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Gays Make Right Turn
Front Page Magazine ^ | October 18, 2002 | Joseph J. Sabia

Posted on 10/18/2002 5:43:17 PM PDT by M 91 u2 K

During the last year, political pundits have spent a great deal of time discussing American Jews' growing support for President Bush and the Republican Party. In particular, writers at the Weekly Standard and National Review have written at length about how Republicans are wooing traditional Democratic Jews into the conservative fold. Most agree that the shift can be attributed to Jews' support for the Bush Doctrine, especially as it applies to the current Arab-Israeli conflict. But there is another significant political shift that has been largely ignored by most analysts — the rightward shift of American gays.

During the 1992 presidential campaign, there was open acrimony between gay voters and the Republican Party. Some of these hard feelings stemmed from the liberal press' distortion of Patrick Buchanan's famous "culture war" convention speech. In that speech, Buchanan mentioned gay rights two times - first, when he referenced that the Democratic Party would not permit pro-life Governor Robert Casey to address delegates at their convention, but would allow "a militant leader of the homosexual rights movement" to speak, and second, when he announced his opposition to state-sanctioned gay marriage.

While the latter reference ruffled the feathers of some gays, it was hardly a call for jihad by the Republican Party (especially since the Democratic Party had also adopted an anti-gay marriage position). Nonetheless, the press - along with militant leftist gay leaders — was able to scare mainstream gays into believing that a second Krystallnacht was right around the corner if President George H.W. Bush were re-elected.

In 1996, Republican Presidential Candidate Bob Dole returned a $1000 check that his campaign had received from the openly gay Log Cabin Republicans. Apparently, he thought that such an action would solidify his support among some socially conservative Republican voters. The strategy backfired and little came of the entire affair, other than some unnecessary bad press.

By the 2000 campaign, gay rights issues were not discussed by the two major parties because each had virtually identical positions. Both Al Gore and George Bush endorsed the Defense of Marriage Act and Dick Cheney and Joe Lieberman voiced opposition to discrimination against gays in the workplace.

Despite the difference in tenor of the 1992, 1996, and 2000 presidential campaigns, the proportion of self-identified gays voting for Republicans has steadily increased. Self-identified gays have represented between 4% to 5% of all voters during the last four election cycles, a proportion double that of American Jews. In 1998, 4.2% of voters were self-identified gays (a figure likely to be understated due to the personal nature of one's sexual orientation) while 2.6% of voters were Jews.

In 1992, 23% of gays voted for the Republican candidate for the House of Representatives. That figure increased to 26% in 1994, 28% in 1996, and 33% in 1998. In 2000, over one-fourth of all self-identified gays voted for an unabashed economic and social conservative, George W. Bush. Though no polls have been released since September 11, there is anecdotal evidence suggesting that gays are extremely supportive of the war on terrorism and are identifying more with center-right politicians than the usual neo-socialist busybodies offered by the Democrats.

Why are gays marching rightward in their political affiliations? Four key explanations come to mind:

(1) Greater understanding of the role of free markets in curing AIDS.

Recent technological advancements in medicine have resulted in the development of cocktail drugs that have increased both the life expectancy and quality of life of individuals living with AIDS. These drugs have been especially beneficial to American gays, who have higher rates of HIV infection than other demographic groups. Gays understand that the primary reason why these drugs are now available is the existence of our free market economy.

In a free market, a private pharmaceutical firm has a profit-incentive to develop an AIDS drug if there is consumer demand for that product. This is precisely what we observed in the 1990s. Firms were willing to invest in these life-saving drugs knowing that they would have the opportunity to earn a profit from their sales.

Today, there are radical gay leftists who wish to remove these incentives. Jon Bell, from Act-Up Philadelphia, recently summed up this position:

"All but the wealthiest will continue to have no access to life-saving medicine. The only acceptable plan from industry will guarantee affordability through cuts of 95% or more of the prices we pay."

If Mr. Bell were to get his wish, pharmaceutical companies would have little or no incentive to invent drugs that could improve the lives of people with AIDS. Though he may believe that his heart is in the right place, the policies he advocates would result in more misery and higher death rates.

American gays are turning away from the harmful, radical health policies advocated by Act-Up because they increasingly understand that the free market is the best hope for the creation of life-saving AIDS drugs. To that end, many gays are throwing their support to the Republican Party because the political right does a better job than the left at protecting the market from government intrusion.

(2) Admiration for President Bush's moral clarity in the war on terrorism.

