A Different Party Seeks to Gain LGBT Vote

With the exorbitant amount of criticism many in the LGBT community have been expressing towards the Obama administration, some from a lesser popular party are seeking to woo the ‘gay vote’ away from the Democratic party that typically enjoys about 70 of the LGBT community’s vote…and no, it’s not the tea party.

But according to a post on Arizona Daily Star, Mark Hinkle, National Chair for the Libertarian Party is there to extend a welcoming hand.

The party stressed it really should be the home for gay voters, saying its platform says sexual orientation and gender identity should have no impact on the treatment of individuals, whether that be in marriage, child custody, adoption, immigration or military service laws.

But is the Libertarian Party really gay friendly? After all, it was Neil McCluskey, the head of the Cato Institute, a D.C. based Libertarian think tank that said he didn’t think that ’special’ protections should be given to LGBT school kids because after all, everyone gets bullied in school and such legislation would stifle the First Amendment rights of those who oppose homosexuality.

Also, what real advantage would the LGBT community have by supporting a third and smaller party? The fact is, regardless of whether or not some Republicans have come out of the closet, the GOP remains largely anti-gay, and even though some may not have seen the amount of progress at the rate they’d like to see it from the Dems, they generally are the party members who manage to be the catalyst for positive change. I would believe that lending our support to the Libertarian Party would do nothing more than provide them with a boost, both economically and in their constituency…which would simply take us out of the equation when it comes to who really gets elected.

The Democratic Party may not be perfect, they may have not given all of us what we want, when we want it, but it’s undeniable that in the larger sense, they remain to be the only real political ally the LGBT party has, and until we do gain equality and inclusion, I believe it’s in our better interest to stay.

What are your thoughts?