Wayne Besen, executive director of Truth Wins Out, sent out a press release today expressing his concern over what he sees as the extreme right wing bent of the candidates for chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Besen was particularly concerned with former Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell who, Besen said, once compared gay people to “arsonists and kleptomaniacs,” described their lives as a “transgression against God’s law,” and believes that they can “change.” In 2004, Blackwell led the campaign to amend Ohio’s constitution to prohibit recognition of same-sex marriage or civil unions.
Besen said: “The very fact that Blackwell is under consideration reinforces the idea that the GOP is captive to its more extreme elements. If the GOP were trying to commit suicide, electing Blackwell would be the perfect poison pill to swallow.”
Other candidates are Katon Dawson, head of the South Carolina GOP who had to quit his membership in an all-white country club to run for chairman of the RNC; and Chip Saltsman the Tennessee party leader who handed out a Christmas CD at a holiday party that featured the song “Barack the Magic Negro.”
The Republican National Committee will meet January 28-31 in Washington, D.C., to elect a chairman.
You know how we always chat about how the LGBTQ community doesn’t have a real leader, other than the leaders of the rubber chicken dinners.
Wayne Besen would be my pick….if we could choose someone who is knows how to combine activism and rationale in one man.
Oddly enough the only arsonist I know is gay.
But my vote is for Katon Dawson. Anyone who would give up his all-white country club membership to run for the Chair of the Republican Party, has just the vision that the Republican Party needs at the this moment in history.
Wayne is a great guy and really cares about our community. Some people don’t like his aggressive style but as someone that has been helped by Wayne’s work I applaud him.