Cabin Fever

The mission of Log Cabin Republicans, according to the group's website, is "to make the Republican Party more inclusive, particularly on gay and lesbian issues." The group recognizes -- correctly -- that "equality will be impossible to achieve without Republican votes." Democrats are largely on board with gay rights issues; it’s conservatives who need convincing. It is for this reason that Log Cabin, with its handful of staffers and a mere 20,000 members, is one of the most important gay political organizations in the country.

Yet Log Cabin is sitting out what is perhaps the most important presidential primary for gay voters in political history. Running for the 2008 Republican nomination is former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, the ideal Log Cabin Republican candidate. Indeed, Log Cabin endorsed him in his previous runs for mayor and U.S. Senate, and he spoke at the organization’s national convention in 1999. While it’s true that since becoming a major presidential contender Giuliani has backtracked on his previous support for civil unions (his campaign claims that the New Hampshire legislature’s passage of a civil unions law was overreaching because it recognizes same-sex unions from other states), Giuliani still says he supports domestic partnerships that ensure the same legal rights for gay couples. Add his regular participation in New York City’s gay pride parades, his appointments of openly gay people to city offices, and his having lived with a gay couple after his wife kicked him out of the house -- plus a dearth of gay-supportive Republican rivals -- and you have a no-brainer of a Log Cabin endorsement.

But, alas, Log Cabin is sitting this one out, at least until the general election. In a recent interview with Mother Jones, Log Cabin’s grassroots outreach director said, "We will probably not endorse anyone in the primary." The recent endorsement of Giuliani by televangelist Pat Robertson, who has a record of homophobia rivaling that of any major American public figure, may dissuade socially moderate Republicans from supporting Giuliani. But sitting this GOP primary out is a grave mistake for Log Cabin, as it dilutes gay political power right when it is most necessary to assert it.