For openly gay Philadelphia resident Jesse Walters, attending the Republican National Convention this year is a dream come true. However, what's likely to happen at the convention specifically for gay Republicans that immediately follows is likely to cause him conflict.
Walters has been involved with the Republican Party since he was a teenager. At age 15, he was the state chair of the Pennsylvania chapter of the Teenage Republicans. At his university, he was president of the College Republicans. He's remained a party faithful ever since.
His attendance as an alternate delegate at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia July 31 through Aug. 3 is the climax of a life-long commitment to the Republican Party. And its doubly exciting that the city he calls home is hosting the convention.
But what has Walters most excited is that he will be one of 18 openly gay delegates and alternates at the Republican party's biggest, and most important, gala of the year. "I'm going to the opening reception with my partner and our son," says Walters. "I can't wait to see the look on some people's faces. For those in the [ Republican ] party who hate [ gays and lesbians ] , it's important they see we are there and that we're not going away."
This year, the eight openly gay delegates and 10 openly gay alternates can boast they are the largest contingent of gay Republicans ever to attend their party's convention. The number of openly gay representatives has grown 450% since 1996, when they numbered only four.
With a total of 4,132 representatives ( split evenly between 2066 delegates and 2066 alternates ) , the gay Republican caucus is still a minute fraction in its party. And their numbers are dwarfed by gay and lesbian counterparts attending the rival Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles starting Aug. 14. According to Mark Spengler, director of GLBT outreach at the Democratic National Committee, an estimated 200 openly gay and lesbian delegates will attend the Democratic convention, up from about 140 in 1996.
Still, to gay Republicans, the boost in numbers represents palpable achievement in a party long hostile to any gay representation whatsoever. And they hope it signals the beginning of a permanent, if admittedly laggardly, shift in Republican attitudes.
"It shows the diminishing influence of the religious right and the moderation of the party in general," believes Brian Bennett, a California Republican party central committee member, and convention delegate.
The 18 out Republicans at the convention are determined to capitalize on this hopeful sentiment by making their presence count.
"I'm not going to have it painted on my forehead, but I'll be wearing a Log Cabin lapel pin," says Jeffrey Bissiri, president of the Los Angeles Log Cabin chapter, and an alternate to the convention. "I intend to make it a part of my discussion with people whose hands I shake."
This age-old edict of personalizing gay rights by coming out—in this case to fellow delegates or party big-wigs at convention social affairs— may not result in immediate changes to the Republican party platform, but it has the affect of "improving the overall climate for gays and lesbians," says Sloan Wiesen, a spokesman for the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, a nonpartisan organization in Washington, D.C. dedicated to getting openly gay and lesbian candidates elected to public office.
Wiesen calls the jump in gay Republican delegates "a great deal of progress," and echoes the gay Republican optimism that it foreshadows a better future for gays and lesbians in the Republican party. Wiesen points to history to prove his point: the gay Republicans are doing today what gay and lesbian Democrats did 15 to 20 years ago. And he says there is every reason to believe that, in time, it will have the same affect of "moving the party closer to equal rights."
How much this year's Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush will aid in that eventual goal, however, is a matter of intense disagreement among gay Republicans still torn about whether or not to offer the candidate their endorsement. The hardest part of the week for gay Republicans may not come at their party's general convention, but at the smaller one immediately following it, on Aug. 4. That's when 300 members of the Log Cabin Republicans will convene for their own convention in Philadelphia to decide whether or not Mr. Bush deserves their nod of approval.
If Jesse Walters is ecstatic about attending his party's general convention, he is more apprehensive about the task of debating Mr. Bush's Log Cabin endorsement. "I'm really torn between wanting to keep the doors open with the Republican party, versus the real problems I have with how [ George W. Bush ] might treat gay people if he becomes president. I don't know how to reconcile it."
Leaders of the Log Cabin group admit the organization is sharply divided between those who argue the group must surrender to political practicality and endorse Bush, as opposed to those who question what the Texas governor has actually done to deserve their support.
"That divide is going to be our main sticking point," concedes Scott Huch, vice president of the Northern Virginia Log Cabin chapter, and a Bush supporter. "While we want to fight for gay and lesbian civil rights, we also wear another hat: as a Republican auxiliary. The assumption of Republican auxiliaries is that they support the Republican candidates."
David Greer, president of the Philadelphia Log Cabin Republicans, says the emotional debate underscores that "we as a group are still trying to figure out the best way to fight for gays and lesbians in the Republican party." He argues for endorsing Bush, saying it "gets us back into the game. If we don't endorse him, we would have no voice in a future Bush administration."
But even many stalwart and enthusiastic gay Republicans such as Jesse Walters reject such reasoning. "I understand the importance of being good foot soldiers and keeping the peace," says Walters. "But there isn't anything I can point to at all that says he's sensitive to our issues—even the easy ones, like hate crimes and no employment discrimination. [ Bush ] is all lip service and no concessions. As a gay person, I can't justify giving him my support."
So on Aug. 4, when it comes time for the Log Cabin Republicans to vote on whether or not they tie their fate to their party's irresolute candidate, "I think I'll have to go to the bathroom," Walters predicts.
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