At this year’s Equality Forum National Politics Panel, an attractive young man stood up and announced that he found it easier to be a gay man around Republicans than to be a Republican around the gay community. This is unfortunate, because I think the GLBT community would benefit from a broader political view. Republican beliefs, values, and elected officials can be of use to our community. In any case, I think a person’s political beliefs and opinions should be respected regardless.

Republicans generally believe in the idea of smaller government, the belief in the individual in both rights and responsibilities, free markets, lower taxes and the right to privacy.

Even if you think that the Bush administration has not embodied these ideas, most people who identify as Republicans do believe in them. They tend to believe that these core ideas are more important in a large, diverse democracy like ours than regulating and fighting over every part of our lives. True Republican ideas do not allow for discrimination or favoritism in any form. Yes, just like the Democratic Party’s ideals, ours are not always easy to live up to.  And perhaps if more gay and lesbian people joined the Republican party it might be easier.

These philosophical differences, along with business and economic interests, belief in a strong defense, and sometimes family tradition play into a person’s identification as a Republican.

The Log Cabin Republicans of Philadelphia have written six statements that explain what we believe:

We believe that the United States is the single greatest experiment in human freedom and democracy, and that the Constitution on which this experiment is based embodies the principle that the government that governs least, governs best.

1. We believe that the strength of the United States is rooted in the diversity of its cultures and institutions.
2. We believe in the Republican Party’s principles of individual responsibility, human dignity, freedom, love of family, respect for the rights of others, and limited government.
3. We believe in equal rights, equal justice and equal opportunity for all, regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, ability or sexual orientation. We believe that good government is based upon respect for the inalienable rights and responsibilities of the individual, and that the right to privacy is one of those inalienable rights,
4. We believe that the gay and lesbian community must become more active in the Republican Party to expose the Republican leadership to the reality that the issues and beliefs we hold, we hold in common.
5. We believe that the gay and lesbian community has relied far too long on government to bring about the social evolution necessary to make our community an equal partner with the groups, cultures and institutions that form the core of our society.