Gay and Republican not so unlikely
The government should not define personal values, according to a speech given at USU by the vice president of Utah Log Cabin Republicans.
“Discussions about values should belong around our kitchen tables and in our churches, where we can choose what we want to pass onto others,” said James Humphreys, the Republican group’s vice president.
Humphreys, a gay registered Republican, said he has been a Republican since he was 18 years old, and he plans to stay active in the party throughout his life and has been heavily involved in politics since he attended Weber State University.
According to their website, Log Cabin Republicans are “the nation’s only organization of Republicans who support fairness, freedom and equality for gay and lesbian Americans.”
Humphreys spoke to students as part of the College Republicans Pizza and Politics lecture series Thursday. The series recently featured Utah Gov. Gary Herbert and Sen. Orrin Hatch.
“We are the grassroots of the GOP,” the LCR website states, “and our chapters and members can be counted on to volunteer for local candidates, participate in state and local Republican Party committees and to run for elected office.”
Humphreys interned for two state senators at the state Capitol, which increased his passion for politics, he said. Also, he said he was a consultant on more than a dozen campaigns in 2010, and has lobbied for personal rights at the Capitol every year for the last decade.
“I looked at every aspect in my life and figured out where I fit on the spectrum. I found I was very conservative,” Humphreys said. “I have voted for Libertarians and Democrats. I’ve never voted on a straight-party ticket.”
LCR members “believe in limited government, strong national defense, free markets, low taxes, personal responsibility and individual liberty,” their website states.
“I don’t just talk about same-sex issues because being gay doesn’t define all of me,” Humphreys said. “I talk about other political issues.”
The fundamental unit of society is the family, Humphreys said, but family can be defined as any number of bonds that influence a person, whether it’s blood relatives or friends.
“Every choice we make impacts someone else, and harming others isn’t something I want to do,” he said. “Ideology is about protecting someone and self-interest. If I know someone is going to vote for something that’ll harm me, I don’t vote for them.”
Black said the College Republicans wanted to broaden the scope of the GOP.
“A lot of people don’t know about the Log Cabin Republicans. We wanted James here to explain that you can be gay and still be a Republican,” Black said. “And he provided an open dialogue with people who both agree and disagree with that.”
Becca Jo Pechin, a member of the College Republicans, said she thinks Humphreys’ message was positive.
“As a conservative, you don’t have to feel certain ways and Humphreys broke the stereotype,” Pechin said.
During the discussion, Humphreys encouraged students to get more involved in politics, and said he is a political “junkie.”
He said there is no way to understand politics without being involved.
“The more of us that are involved, the more influence we have,” he said. “And if you’re going to be involved, be involved all the way. Being involved is about setting the course of your own life, or do you want to have someone dictate it for you?”
– cnmoffitt@gmail.com
I’m a Gay liberal Democrat, and like James Humphreys I am not defined by my sexual orientation. I am not a one-issue voter. Environmental issues are especially important to me. I also tend to lean a bit to the right when it comes to so-called “law and order” issues.
But it is my understanding that Mr. Humphreys doesn’t think the issue of marriage equality for Gay couples should have been settled by the Supreme Court, and I find that troubling. A marriage is fundamentally a contractual agreement between two unrelated adults, and because of the “Full Faith & Credit” clause of the Constitution, such contractual agreements are honored across state lines. So even if Gay marriage could be banned in individual states, it would be a moot point. All a couples would have to do is marry in another state before returning home. Their home state could not declare their marriage null and void.
The fact remains that MOST of the legal benefits, protections, and responsibilities of marriage are defined by the FEDERAL government, and there was never any justification under the 14th Amendment for denying those same right and opportunities to law-abiding, taxpaying Gay couples.