Posted on 05/19/2004 7:46:27 PM PDT by Libloather
N.C. GOP bans gay party members from opening booth at convention
5-19-04
From Staff Reports
Posted 2 p.m.
RALEIGH (AP) — North Carolina's Republican party has banned gay members from setting up a booth at this weekend's state GOP convention.
"I am extremely disappointed that the leadership of the North Carolina Republican Party is attempting to so narrowly define who can be a Republican," Ed Farthing, a retired Hickory lawyer who requested the booth.
"It appears to be you must be a white, Anglo-Saxon Protestant and married for the Republican Party to pay any attention to you. I think that is a good 1950s voter profile."
The state party leadership backs a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriages and said it plans to denounce homosexuality as "not normal" at its convention. Its stance was prompted by intense national debate about same-sex marriages stemming in part from a Massachusetts court ruling allowing such unions. Gay and lesbian couples began marrying there Monday.
The Log Cabin Republicans applied a month ago for a table at the state GOP convention, which begins Friday. The group is holding a meeting to organize a chapter in conjunction with the convention.
Last week, state GOP chairman Ferrell Blount returned the group's $75 check and said the booth would not be allowed.
"I reviewed what the Log Cabin national Web site was advocating and promoting, and in my opinion, it is diametrically opposed to the values of the North Carolina Republican Party," he said Tuesday.
Blount said he conferred with state party leaders about the booth. He said that the Log Cabin group not only pushed gay issues, but that its national Web site criticizes President Bush, who supports a federal constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage.
"As state party chairman, I support the definition of marriage as being a union sanctioned by God between a man and a woman. That is what the Republican Party talks about in its platform and will talk about this weekend," Blount said.
The Log Cabin Republicans have complained to the White House, to U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole and to other Republican leaders about the ban, Farthing said.
State GOP delegates are scheduled to vote Friday on a platform that opposes same-sex marriages, adoption of children by gay and lesbian couples and publicly financed benefit plans for unmarried partners. The proposed platform also commends the Boy Scouts, who rejected gay Scout leaders, for defending decency.
"We believe that homosexuality is not normal and should not be established as an acceptable 'alternative' lifestyle either in public education or in public policy," the proposed platform says.
The Log Cabiners have been making trouble for Bush all year. Aside from the moral issue, why help people who never show you any gratitude?
"My only question - how does anyone prove they're gay?"
...by preferring fecal contact during sex?
You've asked a good question. But there are those wacky Log Cabin Republicans again.
"My only question - how does anyone prove they're gay?"
...and by being public members of an organization of people who prefer fecal contact?
"Aside from the moral issue, why help people who never show you any gratitude?"
Now, Cicero. You're not being very tolerant or diverse. Bad, conservative. Bad, conservative. :) HA!
If they want a rodeo with rump wrangling..
Eat a "fudgecicle"?
Why can't they simply be Republicans and leave their sex lives in the bedroom?
Because it has never been about the bedroom. Sorry for answering my own question.
I know I'll probably regret asking this,but where did they get the name "Log Cabin"
Give them a book of colors and if they can name more than five of them correctly, they are GAY GAY GAY!
Ed Farting?? That's just too weird.
Because they think Abe Lincoln might have been gay. (his wife beat him up, and he was close friends with a man, but that doesn't make him gay...)
That's news to me.
Mary Todd Lincoln was unhinged to begin with, and I doubt Lincoln would have hit her back.
Unless they have photos of him and Walt Whitman in "compromising positions" I'll maintain that Honest Abe played for our team.
Ed Farthing, hmm.
Here he is and his booth
They obviously paid attention to Ed Farthing, if this story is to be believed, and they rejected his display for none of the reasons he gives in this statement.
Perhaps he was quoted out of context, or was commenting on something else unrelated to this story.
As for the truth of this statement, I know of quite a few Republicans who are none of these things, and have significant influence in the party.
So it appears Mr. Farthing is either lying or mistaken. Either way, I can see why the GOP doesn't want him around.
We need to do more of this. I used to think so what, but no more. They have one agenda only. It's not okay.
All the GOP has to do is to rule that there will be NO SEXUALLY oriented or distiguishable booths - period!
Homosexual, heterosexual who-knows-what sexual, etc. If you mention sex, you're outta there.
My GAYDAR goes off when they get near me.
By packing a gerbil.
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