Leftists have long been blaming America for every social and political ill on the face of the earth. Prior to September 11, organizations like the Human Rights Commission (HRC) and the Gay and Lesbian Association Against Defamation (GLAAD) missed no opportunity to whine about the so-called "oppression" of gays in America. They rarely, if ever, spoke of the savage individual rights violations that gays face in the Middle East. Most Arab countries imprison or execute individuals if they are suspected to have engaged in homosexual activity.

In Afghanistan, the Taliban government sanctioned that suspected gays be thrown off of mountaintops or crushed under stone walls. In Egypt, gays are routinely imprisoned, tortured, and killed. After a recent show trial in Saudi Arabia, three gays were beheaded after being charged with "immorality."

What has the HRC and GLADD said about these atrocities? Almost nothing. In fact, many of the leftists affiliated with these organizations have been openly critical of the United States' war on terrorism and the upcoming war in Iraq.

Mainstream gays are beginning to understand that their political leadership is comprised of shrill, socialist anti-Americans who are willing to ally themselves with foreign governments that execute gays in order to enhance their domestic political power. How else can one explain how the HRC and GLAAD can support "zero tolerance" for gay-related hate crimes in America while at the same time finding political solidarity with murderous Islamists and sadistic dictators like Saddam Hussein?

President Bush has provided a clear vision of the necessity to destroy the evildoers in the Middle East before they destroy us. And it is a vision that is increasingly appealing to mainstream gays.

(3) Greater sensitivity to tax policy.

Gay individuals are increasingly becoming the wealthiest taxpayers in the nation. According to the 2000 Census, average household income for gay men is $85,400, more than double the national average (note, however, that this figure does not take into account that gays tend to live in geographic regions with higher costs of living). Moreover, gay households are 3.4 times more likely to have incomes greater than $250,000.

With liberals constantly calling for the rich to be soaked with higher taxes, gay voters are increasingly turning away from the party that wishes to confiscate their wealth. Mainstream gays have a libertarian strand in their philosophy that wishes to keep the state out of their private affairs — that includes their wallets.

A February 2001 nationally representative poll of gays conducted by the Gill Foundation found that 60% of gay Americans rate tax policy as "important to them personally." In addition, a May 2001 Luntz poll found that 72% of gays agreed that the federal death tax is "discriminatory" and 82% support its repeal. Gays are speaking loud and clear on these economic issues — they prefer smaller government. This is good news for the Republican Party.

(4) A change in the selection of individuals who "come out of the closet."

Surely, one of the reasons for the increase in gay support for Republicans is that those individuals who identify themselves as gay today are different than those who did so, say, 10 years ago. In large part due to public efforts by political pundits like Andrew Sullivan and organizations such as the Independent Gay Forum, self-identified politically active gays are no longer cookie-cutter leftists. Today, right-wing gays are more comfortable "coming out of the closet" and voicing their political views because there are many more public figures who share their positions.

The lessons of the last 10 years reflect that the Republican Party will continue to win the votes of American gays not by pandering to them, but rather by sticking to a consistent philosophy that appeals to all voters - one that emphasizes individual liberty and personal accountability.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: homosexual; homosexualagenda
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To: FF578
Even if homosexuality were partially or completely genetic in origin, that does not change the moral question involved.

We don't live under a theocracy; therefore, the question is one of ethics, not morality.

If it were genetic, how do you explain the ex-homosexual ministries? If it is genetic and these people cannot help themselves, how are people able to leave homosexuality and live healthy normal lives?

Michael Jackson's skin color has changed subtly over the years. Does that make him caucasian?

Can you explain the Twins Problem? If homosexuality is genetic why are identical twins often Both not homosexual?

The Twins Problem is inconclusive. Studies have shown that 52% of monozygotic twins correlated for homosexuality. While that figure doesn't seem that high, it's more than twice the correlation in dizygotic twins (22%). This disparity can be explained, in part, by the fact that identical twins do not have completely identical body physiology. Byne and Lasco (1994) have found that subtle differences in hormones (androgens) have a strong influence over whether a child develops as a male or female; likewise, varying levels of these hormones in lab rats have been shown to have a bearing on reproductive behavior.

In addition in the most recent study on this subject A team of researchers at the University of Western Ontario in Canada has found no evidence of the so-called "gay gene".

We don't even know how our brains function and work computationally, my friend. I'm not surprised that so little is known about this subject. But we cannot exclude the possibility of a gay gene without more research. It is my personal hope that there is, in fact, a gay gene because it could theoretically be treated.
121 posted on 10/18/2002 10:39:43 PM PDT by Bush2000
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To: HassanBenSobar
I'm not familiar with Front Page Magazine. It seems conservative and yet the author goes out of his way to divide us into groups.

