Iowa GOP Chair: Gay Marriage & Republicans Don't Mix

The Republican National Committee sent out it post-election autopsy report early this week and noted that the GOP needs to work harder at being more inclusive and less scary in order to grab more voters. One of those areas that the RNC noted that the GOP should be more inclusive was the issue of gays and lesbians. In other words, learn how to embrace conservatives who disagree on social issues such as same-sex marriage or protections.

Looks like the Iowa GOP isn't terribly interested in bending at all when it comes to gay and lesbian families, as evidenced by this e-mail sent by Iowa Republican GOP Chairman A.J. Spiker to the NRC:

Fellow RNC Members,

While inclusion is important, elected Republicans (we all know the most recent example) and National/State Party leaders who embrace so-called same sex marriage are doing grave harm to our Party and the whole of society. Lets not forget, so-called same sex marriage is an irreconcilable difference with the Republican Party's largest constituency... Committed Christians.

Iowa has been a marriage equality state for nearly four years. The court decision case through on 04/03/09 and Iowa's gay and lesbian couples began legally marrying a few weeks later. Since then, the GOP has been fighting hard to revoke our marriage rights & responsibilities and to punish the Iowa Supreme Court for daring to rule against them on this issue.

Meanwhile, there has been no great harm afflicted upon Iowa or its people since April 2009. Our marriage rates are up and our divorce rates are down. No church has been forced to host any wedding -- gay or het -- against its wishes. No pastor has been forced to officiate at any wedding that she or he doesn't endorse, nor has he or she gotten in trouble for preaching against gay marriage or gay sexuality or anything else. Our elementary schools are not teaching gay sex ed to our children. In short, the only thing that has changed since April 2009 is that gay and lesbian couples can now get legally married.

Why does the GOP continue to push against gay and lesbian families and talk about the societal harm that we spread, when anyone without an agenda can see that there hasn't been any harm? The GOP will never show itself to be a welcoming or inclusive place for most gay and lesbian people if it continues to work towards the dissolution of our families. It doesn't take a genius to recognize that.
 They really need to stop working to spread stories of harm where there is none and to stop fighting against gay families year after year if they ever have a chance of seriously reaching out to gay and lesbian voters, as well as our friends, families, and allies.