Log Cabin Republicans – the gay
Republicans – have failed to congratulate Connecticut on becoming
the third state in the United States to recognize the right of gay
couples to marry.
The Friday ruling set off joyous press
releases nationwide from gay and lesbian groups, including National
Stonewall Democrats – the gay Democrats.
“All couples in Connecticut should
enjoy the freedom to marry, and we recognize that this ruling allows
thousands of committed couples to take the legal steps necessary to
secure their union and deepen their responsibilities to one another,”
said Jon Hoadley, executive director of National Stonewall Democrats.
“This ruling is not only good for thousands of Connecticut couples,
but it is good for Connecticut itself as this ruling legally
stabilizes existing families and encourages others to take on the
legal responsibilities of marriage.”
But absent from the mix was a response
from the Log Cabin Republicans, who have been under pressure from gay
groups since they elected to endorse Republican Senator John McCain
for president, calling him an “inclusive Republican.”
Human Rights Campaign President Joe
Solmonese disagreed with the choice saying, “John McCain claims to
be a maverick who breaks with his party, but on matters of LGBT
[lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] equality, he's shown that
he's anything but.”
As of Tuesday morning, even as the Log
Cabin Republican website ushered visitors to the group's pro gay
marriage Republicans Against 8 (republicansagainst8.com) website,
which features quotes, bios and interviews of prominent Republicans
who oppose Proposition 8 – the November ballot initiative that
seeks to forbid gay marriage in California, neither the group's
website nor blog mentioned Connecticut's historic decision.
Gay marriage remains a knotty topic
for the group since endorsing the McCain-Palin ticket for president
and vice president. Both McCain and Palin are seen by gay groups as
less than sympathetic to gay and lesbian issues. In 2006, McCain
campaigned for a ban on gay marriage in his home state of Arizona and
has said he supports constitutional bans on gay marriage at the state
level. Alaska Governor Sarah Palin made it fairly clear she does not
endorse gay marriage when she said, “But I will tell Americans
straight up that I don't support defining marriage as anything but
between one man and one woman,” at a recent debate against her
challenger Senator Joe Biden.
The Log Cabin Republicans did not
respond to an inquiry on the issue.