News

Log Cabin Republicans Take Their Place at Georgia GOP Convention

Openly gay Republicans elected as delegates, alternates

April 20, 1999

(Augusta, GA) – This weekend's Georgia Republican State Convention in Augusta marks a milepost for the Georgia GOP and Georgia Log Cabin Republicans -- a group of gay and lesbian Republicans -- as they build a bigger, more inclusive Party. At county and congressional district conventions around the state, Republicans elected 15 openly gay Log Cabin members as delegates and alternates to the state Party convention.

"We believe that the Georgia Republican Party is big enough for everyone who subscribes to the Party's Main Street, mainstream principles of liberty and responsibility. If we want to become the majority party in Georgia and to re-capture the White House, it's time we constructed a bigger tent," said Michael Brown, President of the Atlanta-based Georgia Log Cabin Republicans.

For the first time in its history, Georgia Log Cabin will provide an information booth at the convention. Approving the booth represents a positive step by the Georgia GOP and should serve as an example for state Parties around the country. This news comes on the heels of the recent Florida GOP recognition of the Broward County Log Cabin Club as an official GOP organization, pointing to a growing trend of state parties reaching out to gay Republicans.

Just last year, the Texas Republican Party prohibited the Log Cabin Republicans of Texas, represented by over 50 elected delegates and alternates, from having a similar presence at their GOP convention in Fort Worth. That action, along with protests from Texas Log Cabin and name calling from within the Party, prompted Texas Governor and Presidential hopeful George W. Bush to criticize the Republican Party of Texas for its attacks on the gay Republican organization. "Governor Bush believes all individuals deserve to be treated with dignity and respect," said Karen Hughes, communications director for Gov. Bush as she tried to diffuse the situation.

Tyllmann Wald, vice president for issues and candidates of the Georgia Log Cabin club, said, "The state Party's approval of our booth is a recognition of our work at the grass roots level. The state Party has shown its openness and avoided a confrontation like the one last year in Texas." The Georgia Log Cabin worked throughout the spring to encourage its members to attend local GOP precinct meetings, county conventions, and congressional district conventions. Through its hard work, Log Cabin is helping to bring the Republican Party back to its basic virtues of limited government, individual freedom, personal responsibility and fiscal conservatism.

Georgia Log Cabin Republicans work to educate Republicans about issues facing the gay and lesbian community and to educate gays and lesbians on the Party's conservative philosophy.

Georgia Log Cabin members worked with many Republican campaigns last fall and were instrumental in helping to elect former Atlanta Falcons player Mike Kenn as County Commission Chairman in Fulton County. Kenn received more votes in the city of Atlanta than any Republican, running for any office, has ever received.