Caitlyn Jenner's RNC appearance is a good reminder that LGBT doesn't always equal Democrat - Salon

Right here at an off-site, unaffiliated occasion close to the Republican Nationwide Conference, Jenner spoke to a rapt viewers of Republican and conservative LGBT activists and allies (full disclosure: the occasion, referred to as Huge Tent Brunch, was organized by my pal, Margaret Hoover, a GOP activist and president of the American Unity Fund supporting homosexual rights). She spoke of her deep spiritual religion alongside together with her conservative politics—joking that it was harder to return out as GOP than transgender.

She referred to as for a restricted authorities and strict constitutional interpretation. Offstage, Jenner’s been a vocal advocate for welfare reform—which we know lifted millions of people out of poverty after it was achieved underneath Invoice Clinton and a Republican Congress — regardless of snubs from fellow trans people for her beliefs.

A stereotype that Jenner battles with is that just one aspect helps LGBT rights and the opposite aspect doesn’t. That’s simply not true. Each political events have grappled with these points for many years. Regardless of their claims in any other case, Democrats particularly have an extended historical past being towards equality for homosexual People. Regardless of the place you fall on the difficulty of LGBT rights, it's merely false for Democrats to place themselves as long-time champions for homosexual rights.

President Invoice Clinton signed the Protection of Marriage Act in 1996 and he additionally instituted the Don’t Ask, Don’t Inform within the army, two measures seen as homophobic by many homosexual rights activists.

Whereas operating for president in 2008, then-candidate Barack Obama stated marriage was a “sacred” union between solely heterosexual couples. He slightly awkwardly reversed course after Vice President Joe Biden pressured Obama’s hand in 2012, simply in time for the subsequent election.

Extra lately, Hillary Clinton’s government emails confirmed she opposed increasing LGBT rights whereas on the State Division

“Obama virtually was pressured to be comfortable with it, after which Hillary Clinton has not been, was not supportive, and even appeared to splice her phrases a bit of bit, till it was one thing that was perhaps was a bit of extra politically advantageous,” Jerri Ann Henry, a former marketing campaign supervisor for Younger Conservatives For the Freedom to Marry, informed me.

At present, LGBT activists are nonetheless involved about Democrats’ authenticity on the difficulty, as homosexual army veteran and journalist Rob Smith advised me.

“Once you see individuals are ‘prepared for Hillary,’ you already know’ this individual must be our subsequent president, she’s right here for the gays, bla bla blah’… Properly, actually she’s not,” Smith stated. “And if you take a look at a few of the categorized emails that got here out, she’s saying that, they’re a bit homophobic … perceive that that is someone who was married to the person who was the architect of DOMA, that was the architect of Don’t Ask Don’t Inform. And I feel that typically our reminiscences are so brief.”