Homosexual Politician Defects From GOP
By Lawrence Morahan
CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer
June 04, 2003
(CNSNews.com) - A Republican state representative in New Hampshire announced he is switching his political allegiance because of recent comments by Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) in a defection analysts said could signal an accelerated trend away from the GOP on homosexuality.
New Hampshire State Rep. Corey Corbin announced he is becoming a Democrat because of what he considers poor treatment of homosexuals in the Republican Party.
"Being a gay man and, up until this week, a Republican, [Santorum's] comments truly summed up for me the attitude of the GOP toward the millions of gay men and women who work, raise families, pay taxes and contribute to our society," Corbin told the National Stonewall Democrats (NSD), a homosexual pressure group within the Democratic Party.
"We are hated, we are marginalized, and are basically unwanted by a party that has forsaken the principles of Abraham Lincoln and become dominated by a right wing that falls far short of representing mainstream America," Corbin said.
If the 2004 race is as close as some predict, voter defections for perceived intolerance of homosexuals could cost the GOP its political majority, analysts said. Polls show that homosexual voters, which make up an estimated 5 percent of the electorate, favor Democratic candidates over Republicans by margins of up to three to one.
John Marble, a spokesman for the NSD - which welcomed Corbin as the newest member of its Elected Officials Caucus - said there were "stark differences" between the Republican and Democratic parties on homosexual issues.
"Certainly, I would think that politicians who are gay would view the Democratic Party as being more supportive of themselves and their families," Marble said.
"I think they demonstrate the chronic problem that exists with the Republican Party, that there is a hard strain of intolerance that may cause people to really see the differences and reevaluate their relationship with the GOP," he added.
Mark Mead, director of public affairs with the Log Cabin Republicans, a homosexual advocacy group that seeks greater influence in the GOP, said his group was concerned with the defection. But he predicted that in the long run, Log Cabin members would remain loyal to President Bush and the GOP.
"We're going to work on changing the face of the party to make tolerance and inclusion a permanent part of the political landscape, and if Republicans want to stay in the majority, we've got to expand. You win by addition, not by subtraction," Mead said.
Differences between GOP groups opposed to homosexuality and factions such as the Log Cabins could be worked out, Mead said.
"We probably agree on 80 percent of the stuff, and on maybe 20 percent we don't, but it's a heck of a lot more than we might or might not agree on with Democrats," he said.
Santorum support still strong
In an April 7 interview, Santorum commented on a case before the Supreme Court involving a state law that makes certain sexual acts illegal. Santorum noted that the law was challenged on the basis of the "right to privacy" in one's own home.
"If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything," Santorum said.
"Whether it's polygamy, whether it's adultery, where it's sodomy, all of those things are antithetical to a healthy, stable, traditional family," he said.
Homosexual advocacy groups and their allies condemned the comments as bigoted, but Santorum did not retract the remarks.
A poll conducted among Santorum's constituents by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute showed that the senator's support had not wavered. His approval rating of 55 percent remained the same as before the controversy began.
In addition, 75 percent said Santorum should not resign as the Senate Republican Conference chairman, as his critics had urged.
Critics likened Santorum's comments to those of Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.), who touched off a national uproar for endorsing the 1948 segregationist campaign of Sen. Strom Thurmond. Lott resigned his leadership post under pressure from Republican leaders.
Pollster John Zogby said, however, that despite the Pennsylvania poll numbers, the Republicans will see defections on the homosexuality issue.
Unlike the reaction to the Lott controversy - which saw Republican revulsion at the comments - Santorum's remarks brought up fear of the Christian right, "that leaning too far against Santorum could alienate the conservatives," Zogby noted.
"It sends a message that the Republicans are going to lean right on gay issues and not compromise, and in that sense, I think Republicans stand to lose some moderate officials, and at the same time, they also stand to lose some centrist voters - soccer moms and the like - who are not terribly comfortable with a 'closed tent,'" Zogby said.
The 2004 Democratic campaign for the presidential nomination is beginning to resemble the contest between then-Vice President Al Gore and former Sen. Bill Bradley, who competed strenuously for homosexual votes in 2000.
Democratic candidates are pursuing major efforts to recruit support among an electorate that in some key primaries could contribute 10 percent or more of the vote. |
