R. Clarke Cooper, executive director of
gay GOP group Log Cabin Republicans, believes language approved
Monday by a subcommittee of the Republican National Committee's (RNC)
platform-drafting committee calling for equal respect for all
Americans would include gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender
people.
“We embrace the principle that all
Americans have the right to be treated with dignity and respect,”
the passage states.
Cooper told BuzzFeed's
Chris Geidner that inclusion in the final platform would be a nod for
the rights of gay people. He added that Rick Cochran, founder and
CEO of Mobile Medical International Corporation (MMIC) and Republican
town chair for Walden, Vermont, proposed expanding the party's
nondiscrimination list to include sexual orientation.
The party platform has previously included
support for the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the 1996 law which
forbids federal agencies from recognizing the legal marriages of gay
couples. Cooper said it was not clear yet whether the 2012 platform
would do the same.
(Related: Democratic
committee approves gay marriage plank in platform.)