Gay Republican challenges his party's hate [View all]

[usregimechange]

The 24-year-old Branson man, who until recently was U.S. Senate candidate Sarah Steelman's political director, is very unhappy about how his party treats gays and lesbians. Like so many people like him — and there are many in the Republican Party — he has heard the slurs, sat through meetings in which gays were bashed, and watched the party develop more and more anti-gay positions.

He's sick of it.

Not long ago he called me and asked if I'd help him get his story out.

"I think people should know there are a lot of gay Republicans," Mr. Case said. "It shouldn't be an issue."

But it is a very big issue indeed. Missouri Republicans were key to a constitutional amendment passing overwhelmingly in 2004 prohibiting same-sex marriages. They generally opposed the effort by President Barack Obama to get rid of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that banned gay servicemen and women from being honest about their sexuality.

Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/the-platform/editorial-notebook-gay-republican-challenges-his-party-s-hate/article_03b14ecf-a2fa-54fd-a0d2-7831f1edba23.html#ixzz1gbsxmAnU