A few weeks ago in this editorial, we addressed the danger that Log Cabin Republicans pose to the LGBTQ community by endorsing and promoting President Trump. Log Cabin’s behavior hasn’t changed, but it needs to be reiterated that anybody who votes for President Trump is supporting harm to the LGBTQ community. President Trump and his administration have, among other things, sought to remove transgender healthcare protections from the Affordable Care Act, supported religious exemptions that allow people to be fired for being LGBTQ, and appointed anti-LGBTQ judges, including 19 to the circuit court.
On Sunday night, the William Way LGBT Community Center announced on Facebook that their Monday guest for their “Queering The Quarantine” livestream series would be the man who serves as President of the Log Cabin Republicans of Philadelphia. PGN interviewed the man last year, and he said, among other things, that he is voting for Donald Trump in 2020 because “I believe we need someone transformative and not of the D.C. swamp…who will shake things up and change the system that isn’t working for anyone.”
The reaction to the WWCC announcement was swift and harsh. Many people called out the man and Log Cabin Republicans for supporting Trump. But many more people also called out the WWCC for giving the man and his organization a platform. Some people felt that the WWCC had betrayed their mission to support the community. The community’s anger makes sense. Why should those who endorse a transphobic and homophobic politician be invited into a space that is supposed to be supportive of LGBTQ people?
Less than twelve hours after the event was announced, it was cancelled. In the Facebook post, the Community Center wrote: “We value all of the folks who have provided us feedback. We hear you. Our solidarity remains strong with trans people, immigrants, HIV positive folks, and others who have expressed pain and anger over our decision.”
The Community Center did the right thing by cancelling the event and scheduling a debrief session to learn how to do better. The same cannot be said about Log Cabin Republicans, who are holding firm in their support of Trump despite all of the anti-LGBTQ actions of the past 4 years. The Community Center showed that it is possible to listen to the community and learn from mistakes. Log Cabin Republicans have not listened to the LGBTQ community at all. Instead, they are going against it.
This editorial is titled “Log Cabin Republicans and the LGBTQ community” because the two groups are completely separate. One cannot support Donald Trump and then say they support an LGBTQ community that fights for trans rights. One cannot support Donald Trump and then say that they support an LGBTQ community that fights for equality in education and housing. One cannot support Donald Trump and then say they support an LGBTQ community who fights against being silenced, abused, and erased in the name of “religious liberty.”
There are members of Log Cabin Republicans, and there are members of the LGBTQ community. There are not both.