The Forgotten Republicans
The Republican Party truly is a “big tent” party. Within the last few decades, the party has seen an influx of African Americans, as more have begun to realize that Democrats have viewed them as nothing more than election props for the last fifty years. There is an increasing number of Hispanics who have begun to embrace the Republican party, seeing their conservative views, stemming from a strong connection to the church be represented. With former President Donald Trump’s arrival on the political scene, we have seen the Republican party represent many more middle- and working-class Americans, while the Democrat party becomes the party of celebrities, and wealthy high dollar donors.
But even when you support your party, when they need calling out, you must be willing to do that too. While as Republicans, we are welcoming of everyone, for one to be influential and be taken seriously within the party, sometimes requires a uniformity of sorts. Not just a uniformity of what appears at times to be lock-step belief uniformity, but also the “correct” religious uniformity, and uniformity in supporting the “acceptable” GOP candidates. We seem to have forgotten what Ronald Reagan said about agreements and disagreements within the Republican party, “The person who agrees with you 80% of the time, is a friend and ally – not a 20% traitor.” Because of this, the Republican party is overlooking a huge swath of support that in this crucial election year, we do so at our own peril.
The Log Cabin Republicans are the largest Republican gay and lesbian organization in the nation. The group began in California in the late 1970’s, when a guy like Reagan could still get elected in California. They were formed in response to an initiative put forth in 1978 that would have banned gay people from working as teachers in California. For those of you old enough to remember, think Anita Bryant in Dade County Florida attempting to get several anti-discrimination ordinances overturned. At the time, politicians of both parties did not want to be seen as allies of the gay and lesbian community. But one did, Ronald Reagan. Reagan came out in opposition to the initiative saying, “It has the potential for real mischief, “What if an overwrought youngster, disappointed by bad grades, imagined it was the teacher’s fault and struck out by accusing the teacher of advocating homosexuality? Innocent lives could be ruined.” This was not the outright advocation of homosexuality in the classroom that we see today, it was merely people who wanted a job and nothing more.
In 2016 and again in 2020, Log Cabin Republicans endorsed Donald Trump. From the time of Reagan onward, while they might not have agreed with every item in the Republican party platform, and perhaps much of the party disagreed with them on several issues, they agreed with the most important things. On the economy and taxes, LCR’s position is to support low taxes across the board for all Americans, slashing regulations, specifically on small business. Log Cabin Republicans are very pro-Second Amendment. They also support expanding concealed carry laws in every state. A statement from their website sums it up, “From the shooting at Pulse Nightclub, to violent attacks on the street, LGBT people are in danger, but we know that when the Second Amendment is supported and protected – so are we.” While the media continually shows the violence of Jan. 6, 2021, and calls it “the mainstream of the Republican party,” they also want Americans to think that pole-dancing drag queens are the norm within the gay and lesbian community. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Some of the fastest growing religions in America come under the umbrella of Paganism. Wicca, Druidism, Witchcraft, and others, have gone from 134,000 who publicly identified as Pagans in 2001, to nearly 2 million today. Many people are drawn to what they see as a freedom to worship in the way they choose, and worship which ever deities they choose. Young people especially, say they have not found the love and acceptance in mainstream denominations that they have found in the Pagan community. Pagan religions might best be described as Earth religions. There is a strong belief in the power of the elements, and the belief in a plurality of Gods and Goddesses. Some Pagans cast spells, some practice divination techniques like Tarot card reading to supplement and compliment their practice.
Most Republicans and conservatives might think that Pagans are predominantly liberal. And to a great degree they are, but the number of those who identify themselves as conservative Pagans is growing and growing rapidly. A quick perusal of Facebook will reveal hundreds of conservative Pagan groups with many having hundreds of members, some in the thousands. Take another quick look at a conservative Pagan Facebook page and you will find not just spell ideas and which herbs and crystals might work with a particular spell, but also, a screen shot of a tweet by radio host Buck Sexton, reminding everyone that Joe Biden was going to “unite” the country and “help the middle class afford stuff like gas and food, hilarious.” Someone else posted the meme with the saying, “I’m more MAGA now than I have ever been.” Another post wonders why 16-year-old Barron Trump’s room was raided by the FBI, but Hunter Biden’s house was not.
Most Christian conservatives will not agree with conservative Pagans when it comes to religion. The one thing both groups will agree on wholeheartedly however, religious freedom. And make no mistake, Pagan conservatives are just as ready to fight the left as anyone else. If we are going to correctly identify the Republican party as the big tent party that it is, we cannot demand lock step belief from every Republican. We cannot view one another as good for the party or bad. Gay and Pagan Republicans realize who we are fighting, and what is at stake just as much as any other Republican. No one has been designated the arbiter of who conservatives and Republicans are, and who they are not. The only designation that matters, is American.
