Orange County Voices : COMMENTARY ON POLITICS : Republican Party Can Help Itself by Appealing to Gay Voters : The ‘gay agenda’ should hold no terrors for conservatives, with whom Log Cabin members share goals.

In physics, we are taught that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. In politics, for every action there are intended and unintended consequences. Last summer, Republican presidential contender Sen. Bob Dole publicly returned a $1,000 campaign contribution from the gay Republican Log Cabin Club. Later, Log Cabin Executive Director Rich Tafel disclosed that Dole’s campaign staff had solicited the contribution months earlier. Dole now says his campaign staff made a mistake by returning the contribution. Thus, Dole stands exposed as the political straddler George Bush portrayed him as during the 1988 New Hampshire primary. Additionally, he has forfeited thousands of potential dollars and volunteers, which few national campaigns can afford. These are unintended consequences.

For gay Republicans in Orange County, the presidential choices have been narrowed by Dole’s actions. Many will not vote for him in the March primary and their campaign dollars will go where they are more appreciated.

Orange County is ground zero for gay Republican activism in the 1990s. The county is the home of such fervid gay rights opponents as Bill Dannemeyer, Bob Dornan and Lou Sheldon, as well as home to the nation’s second-largest Log Cabin Club. Log Cabin Orange County was established in 1985 with 10 members and has grown to approximately 130 and continues to grow. It has hosted dinners and receptions for individuals as diverse as Navy Lt. Tracy Thorne, California Treasurer Matt Fong and Orange County Supervisor Marian Bergeson, and for many others in private homes and in many of the county’s fine restaurants and hotels. Additionally, Log Cabin Orange County has been a presence at GOP conventions, running a workshop at the Palm Springs state party convention in September.

Much has been made of Orange County’s conservative politicians and the homophobia generally associated with conservatives, but there is more here than meets the eye. Unlike the Eleanor Roosevelt Democratic Club, Orange County’s gay Democratic club, Log Cabin has the political clout to gain access to the county’s elected representatives in Sacramento and Washington. By virtue of being Republican and active participants in successful Assembly and congressional campaigns, Log Cabin Orange County has earned a grudging respect among conservatives. Log Cabin Orange County also has worked with the Eleanor Roosevelt Club in nonpartisan races and on issues of concern to the gay and lesbian community.

In many respects, Log Cabin Orange County is not much different from any other Republican club. We support the goal of the “contract with America” to reduce the size of government and lower taxes. We believe a strong national defense and powerful international presence is in America’s best interest. The issue of individual rights and responsibilities is central to our beliefs and goals, and goes back to the party’s founding.

A forest of paper has perished in writing about the rhetoric by leading GOP conservatives. Texas Sen. Phil Gramm, who never served actively in the military, boldly states that the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy for allowing gays and lesbians to enlist and remain in the armed services “doesn’t work.” I agree wholeheartedly; it doesn’t work. However, where Gramm would reinstitute a total ban, I would lift it all together, something the current White House resident promised during a campaign swing through California. Military service is not a right and it certainly is not a privilege. Military service is an obligation to the country that we live and work in, as much as paying taxes is. I did two tours of duty and I believe every able-bodied American should as well.

If the GOP is truly serious about regaining the White House next year, it would do well to keep Pat Buchanan and Pat Robertson as far away from the podium as possible. Not only does their loony rhetoric embarrass conscionable Republicans everywhere, but their appearance on national television will telegraph to the nation that the party of Lincoln did not learn the lesson of 1992: Hate does not win. Hate eventually destroys the hater. Do any of the serious GOP candidates wish to revisit the debacle of 1992?

Republican conservatives are especially ludicrous when they endeavor to describe the “gay agenda,” some even going so far as to produce videos that would bring a blush to Hustler publisher Larry Flynt’s cheeks. What is this “gay agenda” against which the country is being warned? Simply stated, the gay agenda is for the heterosexual majority to allow gays and lesbians to go about their lives with as little interference from society as the heterosexual majority enjoys.

Currently in that national GOP platform is a plank dedicating the party to opposition to same-sex marriage and the adoption of children by gays and lesbians. I won’t pretend that there is any sort of consensus in the gay and lesbian community about the importance of these issues. Several gay Republicans known to me have questioned the relevance of these issues to their lives. Many will agree that such language in a party platform is somewhat antithetical to the GOP’s purported support for “family values.” What interest does the state and party have in regulating people’s lives by defining marriage and adoption in such a way as to exclude a sizable population of responsible citizens? After all, the number of adoptions by gays and lesbians wouldn’t be growing if the heterosexual majority was more responsible with its own children. Is it more responsible to deny a child a loving home environment because politics and hysteria make enlightened and progressive social policy impossible?

To increase its support, the Republican party should study the example of business in attracting the gay and lesbian community. Business as diverse as cruise lines and the Magic Kingdom have attracted gay dollars and employees by accommodating gays and lesbians with domestic partnership benefits and non-discrimination policies in the workplace. In 1994, 40% of the gay vote reportedly went to Republican candidates. Think of the market share of 1996 if the Republican party started shifting gears and began promoting a pro-gay platform. I can hope, can’t I?