Gay Republicans Explain Why They Are Proudly Supporting Donald Trump

After reading the title, you might think that it probably sounds like the beginning of a fake article, but I assure you it’s not. It’s just an oxymoron, according to society’s views.

We don’t usually see the words “Gay Republican” right next to each other, because liberal policy tends to be more inclusive of the LGBTQ community while conservatives have clung to traditional values. But like everything else in the world, the Republican views are evolving, slowly but surely.

During the Republican National Convention, billionaire and PayPal co-founder, Peter Thiel, became the first openly gay speaker that the convention has ever had. Thiel sums up his stance by saying, “Every American has a unique identity. I am proud to be gay. I am proud to be a Republican.” He followed that up by donating $1.25 million to Trump’s campaign.

While on the topic of the RNC, it would be crucial to also add that Trump is the first GOP presidential nominee to positively refer to the gay community in a convention acceptance speech. This fact alone earned Trump some points within this community.

You can like Trump or not, that’s up to you, but these two events that occurred at the RNC this past July, are historical. Forget for a moment the candidates, just notice that the Republican Party, is making progressive steps forward.

This article also talks about Juan Hernandez, a gay Hispanic that is pro-Trump. Based on the media outlets and the scandals in the past year, one might ask themselves how this is possible?

Hernandez goes on to explain how Trump is “the most inclusive presidential candidate that we’ve had in the Republican Party.” Even though Hernandez knows who he’s voting for, that doesn’t mean he’s safe. Hernandez is even scared to put a Trump sign in his yard. He’s cited that he’s been physically attacked for supporting Trump, and more than that, he knows of closeted Trump supporters that are just too scared of the violence to publicly acknowledge their political stance.

That last sentence was scary. Nobody should be attacked for who they believe in, it’s a free country right? Maybe that’s why we don’t hear a lot about this group in the media, not because it is a small fraction of people, but because some gay republicans are too scared to speak out in fear of retaliation of going against the standard view of an LGBTQ member.

I found this article very interesting because this group is a minority that people don’t really see and I think it’s important for them to be recognized and for people to be informed about them too. It's our right as citizens not to agree with them, or anybody else if we choose to, but everybody's opinions deserve respect.

This post was meant to shine light to a growing minority of people. I'll be the first one to admit that 5 years ago, I didn't even know that gay people could even be republican, now I know that anything is possible. For us to be better informed citizens is important, whether you're a democrat, republican, libertarian, etc., knowledge is key to acceptance and success.

-Riley

________________________________________________________________

Sources:

Chang, Juju, and Marjorie Mcafee. "Gay Republicans Explain Why They Are Proudly Supporting Donald Trump." ABC News. ABC News Network, 23 Oct. 2016. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.

"Three Latinos Arrested after Armed Stand-off with Man over Trump Yard Sign." Fox News. FOX News Network, 10 Mar. 2016. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.

Wildermuth, John, and Joe Garofoli. "PayPal's Thiel's Speech Shows Major Shift in GOP on Gays." SFGate. N.p., 22 July 2016. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.