Why do there have to be special "jewish" reasons to vote GOP? Or special "gay" reasons?

Is it really so hard to believe that some Jews and some homosexuals have learned that socialism doesn't work and the UN sucks? That's enough for me. I didn't search around for a really good "whitechristianfemale" issue before I started voting GOP.

Those issues brought me in because they made good, logical sense. I've become more conservative over the years as I've learned, seen and read more.

122 posted on 10/18/2002 10:44:01 PM PDT by Dianna
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To: Bush2000
Nobody is hurt by a homosexual engaging in consensual relations with another adult in the privacy of his own bedroom.

You will have to explain that to the 500,000 American men who are now dead from a behavioral-based self-inflicted disease.

123 posted on 10/18/2002 10:44:08 PM PDT by Cultural Jihad
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To: FF578
Homosexuality is a behavior not genetic. No one is born homosexual, no one is made homosexual. People choose to be homosexual. It is an evil perversion.

To make a statement such as this I would assume that you have some sort of factual, scientific documentation to back it up?

The test is, can you provide any real proof of your conclusion that does not depend on a Bible verse?

124 posted on 10/18/2002 10:44:25 PM PDT by !1776!
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To: FF578
""I believe Adultery, Fornication, Blasphemy, and Homosexuality should all be capital offenses.
Anyone who cheats on their spouse or has sex outside of wedlock is equally as evil, perverse and vile as a homosexual.

Sexual Sin is Sexual Sin. Fornication and Adultery were capital crimes at the founding of this nation, they need to be again. ""


Ever consider the taliban or Whabbi's, they seem like your kind of folks. Live and let live has been more of the American tradition.


125 posted on 10/18/2002 10:48:57 PM PDT by Leto
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To: HassanBenSobar
Andrew Sullivan has added much to conservative thought. If he's any example of conservative gays, hold that tent door wide open.

Mainstream gays are beginning to understand that their political leadership is comprised of shrill, socialist anti-Americans who are willing to ally themselves with foreign governments that execute gays in order to enhance their domestic political power. How else can one explain how the HRC and GLAAD can support "zero tolerance" for gay-related hate crimes in America while at the same time finding political solidarity with murderous Islamists and sadistic dictators like Saddam Hussein?

126 posted on 10/18/2002 10:55:22 PM PDT by GOPJ
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To: MatthewViti
Thanks for your post.

I think some Freepers don't realize that sexual orientation is TOTALLY irrelevant to the issues that most of us here feel are important -- social issues like abortion, fiscal issues like smaller government and the most paramount issue today, national security.

Its easy for straight people (and yes I'm a breeder myself) to abhor gays as being against the Bible because frankly homosexuality is one vice, for lack of a better word, that we never have to worry about.

What we should worry about are the millions of illegimate children abandoned by their fathers and raised by unwed mothers. I promise you that it is NOT gay men who are getting these teenage girls pregnant.

This country was founded by Christians and leaving aside that as a nation we've become more tolerant of other beliefs, there are millions of gay Christians in this country who believe that the life they lead is compatible with a Christian life.

The Bible also has passages condemning divorce and yet who among us would cast divorcess from the conservative movement?
For one thing, they'd have never supported our greatest modern president, Ronald Reagan.

.
127 posted on 10/18/2002 11:04:43 PM PDT by Maximum Leader
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To: Cultural Jihad
You will have to explain that to the 500,000 American men who are now dead from a behavioral-based self-inflicted disease.

First off, we make choices in this life. If they are unhealthy or immoral choices, we will have to deal with the consequences of such. Morally, it bothers me that people hurt themselves (myself included here.) But as far as government goes, it's not an issue.

I make a clear distinction between my moral beliefs and what I want from government. I do not want to live under a theocracy and I do not think that everything explicitly condemned in the Bible ought to be against the law.

I have no problem with gay people who are law-abiding, decent people (don't bother arguing that gay cannot equal decent, we will never agree). I'm glad we can agree on some important conservative issues. I don't want homosexuality encouraged in schools and I don't want gay sexuality to be glamourized on tv and in our culture.

I believe that there are gay people in our society who see the dangers of oversexualizing children. I hope there are many who understand that glamourizing a lifestyle which is emotionally difficult and physically dangerous is destructive to children. I welcome them, if they do.

