Trump promises to fight for Gay Republicans at Log Cabin Gala hosted at his Mar-a-Lago club

Trump promises to fight for Gay Republicans at Log Cabin Gala hosted at his Mar-a-Lago club

Written by Peter Boykin on December 20, 2022

Trump promises to fight for Gay Republicans at Log Cabin Gala hosted at his Mar-a-Lago club

Shared By Peter Boykin – American Political Commentator / Citizen Journalist

President Donald Trump has told LGBTQ+ Republicans that he and other conservatives will be “fighting hard” for them during his 2024 presidential campaign. Trump is widely considered the most Pro LGBTQ+ president of all time.

“We are fighting for the gay community, and we are fighting and fighting hard,” Trump said.

President Donald Trump made his pledge as he addressed an audience gathered at his Mar-a-Lago club and estate in Palm Beach, Fla., for the Log Cabin Republicans’ Spirit of Lincoln gala, the conservative LGBTQ group’s flagship event.

The Log Cabin Republicans’ “Spirit of Lincoln” gala in the main ballroom of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago beachfront club was a joyous celebration of gay rights and — in a case of ironic timing — the historic same-sex marriage law signed by President Joe Biden days earlier.

The “Spirit of Lincoln” was the 45th anniversary gala of the gay conservative group The Log Cabin Republicans (LCR). The gala — hosted on December 15 at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida — occurred just two days after current-President Joe Biden (D) signed the bi-partisan Respect for Marriage Act, a law requiring federal and state governments to recognize state-solemnized same-sex marriages.

The main attraction, obviously, was Trump. He received a standing ovation after delivering an enthusiastic affirmation of gay rights not often heard in the GOP.

During Trump’s speech at the gala, he said,

“We are fighting for the gay community, and we are fighting and fighting hard,” the former president and 2024 candidate said.

“With the help of many of the people here tonight in recent years, our movement has taken incredible strides, the strides you’ve made here is incredible,” Trump added.

The gala, which celebrated progress for the LGBTQ community — including the Respect for Marriage Act, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden just days prior to the event — offered the former president an opportunity to solidify his bona fides among a small, yet often politically and financially powerful group of supporters while contrasting himself with potential rivals for the Republican nomination, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

In an interview on Fox News, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — a Trump rival widely viewed as a top GOP hopeful in 2024 — said there was “no need” for the Respect for Marriage Act and called the right’s concerns over religious liberty “valid.”

(note this is why at this point Gays For Trump does NOT endorse Ron DeSantis and encourages it’s members to do the same)

While Trump did not specifically mention the Respect for Marriage Act in his speech, the Log Cabin Republicans has, since 2016, proven eager to embrace Trump for being the first Republican presidential nominee to support same-sex nuptials before being elected, and to actively campaign for the votes of LGBTQ people.

https://www.metroweekly.com/2016/07/trump-will-protect-lgbtq-citizens

Trump has a pro LGB record for launching an initiative to encourage other countries to repeal laws criminalizing homosexuality, providing funding for initiatives aimed at combating the spread of HIV, and for appointing Richard Grenell as the Acting Director of National Intelligence, making him the first openly gay cabinet-level member in history.

The long-planned event in honor of the conservative LGBTQ organization’s 45th anniversary brought in Republican notables like former Ambassador Ric Grenell, Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.), former State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus, who emceed the evening in a feathered turquoise gown, and former GOP gubernatorial candidate from Arizona Kari Lake, who was swarmed by guests eager to meet her and take a photo.

The gala was a lighthearted, celebratory atmosphere, with speakers often throwing out jokes or pithy statements that earned applause and laughter from the audience. Trump, at one point, mused about his wife, Melania, joining Grenell for a trip to Beverly Hills, California.

“She flew out to California with Ric, and I trusted him 100% with her,” Trump said jokingly.

In 2021, the Log Cabin Republicans honored Melania Trump with its Spirit of Lincoln award, citing her work combatting bullying in her role as first lady.

Several speakers, including Grenell, U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.), and former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, emphasized that record in their speeches, heaping praise on the former president.

Lake, a former TV anchor, claimed that “80, 90, 100% of the men in media are gay,” and talked about missing her gay friends in media until realizing that “conservative politics is full of gay men as well.”

“I’ll tell you what, I like [gay men] better because they know how to think right,” she said.

At Mar-a-Lago, Kari Lake said she prefers gay men over straight men because they “know how to think right.” pic.twitter.com/b9OUHSxmYC

— Gays For Trump and Against Pedophiles (@GaysForTrumpUSA) December 20, 2022

She also mused that coming out as conservative is harder than coming out as gay, saying that she “had to come out as well” and calling herself “unshackled” when she was able to embrace her conservative values rather than keep her political opinions to herself.

