Gay Republican says platform banning marriage equality will be last gasp of homophobia from the party
Gay Republican and former Representative of Arizona, Jim Kolbe said he believes this will be the last time the Republican Party’s platform will endorse amending the US Constitution to stop states from recognising marriage equality.
Speaking to BuzzFeed earlier this week at a gathering hosted by Log Cabin Republicans and the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, Mr Kolbe said that his party’s platform was “out of touch” on LGBT issues.
But he believes change is coming.
The platform, which has now been approved by the delegates, declares: “We reaffirm our support for a constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman.”
Mr Kolbe said: “Of course it doesn’t help us. It makes it more difficult to attract gays to the Republican banner.
“But, I will make this prediction to you: This is the last platform that will have an anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment included in it.
“Four years from now, I’m willing to bet that won’t be there.”
He added that the platform did not, he thought, represent the thinking of Republicans: “It certainly doesn’t represent the thinking of Americans.
“No, the platform is out of touch with where most Americans are today and most Republicans are today.
“But, in both cases – Republicans and Democrats – the platform often represents the most extreme views of the base.
He concluded that he believed it to be a generational issue.
