of good and evil...This law of nature dictated by God himself, is of course superior in obligation to any other. It is binding over all the globe, in all countries, and at all times: no human laws are of any validity if contrary to this... Sir William Blackstone

Even if homosexuality were partially or completely genetic in origin, that does not change the moral question involved.

This I agree with.
It also is rather strange that they trying to blame it on genetics.
I mean, if there is really nothing wrong with homosexuality, why are they resorting to this "it's not my fault" genetics argument?
If it's not wrong, who cares?

I'm not a big fan of gay men, but I sure do like them lesbians.

Well, the lipstick lesbians. The dykes and fatties don't do a thing for me.

Jesus has the power to forgive, Jesus had the right to tell the adulteress she was forgiven because Jesus is Almighty God. He also said "Go and Sin no more." Liberals like to leave that part off.

You're the one leaving off the part where Jesus said "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" in your zeal to condemn homosexuals and adulterers to death.

Nobody is saying that we can take the place of Jesus when it comes to offering forgiveness for sins.
Just that we don't condemn others in the hope that the Lord will also offer us mercy.
Something you seem to have missed.

I think some of these chuckleheads finally got sick of stepping over homeless Democrats and their piss-puddles as they walked the streets of San Francisco. San Francisco - - once a beautiful city and now a filthy toilet - - is like a laboratory for the failings of the Democrat Party. About as bad as it gets. Maybe the gays there noticed.

Make that nobody has to accept things they don't approve of. Everyone in this country has to tolerate a thing or ten we don't approve of! The fact that we are civil with fellow citizens we don't agree with is one of our basic strengths and is mandated by numerous laws. I for one am glad that gays are moving to our side as I believe that this switch can only mean that they will be exposed to other conservative values in the process. The majority of the gay movement will/has matured beyond raunchy in your face parades. The fact that they can find a home with the repubs will only speed the process.

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