Lake also poked fun at the crowd, earning cackles and laughs from the audience after she commented on the event’s opulent settings.

“Whoever thought it was a good idea to invite 500 gay people into a lavish mansion, 2 pools, and a lot of booze?” she joked. “I think we’re going to need the Secret Service tonight.…I know there’s people in this room who would love to be tackled and frisked by the Secret Service.”

Kari Lake: “Whoever thought it was a good idea to invite 500 gay people into a lavish mansion, 2 pools, and a lot of booze? I think we’re going to need the Secret Service tonight.…I know there’s people in this room who would love to be tackled and frisked by the Secret Service.” pic.twitter.com/g6rAuWm0Tz

— Gays For Trump and Against Pedophiles (@GaysForTrumpUSA) December 20, 2022

Lake, who recently lost her gubernatorial bid but has not conceded defeat and recently launched a legal challenge over the election results, credited the group with supporting her campaign but sounded off on her recent lawsuits.

“We just had such a huge movement going into Election Day, to watch these people — these evil bastards, can I say that here? To watch them steal this election in broad daylight, and if they think they’re going to get away with it, they messed with the wrong bitch,” she said to cheers.

Other speakers throughout the evening stated that Trump’s presidency embraced the gay community through “his initiatives to combat the criminalization of homosexuality, his work pushing for public health initiatives to combat the HIV epidemic, and for appointing the first openly gay Cabinet member, Richard Grenell,” Politico reported.

President Trump Has Taken Unprecedented Steps To Protect The LGBTQ Community

President Trump Has Taken Unprecedented Steps To Protect The LGBTQ Community

#GaysForTrump

But for all the applause lines and hobnobbing, the members of the group at times recognized themselves as being a part of the Republican Party that has felt mislabeled, judged, and ostracized over the years.

Tammy Bruce, a lesbian and conservative commentator, was awarded the group’s 2022 “Spirit of Lincoln” award and talked about challenges she has faced.

“I know there are problems still with how we are viewed on occasion. But what I also know is that visibility matters and that bigotry only survives because people only can use their imagination,” she said. “Suddenly things changed when you find out that your son or daughter is gay.”

Charles Moran sought to draw a contrast between the Trump administration’s positions on LGBTQ issues and the treatment of his group this summer of 2022 by GOP officials in Texas, writing in a USA Today op-ed that the former president is “a leader of LGBT inclusion.”

“It’s difficult to understand just how game-changing Trump’s presidential campaigns and presidency were for LGBT conservatives, who were suddenly included as welcome members of the party after decades of being sidelined,” wrote Moran.

According to Gallup, 55 percent of Republicans and 71 percent of Americans overall support same-sex marriage.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/393197/same-sex-marriage-support-inches-new-high.aspx

“We had over 450 LGBT conservatives and our straight allies join us for another amazing Spirit of Lincoln gala,” stated Log Cabin Republicans President Charles Moran

Moran and his group worked behind the scenes to build support for the Respect for Marriage Act and brought at least four GOP members of Congress on board. He noted that House Republican Majority Whip-elect Tom Emmer is an ally of the group and wants to proactively engage on legislation.

A primary legislative goal for Log Cabin Republicans is the “Restore Honor to Servicemembers Act,” which would provide an opportunity for those dishonorably discharged under “Don’t ask, don’t tell” to have their discharge status changed.

Charles Moran the President of the National Log Cabin supports the “Restore Honor to Servicemembers Act,” legislation that would undo the dishonorable discharges of LGBTQ+ military servicemembers dismissed under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Charles Moran, the organization’s president, challenged other Republicans who might seek the party’s nomination in 2024 to say they are willing to support gay rights, like same-sex marriage — a mainstream position both within society at large and among rank-and-file Republicans, according to polling, but not within the ranks of GOP members of Congress.

“While the speakers and award honorees spanned the conservative spectrum, all of them, including President Trump, articulated a deep appreciation for our community and committed to our broader inclusion and support for gay rights,” Moran said, adding, “This is the bar we’ll be holding all GOP candidates to in 2023 and 2024.”

“I’m going to hold all candidates to that same standard,”

“We’re really at a place now where we’re going to have an open election and there are going to be other Republicans running, and we have a responsibility to look at the entire Republican field.”

During his speech at the gala, Log Cabin Republicans president Charles Moran said, “I just heard a Republican candidate for president stand up and say he is willing to fight and I challenge every other Republican to make the same pledge Donald Trump made tonight.”

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