By a 19-5 vote, the Young Republican Federation of Virginia (YRFV) Executive Board voted to recognize June as LGBT Pride Month. The resolution was introduced and championed by 10th District Representative Evan Draim, and the full text is below:
Young Republican Federation of Virginia
Celebrating Pride 2018 Resolution
Whereas June is widely recognized as LGBT Pride Month, promoting equality and acceptance for members of the LGBT community; and
Whereas the Republican Party is committed to the individual liberty and wellbeing of every American, including LGBT citizens, and
Whereas the Virginia Republican Creed asserts “that all individuals are entitled to equal rights, justice, and opportunities and should assume their responsibilities as citizens in a free society;” and
Whereas the Republican Party recognizes that individuals should be empowered to make decisions for themselves without undue intervention from government or society; and
Whereas such freedom must include the ability of each person be who they want, to love whom they want, and to express oneself how they want; and
Whereas, LGBT Pride Month is a time to celebrate the diversity of the LGBT community, but, in the past, it has often not reflected the political diversity of the LGBT community; and
Whereas identity politics has been used to ostracize LGBT Republicans and make other LGBT citizens falsely believe that holding liberal political views is the only way to stay true to their community; and
Whereas the struggle for LGBT equality was built upon the fundamental belief that LGBT individuals must have the freedom to live their lives as they see fit; and
Whereas that same principle demands that the political freedom of LGBT individuals must also be respected,
Now be it therefore resolved that the Young Republican Federation of Virginia recognizes June as LGBT Pride month, supporting equality and acceptance for LGBT individuals; and
Be it further resolved that the Young Republican Federation of Virginia honors the individual identity of each member of the LGBT community, respecting their sexual orientation and gender identity along with all the other characteristics that together form the totality of who they are as a person; and
Be it further resolved that, in the spirit of the struggle for LGBT equality, the Young Republican Federation of Virginia cemphatically rejects the premise that one’s identity as an LGBT person is contingent on holding liberal viewpoints or opinions.
The resolution was supported by YRFV Officers, including Chairman Kishore Thota, 1st Vice-Chair Thomas Turner, 2nd Vice-Chair Aaron Spradlin, Secretary Stacie Gordon, and Treasurer Tucker Obenshain (by proxy). Evan introduced the resolution which is worth a watch:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC44qT0H5Vs]
Opposition to the resolution was voiced by Lynchburg Area YR Chair Isaiah Knight; the LAYRs posted a statement about the resolution on their Facebook page [1].
As the 11th District Representative, I voted for the resolution for two reasons: 1) I believe it’s the right thing to do, including recognizing individuals empowered to make decisions for themselves without government intervention; and 2) I believe this helps us win elections by breaking down barriers to entry.
As a Young Republican in Northern Virginia, I’ve had many conversations with friends about conservative values where we can find agreement and consensus; but when it comes time to join the party or vote for a Republican candidate, the response is, “It’s not for me.” That needs to change.
Evan has had similar experiences to mine, as he points out to the news outlet Richmond2Day [2]: “There are LGBT citizens throughout our commonwealth who believe what we believe and would identify with the Republican Party, all other things being equal. However, they cannot reach that point as long as the perception persists that our Party dislikes and excludes people like them.”
I also want to address two concerns, raised both at the meeting and in online discussion since:
First, some critics say that this resolution achieves the opposite of what it supports: it is exclusive because it divides people into categories, and we leave identity politics behind. This is a specious argument. Most people don’t want to subsume their identify. They are proud of their identify. Identity politics happens when this pride is used to grant special privilege, but that’s not what this resolution is about. More tellingly, the person advocating for this resolution is a gay man who is telling Republicans that these efforts are necessary and beneficial to the LGBT community and the GOP both.
The second argument is that this compels the YRFV to recognize every group and every month as something. I disagree. The YRFV is made of individual people, down to the members of our local clubs, and we each have things we’re passionate about.
The actions and resolutions taken by the YRFV should reflect us and our passions. Evan is passionate about this cause and brought it before the group. We are a tight-knit and community-focused group, willing to consider any passion project of our YR members. Ultimately, that is what defines and differentiates us as an organization.