Gay and conservative:

Chairman of the state's College Republican federation is openly gay, and supports gay rights

By Brittany AnasCamera Staff Writer

University of Colorado student Jon Severns grew up in a conservative household in Highlands Ranch and, as he formed his own political belief system, he found it aligned with Republican Party values.
In the 2008 elections, the first presidential election in which Severns, 20, was eligible to vote, he cast his ballot for Republican candidate John McCain. He thinks government spending is out of control.

Severns, who came out as gay one year ago, said it irks him that the Republican Party traditionally doesn't support gay rights, including same-sex marriage.
Being gay and Republican isn't an oxymoron, he says. Just this month, the chairman of the state's College Republicans, who is openly gay, publicly announced his support of the "gay agenda," saying it fits with the GOP's core values.
Melissa Kennedy, spokeswoman for the Log Cabin Republicans, a national gay GOP group, said that this generation of gay Republicans are emerging as more visible advocates for gay rights -- something that social norms forbade in past generations.
"Conservatives who are young and gay are more likely to be vocal about it than the older ones," Kennedy said. "The older conservatives grew up in a time when they needed to be in the closet, when it wasn't OK to be gay. It's a different world"
But College Republicans at CU-Boulder are sticking with the party's traditional stance -- and still oppose gay marriage.
Severns, who is involved in a student alliance for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender engineers at CU-Boulder, said being gay shouldn't determine his political views. His friends chide him about his political affiliation conflicting with his identity as gay.
"One of the foundations of the Republican Party is smaller government and the idea that government shouldn't dictate every aspect of our lives," Severns said. "I think that should include marriage. There are a lot of Republicans who are gay."
Troy Ard,

Troy Ard

22, is openly gay and was unanimously elected to his position last April as state chairman of the Colorado Federation of College Republicans.
"The belief that Republicans are homophobic is something that's portrayed more in the media than in reality," said Ard, who is a psychology student at Colorado State University's Pueblo campus.
In fact, he considers gay rights to be a conservative cause.
"The Republican Party was founded on the principle of individual liberty," Ard said. "Our party opposed government recognition of the ownership of human beings as slaves. ... Our party has always held the concept of equality and liberty as a means of unity, not division."
Stephanie Wilencheck, director of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center at CU, said that the group welcomes his advocacy.
"I think it's great there's support for LGBTQ rights, no matter where it's coming from," she said.
Ard grew up in Pueblo, and both of his parents were union members. He formed differing political beliefs, and, in his role as the chairman of the college GOP group, he's been vocal when it comes to conservative causes -- including opposing in-state tuition benefits for undocumented students and rejecting the idea of a tax increase to fund higher education.
The Colorado Federation of College Republicans has not adopted an official stance on civil unions or gay marriage.
Ard's statements, though, don't reflect the opinion of the College Republican chapter at CU-Boulder, said the group's president Gregory Carlson.
"College Republicans have a diverse array of opinions on fiscal and social issues, and these debates and discussions strengthen our group," Carlson said in a statement. "Although we may disagree on some aspects of some issues, our love of country, faith in liberty and fiscal responsibility, and belief in limited government unite us in resisting government oppression."

Boulder Daily Camera