God's will will be done. We all know it. Gay people either accept that or deny it, but they are not ignorant of it. Being insulting and nasty won't change anyone's mind.

128 posted on 10/18/2002 11:10:10 PM PDT by Dianna
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To: FF578
I believe Adultery, Fornication, Blasphemy, and Homosexuality should all be capital offenses.

A little testy, aren't we? I can't believe you really think we should execute people who have premarital sex or say "Goddamnit!"

129 posted on 10/19/2002 12:01:02 AM PDT by Holden Magroin
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To: Kevin Curry
Neither does the New Testament expressly condemn pedophilia, bestiality, or necrophilia.

Some of Paul's letters condemn deviant sexual behavior, but don't define what exactly that means.

In the Old Testament, capital punishment is prescribed for two men who lie down as with a woman (presumably referring to anal sodomy), for a man and a married woman who commit adultery, for a man or woman and an animal who have sexual relations, or for a priest's daughter who becomes a prostitute.

No punishment is prescribed for a man (married or not) who sleeps with a non-virgin woman who is not his wife. If a man sleeps with a virgin to whom he is not married, her father may compel him to marry her if he wishes [note that polygyny was permissible], and the man must pay the bride's father regardless.

No mention is made of female homosexuality, perhaps because it would have been common for women who shared a husband [remember: polygyny was allowed] to share a bed.

The assymmetry in the laws surrounding adultery make sense if one recognizes that their purpose is to protect people's right to know the identity of their offspring unless they forfeit such right through their own actions. Although the law only protects males' rights in that regard, females really don't need such protection. After all, a woman who is pregnant doesn't need any legal assurances to know who the baby's mother is.

Note, btw, that I am not trying to imply that the lack of prohibitions against things like fornication means that they are morally acceptable. In general, though, it is God, not man, who should sit in judement over men. Although the Law of Moses gives man some authority to sit in judgement, its focus on protecting society from people whose sins pose sufficient threat or harm that society can't afford to wait for God's judgement.

130 posted on 10/19/2002 12:18:14 AM PDT by supercat
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To: FF578
The ones that I know about:

Any idea which crimes these people had committed? Male homosexuality, bestiality, or married-woman adultery (all three are capital crimes under the Law of Moses), female homosexuality (not addressed in the bible except as a threatened consequence of men's evil ways), married-man--unmarried-woman adultery (not a punishable crime, but derided as unwise in Proverbs), non-virgin fornication (not a punishable crime, but again regarded as unwise), or virgin fornication (compels marriage).

131 posted on 10/19/2002 12:28:21 AM PDT by supercat
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To: M 91 u2 K
Most gay people I know tend to be more conservative. It's only the activist ones with chips on their shoulders who are dems.
132 posted on 10/19/2002 12:32:41 AM PDT by flying Elvis
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To: weikel
Well in light of recent events the Crusades seem like a good thing.

Don't you think you are usurping God's perogative to judge?

Not that I don't agree that we should defend ourselves from the terrorists, but to assert that forcibly converting other religions to Christianity (convert or die) is pleasing to God shows a severe misunderstanding of The Word.

133 posted on 10/19/2002 4:15:38 AM PDT by Abundy
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To: FF578
Should we have capital punishment for adulterers?
134 posted on 10/19/2002 4:16:30 AM PDT by Abundy
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To: Abundy
Im not even Christian I don't care if they become Hare Krisnas( then they'll be annoying in another way at the airports) they just need to stop being Muslim.
135 posted on 10/19/2002 4:31:04 AM PDT by weikel
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To: FF578
Thats the opinion of one judge and I can't find that case on the internet anywhere besides in your post.
136 posted on 10/19/2002 4:33:35 AM PDT by weikel
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To: Abundy
The horrible bastard kingslayer Oliver Cromwell did and it backfired horribly( according to the book London everyone tried for adultery during Cromwells taliban reign was aqquited).
137 posted on 10/19/2002 4:36:19 AM PDT by weikel
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To: Kevin Curry
Im personally repulsed by homos but if they stay away from me I really don't care.
138 posted on 10/19/2002 4:38:05 AM PDT by weikel
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To: Cultural Jihad
You will have to explain that to the 500,000 American men who are now dead from a behavioral-based self-inflicted disease.

See like drugs homosexuality is a self curing problem if you leave it alone. Eventually they all die problem solved and the human species is the better off for it.

139 posted on 10/19/2002 4:42:26 AM PDT by weikel
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To: Lancey Howard
bingo
140 posted on 10/19/2002 4:44:15 AM PDT by kari
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