RNC Vows to Be More Supportive of Gay Rights

In a report released today, Republican leaders encourage future candidates to show the gay community "we care about them, too."

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Top GOP leaders recently gathered to discuss ways the party can reinvent itself to appeal to younger generations and, not surprisingly, the topic of LGBTQ rights came up — but the discussion wasn’t as dusty and narrow-minded as you may think.

In a subsequent report called “The Growth and Opportunity Project,” the Republican National Committee admits that its strict opposition to gay rights has been a contributing factor to its decline in popularity over the years. Instinct.com shares statements from the report:

For the GOP to appeal to younger voters, we do not have to agree on every issue, but we do need to make sure young people do not see the Party as totally intolerant of alternative points of view. … Already, there is a generational difference within the conservative movement about issues involving the treatment and the rights of gays — and for many younger voters, these issues are a gateway into whether the Party is a place they want to be. If our Party is not welcoming and inclusive, young people and increasingly other voters will continue to tune us out. … The Republican Party needs to stop talking to itself. We have become expert in how to provide ideological reinforcement to like-minded people, but devastatingly we have lost the ability to be persuasive with, or welcoming to, those who do not agree with us on every issue.

The report even goes on to suggest that we may be seeing future Republican candidates canvassing in the Gayborhood soon. “We need to campaign among Hispanic, black, Asian, and gay Americans and demonstrate we care about them, too. We must recruit more candidates who come from minority communities. But it is not just tone that counts. Policy always matters.”

Such an exciting, huge move for the party. I’m anxious to see what kind of effect this’ll have going forward. Is 2013 shaping up to be one of the most exciting years in gay history, or what?! Go us!

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