As the Republican carnival goes from state to state, it has been a bellyful of clown laughs, but it’s also shaping Republican politics for the future. And as always, it’s the leader of the party, its presidential nominee, who sets that tone. While we don’t know the outcome as yet and politics can change on a dime, it looks like Mitt Romney. Way back in New Hampshire, the way the Republicans dealt with LGBT equality took a major turn. Rick Santorum — obviously the George Wallace of homophobia — got into a heated debate with a student on equality on his first day in New Hampshire. It followed him from stop to stop and slowed his momentum. He and the other candidates felt the change in the air: Equality is no longer the boogeyman, not even to Republicans.
I was almost alone among LGBT writers and political pundits who, from day one, felt no threat from little Ricky Santorum and wrote that Santorum’s position on equality meant he was toast before the bread of the Republican primaries was even in the oven. His only hope was the evangelicals in Iowa and the deep South. I’ll go out on another limb. He’s not even in consideration for the V.P. spot. Do you think any presidential candidate wants to see a foaming-at-the-mouth running mate in TV commercials comparing homosexuality to bestiality?
Romney, not an equality booster himself, is trying to run from his “moderate” past. Even he saw the handwriting on the wall and, as we reported, at the ABC debate, a new Republican line in the sand was drawn, and it was by Romney, the preemptive party leader. The bottom line was everything but the word marriage: domestic partners, civil unions, nondiscrimination, even LGBT appointments to high political office like judges — but marriage is still between a man and a woman. The reporter asking the question was surprised and posed, “But what will you do to further LGBT equality?” Romney replied, “I just did.” Applause from a Republican audience. Not one other candidate on that stage refuted that stand, including Santorum. Since we made this point, there have been three more debates and guess what? No bashing of the LGBT community. Even Newt Gingrich in the last week, who has a campaign speech listing the wrongs of President Obama, doesn’t list LGBT issues. And then, Republican Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey nominated a gay man to the state Supreme Court. Now, that has become somewhat of a circus also, but it’s heading in the right direction. As we wrote originally, this is the beginning of a change in the Republican Party on LGBT issues and Santorum is the last homophobe standing. This is history in the making. Now there will be a little backsliding at times; look for it just before Super Tuesday, since most of those states are in the South. But here’s the future. Watch as the Republican Party takes a page from the Conservative Party in Great Britain.
On another note, if you watched NBC’s pre-Super Bowl broadcast, as well as the Super Bowl itself, you might have noticed something very new: the segments on civil rights, women’s rights, immigration, an anti-bullying video and even an LGBT commercial. All of this is new to sports broadcasting and thanks to Comcast’s national Joint Diversity Council, headed by David L. Cohen. Full disclosure, I’m on the JDC, and at times in the last year I felt it would take forever to make changes in this giant of a corporation. But the Super Bowl, the most watched show in TV history? Never in 1971 when the Gay Raiders stormed the networks, did I ever dream of something of this magnitude. We still have a way to go, but for one year this is an incredible beginning. Thank you, Comcast.
This column was written before the Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado caucuses/primary results on Tuesday. My view on Santorum has not changed. As stated earlier in the column, all it takes is people on Little Ricky’s campaign trail to engage him on his homophobia. It turns off the electorate, even Republicans. In fact, the above column is more correct as it proved Ricky’s homophobia has been in the closet since New Hampshire. Maybe at rallies, we need to remind him and give him an opportunity to talk. On the other hand, a commercial with a candidate talking about bestiality might play well.
Mark Segal, PGN publisher, is the nation’s most-award-winning commentator in LGBT media. He can be reached at [email protected].