HomoQuotable - B. Daniel Blatt

"Just over two years ago in the Huffington Post, left-wing journalist and screenwriter Gene Stone asked why “any gay man or woman” would join the GOP, “a party that has stated, over and over, as clearly as can be, without equivocation, that he or she is not welcome.” Stone’s piece was little more than an angry and inaccurate diatribe, attempting to show that it was “worse than self-loathing,” it was “just plain moronic” for gay people to embrace the Republican Party.

"His article, like so much of the criticism leveled against gay Republicans, did not reference any specific action by the GOP excluding gays. He didn’t even identify any actual gay or lesbian individuals who had had adverse experiences with the Party of Lincoln.

"Familiar with such ill-informed attacks on gay Republicans like myself, I decided last week that when I went to the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, I would make a point of referencing my blog, GayPatriot, whenever I introduced myself to a participant. As the blog is part of Pajamas Media, a consortium of mostly right-of-center web sites, I would interact with a great variety of conservative (and libertarian) bloggers covering the convention.

[SNIP]

"When I wasn't talking with convention participants or congregating with my fellow bloggers, I was watching the speeches, touring the floor, taking in the atmosphere of a national convention. We could all feel the excitement as we awaited vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s speech. We left the Xcel Center ecstatic, agreeing it was a great speech and a good night for our party, with some (including yours truly) comparing her speaking style to that of Ronald Reagan.

"In that speech, Palin, like John McCain, did not belittle gays nor reference the battles over marriage. Their message was an inclusive one, inviting all who shared their vision to join them in their campaign.

"They did not need to mention gay and lesbian people by name to let us know we were welcome. While we may not agree with our party on all issues, the organizers of the convention treated Log Cabin as they treated other Republican auxiliary groups and treated us as they treated other conservative bloggers.

"Those who claim that the GOP excludes gay people weren’t with us in St. Paul. They derive their conclusions more from their imaginations than from the actual experiences of gay Republicans. Simply put, what I experienced in St. Paul made me feel proud to be a Republican." - GayPatriot blogger B. Daniel Blatt, in an op-ed piece in the Washington Blade.