WASHINGTON, D.C., January 23, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Republican Party platform holds that marriage is a union between one man and one woman, but homosexual activists both within the party and without would like to see that change. A growing number of gay advocacy groups are now targeting the GOP, not for defeat, but for assimilation.
One such group, GOProud, says on its website, “GOProud believes that stable, loving, committed relationships are the cornerstone of our society and should be protected and encouraged for all couples – including gay and lesbian couples.”
Another group, Freedom to Marry, has launched a sub-group called “Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry,” which describes itself as “a campaign to highlight and build support for the freedom to marry among young conservatives across America.”
The group claims a growing number of young conservatives are supporting same-sex ‘marriage,’ “as an extension of personal freedom.” They cite a number of polls, including one showing that 49 percent of Republican millennials favor homosexual unions, compared to only 19 percent of Republican seniors and less than one-third of Republicans overall.
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In light of a 2012 election blowout that saw same-sex marriage approved by voters in three states, and a traditional marriage initiative voted down in another, LSN asked past presidential contender Gary Bauer if it is possible the GOP will abandon its principles on gay marriage.
But Bauer, who now heads American Values – a group that promotes traditional marriage within the Republican Party – told LSN he thinks such a shift is “almost unimaginable.”
“Virtually all the candidates that competed for the GOP nomination this cycle supported traditional marriage,” said Bauer. “The party platform unambiguously did, also. I think that will be the case again in 2016.”
According to Bauer, the real threat to traditional marriage comes from the White House, not the Republican Party. “Any drift in the GOP is minor compared to the all-out push that the president is making on this issue, even mentioning it in his Inaugural address,” he said.
He pointed to President Obama’s transformation on the marriage issue since taking office in 2009 and blamed it, in part, for the major losses pro-family forces saw at the ballot box last November.
“The coalition in favor of normal marriage has been made up of political conservatives and American minority groups, including Hispanics and blacks,” Bauer said. “But the president’s so-called ‘evolution’ on this issue has resulted in what appears to be a major shift among blacks and Hispanics toward favoring same-sex ‘marriage.’”
Asked about polls that show increasing numbers of young people, even self-identified ‘conservatives,’ supporting gay marriage, Bauer said the responsibility lies with church and cultural leaders, not the Republican Party.
“To the extent that young people, including growing numbers of young Christians support same-sex “marriage,” he said, “it’s not a failure of the GOP, it is a failure of the culture and the church.”
Said Bauer, “It’s a mistake to expect political parties to have the main responsibility in winning cultural and moral debates. Parties surrender on things when it’s being lost outside of politics. Right now you have a lot of confusion in the church, a lot of people who won’t speak up about things, a lot of religious leaders that are avoiding the issue. I don’t think we can expect the Republican Party to save us when even the church won’t do it.”